Today, NionCom announces the official introduction of the MemoryKick™ Vision™ tablet, a device for media management, business productivity, and gaming applications. The Vision™ tablet is an extension of the MicroVision Arrow™ mini-tablet shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early-January. They both share many components and features. We have discussed the Arrow™ mini-tablet on a few occasions on Picopros.com.

The MemoryKick™ Vision™ is designed to be the ultimate productivity tool. A user can load all their business documents (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ImageAMMO™), photos, and videos on one device for use anywhere. Files can be rapidly transferred between several storage locations. The Vision™ has the capacity to store hundreds of hours of video due to the fact that it has a 500GB to 1TB hard drive, depending on the configuration.  In either case, this is remarkably more storage than can be found on devices such as the iPad and the like.  These competing devices use very costly flash memory, limiting them to about 64GB of storage or less - barely enough to store a couple HD-quality movies.

The MemoryKick™ Vision™ allows easy connectivity to a television via its HDMI port.  Not only can a user watch stored video and photos, but the entire operating system.  This means that surfing the internet, gaming, and any apps can all be experienced on a large screen.  This is a feature unique to the Vision™ tablet.  Other tablets and mobile phones simply can't do this.

A generous 4.3" capacitive touch screen allows for easy management of files, browsing the internet, gaming, and access to many unique applications. The Vision™ tablet also includes applications for streaming live television content through Wi-Fi connectivity.  Even VOIP-based phone calls can be made on the device. In addition, an embedded laser projector provides the flexibility for viewing content anywhere - with no need to focus. Whatever is being displayed on the screen can be projected for a large, immersive experience. The Vision™ tablet packs all the functionality of a laptop - and more - into a small, ultra-portable device.

High Level Specs

Android 2.2 operating system

5MP Camera / 720p Video Record (Shoot & Project Anytime, Anywhere!)

Embedded laser pico projector (with PicoP® technology by MicroVision)

HDMI Out: 1080p (play all your digital movies and videos)

HDMI In 720p (connect and project from a computer, iPod, or Android device)

Bluetooth to connect Bluetooth speakers, keyboard, and mouse

Wi-Fi

VOIP

Accelerometer

HDD with capacities of up to 1TB

Multi-Memory Transfer capability between the HDD, Micro-SD, SD, and USB)

Interactive Touch Projection

Dimensions: Length: 142mm; Width 78mm; Height 27mm

Difference between Arrow™ mini-tablet and the Vision™

Arrow™: 3.5 inch 800 x 480 Full View Angle Screen, 4GB Internal Flash Memory; with Micro-SD Card, USB with multi-transfer capability

Vision™: 4.3 inch 800 x 480 Full View Angle Screen, 500GB 2.5 inch HDD; with Micro-SD, SD, and USB insert and multi-transfer capabilities.

Anthony Link, CEO of NionCom states that the inspiration for the Vision™ tablet came as the result of a discussion he had with a customer. The customer suggested that it would be nice to have a built-in projector to view content in a larger format. Immediately seeing the potential of the concept, NionCom surveyed the various technologies for projecting from a small device. After familiarizing themselves with the available options, they decided on MicroVision's PicoP® technology, where a single mirror and three lasers create the images by "painting" each pixel in a raster-scan pattern. In his own words, Anthony states that "MicroVision has the best technology" for what they are trying to accomplish - projecting beautiful images from a compact device with no need to focus. In addition, he stresses the scalability of the PicoP® platform. The ability to move to 720p resolution and beyond while also shrinking the display engine is a critical need for future products. None of the competing technologies can achieve higher performance without sacrificing size and power consumption.

As opposed to simply adding a projector to their existing MemoryKick™ Si product, NionCom realized the importance of having unique applications that would take full advantage of a highly-flexible device with capacity for storing lots of data. By partnering with ImageAMMO™ and ThinkFree, for example, NionCom has ensured they could deliver on this goal.

We've discussed ImageAMMO™ on Picopros before. Essentially, it allows users to easily organize, share, and present photos and presentations in a virtual three-dimensional environment. Taking advantage of the embedded projector, users can display their content in a large format and manipulate the sets of images by rotating and interacting with the various shapes. Users can also create their own photo sets (called ‘WRAPPERS’) with ImageAMMO™ and share with others. Anyone can then read the wrappers using the actual ImageAMMO™ app for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) or the free ImageAMMO™ ‘PLAYER’, available on their site.

Trey Ratcliff, the HDR photographer of StuckInCustoms.com and developer of the very impressive 100 CAMERAS IN 1 (his new app for iOS devices on iTunes) has provided ImageAMMO™ with photos that are WRAPPED for your enjoyment. His images have been seen more than 50 million times,  ImageAMMO™ is available in a home version for Mac and PC, as well as an Apple iOS app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch HERE.  ImageAMMO™ will be available for other Android devices as well.

ThinkFree is an office productivity tool that allows users to view and share MS Office files with colleagues. To take it one step further, NionCom worked with ThinkFree to customize the application to enhance the user experience when using an embedded projector. One example of this is allowing users the ability to quickly reverse the color palette on presentations, making text easier to read on the projected slides.

It is unique applications such as these that further differentiates the Vision™ from all other devices on the market.

NionCom didn't stop there.  By working with high-end game developers, the MemoryKick™ Vision™ tablet will have a rich multimedia gaming experience, with high-quality graphics.  Even better, these games can be played on a large television or projected up to 100" for the ultimate immersive experience.

The MemoryKick™ Vision™ tablet is expected to be available in Q2 2011, priced in the mid-$500 range, available worldwide and at prominent retailers in the United States.  The Vision™ tablet offers a multitude of unique features that we will describe in follow-up artilces. So, stay tuned for more details and photos of the device, coming soon!

Disclosure: as of this writing, the author was long shares of Microvision (NASDAQ: MVIS)