This morning Sprint has announced a new device that be available for consumer to purchase on July 11. The product is the LivePro and I must say, it seems rather interesting. The LivePro is a portable DLP pocket projector, but not like any we have seen before.
Hardware wise there are quite a few things to know about. Internally you have a 1.2GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB storage, (also a Micro SD card slot) and a 5,000 mAh battery. It can connect to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G/4G. It is also capable of Wi-Fi Miracast. Physical connectors on the back include HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB port and power supply. As for the projector aspect you are looking at DLP (Digital Light Processing) from Texas Instruments with a lamp brightness of 100 lumens and a bulb life of 20,000 hours. Image wise you are looking at a picture that can be 10-inches to 10 feet depending on the distance of the LivePro from the projected surface. The projected image quality is listed with a native resolution of 1280 x 800 and a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080. The whole thing runs on Android 4.2 and can be controlled on a 4-inch touch screen found on the top of the device.Â
As you can see in the images, it isn’t a huge device either. It measures in at 4.7 x 4.7 x 1.1 inches and weighs just 14.1 ounces.
The LivePro doesn’t stop with it just being a really cool way to broadcast a movie, photos or presentation to a wall though. It also acts a mobile hotspot device to connect up to 8 devices to the internet. As well as act as an emergency battery backup to charge your phone through the USB port.
It is Google certified so you will have access to the Play Store directly on the device. While the 4GB internal storage (less considering the OS install and pre-installed apps) might put a hindrance on installing a ton of apps. I could see Plex, Hulu Plus and Netflix being the first few apps I would install to it. Hopefully AllCast Receiver functions on it as well. Some of that is fairly mute though since the device sports a direct HDMI input port and Miracast abilities.
“Whether it’s a boardroom proposal or backyard movie night, Sprint LivePro is a one-of-a-kind device that combines the enhanced LTE network capabilities of Sprint Spark with an easily portable projector that helps you get work done or keep the family entertained,†said David Owens, senior vice president of Product Development, Sprint. “Sprint LivePro has a high-quality projection display making it easy to share important information on a movie screen, wall or any other flat surface. Its mobile hotspot is powered by Sprint Spark, offering blazing-fast network speeds for downloading important videos or presentations on the Web.â€
Sprint will make the LivePro available to anyone who wants it on July 11th. If you opt for a contract with Sprint service you will be tossing down $299. If you opt for the easy pay option you are looking at $18.75 a month for 24 months. Full price will hit your pocket-book at $449. Sprint also has a set of data packages to pair with the LivePro: 3GB for $34.99, 6GB for $49.99 and 12GB for $79.99. All prices are monthly of course.
For its size and its abilities, I could see this being pretty handy. Especially during the summer. I can already see myself pairing up a Braven speaker and hanging a sheet from the trees while camping and watching a movie. Anyone out there considering picking one up on the 11th? I might just have to go down to the Sprint store and at least take a look at it.
