With the global mobile TV market expected to more than double from $7.9 billion in 2008 to $17.1 billion in 2012, according to the Yankee Group, a worldwide audience is already viewing YouTube videos, films and other content on the small screens of mobile devices in record numbers. Microvision (NASDAQ:MVIS), a global leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and image capture products for mobility applications, is bringing new technology to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) which would alleviate the small-screen viewing problem which many users dislike. Today the company announced plans to demonstrate its next-generation pico projector prototype--a pocket-sized laser projector that connects to mobile phones, personal media players and other mobile devices--at CEATEC in Tokyo, Japan (September 30-October 4, 2008, booth 8G06).

"Our latest pico projector prototype provides a thinner, smaller and brighter PicoP(TM) engine and several image quality enhancements over the projector which we introduced at CES earlier this year," said Alexander Tokman, president and CEO of Microvision. "Through the integration of new-generation green lasers and electronics innovations we are able to deliver the type of image quality that we believe will delight customers. We recently began shipments of this prototype to our OEM customers for evaluation and end-user testing. We consider both the new prototype and our work with OEMs as important steps forward in the path toward commercialization."

About PicoP: Core Technology of Microvision's Projector

Microvision's PicoP display engine, the fundamental technology on which the company's laser projector prototype is based, is comprised of directly modulated light sources, custom-drive electronics and software, optical combiners and Microvision's MEMS single scanning mirror. The tiny scanning mirror itself is less than one square millimeter in area--or about the size of the head of a pin. The single scanning mirror is designed to scan in both horizontal and vertical directions so that a single beam of light can be precisely steered, in a raster-like fashion, at very high speeds to project a complete video image.

The inherent advantages of this architecture include small form factor and low power requirements, while delivering very good image quality. PicoP uses a collimated beam of light to achieve very efficient full-color, hi-resolution, high-contrast images. Additionally, PicoP does not require any projection lenses and is therefore 'focus-free' at any distance--another major advantage inherent in the PicoP architecture.