Accessory maker Century Japan has introduced a new projector integrated into an iPhone 4/4S case. Called Monolith, the new projector uses a DLP imager and LEDs to produce 12 lumens at nHD (640×360) resolution with 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Monolith, first seen by the PMA team in the Telstar (Shenzhen, China) booth at the IFA tradeshow in September 2011, also features a 1,900 mAh battery that augments the iPhone’s internal battery, extending the run time of the phone and projector to as long as 3 hours. The battery is said to take four hours to fully recharge. Monolith is currently available in Japan on Century’s Sirobaco.com online store at a retail price of $US250, but it is not known if the product will be available outside Japan.

PMA has seen several iPhone cases with embedded pico projectors in the past, but Monolith is the first to reach the market. Our projector market research suggests that the market can expect more such devices to be introduced.

Century