Due to improved performance and a decrease in price over the past few years, ultra-short throw projectors have become more and more well-liked. While the majority of brands have concentrated on catering to the consumer audience, which represents the largest market share. With the Infinite M1 Pro portable projector, one company defied the trend and created a device that can turn any flat surface into an interactive virtual display, but with certain limitations.
Due to its built-in Android-based computer and ability to be used similarly to a smartphone or tablet, the original puppy cube stood out from the other ultra-short-throw DLP projectors. A touch interface was made possible by tracking cameras by projecting a picture onto a flat, horizontal surface, like a desk or even the floor. clever work .The Hachi Infinite M1 Pro, the most recent version of Puppy Robot’s UST interactive projector, can act as a sort of one-stop audiovisual hub for work, play, and learning. It can organize keynote speeches for business meetings, facilitate video calls with family or coworkers (beneficial for all those working from home), aid in education for children, and provide big-screen entertainment, among other things.
The optical engine of the device can produce up to 600 ANSI lumens, which is 100 more than its regular Infinite M1 stablemate and twice as much as the first puppy cube. It can handle 720p resolution, which is functional but we’d hoped for better resolution at this price point. This made using the M1 Pro a little easier on textures including grained wood, although a matte, neutral-colored surface worked best.
Due to the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, the idea of swiping, touching, and typing on a table top (or a wall, if the device is brought up close) didn’t seem too strange, and the M1 Pro’s sensors were precise and sensitive enough to make touch control seamless and feel quite natural. However, you must be cautious of shadows, especially when using multitouch.
According to the specifications, the picture is 23 diagonal inches for touch interaction but may reach 100 diagonal inches for displaying content on a wall. The throw ratio is 0.39:1. (where touch is no longer possible). However, Puppy advises setting the wall viewing to a maximum of 40 inches. Additionally, there are automatic keystone correction and focus, both of which performed nicely.
The new device looks similar to the puppy cube in terms of boxiness, but it has a rounded rear and large power and volume controls on top. Puppy has added a top-mounted 8-MP camera module as well as bi-directional microphones to enable video calls.
The dynamic projector runs Android 9.0 under a fresh infiniteOS shell that provides a straightforward, user-friendly interface. Although there is a proprietary app store called UptoDown installed, you do not have access to the Google Store. Puppy claims that it is working to fix this. WPS Office, Facebook, the Chrome browser, Spotify, and a couple games like Candy Crush are all included as default applications. Additionally, it has GPS built in for use with location-based applications and services.
Although the home screen may be customized, there aren’t many alternatives available. There is space on the home screen for about half a dozen icons overall, although the standard icons can be changed to favorites, for instance. And there isn’t a wide enough selection of layouts.
Computer vision, speech recognition with natural language processing, image identification, gesture recognition, and other functions are all managed by the in-built AI. Young pupils can position blocks within the touch area during games that use object recognition as part of an AI teaching package that includes interactive games. The Math module was indicated as “coming soon” at the time of our evaluation, so whoops. At the time of our evaluation, the Spelling module remained the sole option accessible. Additionally, a food app called AI Kitchen is allegedly coming soon, along with an AI-assisted exercise app that was already installed.
The brighter image on this most recent model was much appreciated and made navigating in touch mode that much simpler, even though it was nowhere close to the output abilities of a few other UST projectors on the market. Even though they benefited from drawn shades or dim ambient lighting, the larger thrown images on the wall were watchable in the daylight. Quality in the lower-light environments that projectors are normally used in proved to be pleasing, but we did occasionally desire for greater definition and improved contrast.
Exploring the UptoDown app store brought up quite a few recognizable options for installation, the absence of Google services did cause some oddities. For instance, the YouTube app was advertised as being available for download, but once installed, it was inoperable.
Nevertheless, we were able to use the Chrome browser, which was already installed, to watch YouTube videos, but only when the M1 Pro was flat against the wall (with a 23-diagonal-inch image size). The thrown image grew when the unit was pulled away from the wall, but it blurred and touch interactivity stopped working. The bundled Bluetooth remote has a useful autofocus button, however utilizing the remote’s navigation keys to later resume a YouTube video within the Chrome browser was impossible. It would have been helpful to include some sort of AirMouse capabilities similar to the Touchjet Pond’s remote.
Being able to use an ultra-short throw projector as a touchscreen interactive multimedia device is quite remarkable, and makes standard UST units seem antiquated. It becomes stunning when a built-in audio system and well-known smart device features are added.
Some of the functionality of the M1 Pro works well in use, while others don’t work so well. To compensate for the loss of touchscreen engagement at larger display sizes, the device has to be delivered with a more powerful remote. The touch tracking is wonderful as long as you keep shadow limits in mind. There is a lot going on in this place, and there will undoubtedly be more in the future, which may be reflected in the fairly high asking price. Apart from a few adjustments, we’re quite content!
