It may seem like retro technology, but there’s nothing antiquated about this pint-sized projector. After a successful Indiegogo campaign last year, the Cinemood, a mini-projector designed specifically with families in mind, is coming to brick and mortar stores in the U.S. Beginning in April, parents who want to give their children an “alternative interface for technology” will be able to check out this 21st century storytelling machine.
While you may not want your youngsters spending too much time with their eyes glued to a television or laptop screen, the Cinemood may be the alternative that lets users tap into the addictive and hypnotic qualities of the TV while determining what sort of content their tots are consuming.
Cinemood boasts swappable smart covers that are meant to turn a plain wall or ceiling into a theater of sorts. From there, parents can choose from cartoons, digital books, or even creative play environments to be projected for the enjoyment of young viewers. This, the Cinemood team hopes, will allow “watching television” to become more of a shared experience that transcends the typical zombie-like state that arises from sitting in front of a monitor for hours on end.
From blocking unwanted content (you can control everything your child sees from Cinemood) to a brand new way of telling children their bedtime stories (by projecting them on the ceiling) to connecting to cloud storage for your own enjoyment, Cinemood says that there are a wide variety of applications that make this portable projector an ideal addition to any family. The projector runs on Android KitKat and has 1GB of RAM storage, with a DLP optical engine. It weighs in at just 250 grams and fits in the palm of your hand.
Since its successful Indiegogo campaign, Cinemood has made quite a few changes. For one, it has introduced a new iOS app that allows you to control the mini projector from your iPhone, and which you can download here. Moreover, the team is looking to strengthen its content creation platform, helping young users develop and exercise their creativity. And speaking of content, Cinemood is putting the finishing touches on its Content Subscription package, which will “aggregate external content libraries and show the best content based on our recommendation system algorithms,” the company told Digital Trends.
The 777 folks who backed the projector during its crowdfunding days have already received their own Cinemoods, and you can now order your own on the Cinemood website for $449.
Article originally published in May 2016. Updated on 3-22-2017 by Lulu Chang: Added news of Cinemood’s upcoming availability in the U.S.
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