AT&T to release cellphone with optional projector

Dallas-based AT&T Inc. said Monday that it will release a new phone -- the LG eXpo (GW820) -- on Dec. 7 with an optional snap-on "pico projector" that uses technology from Dallas-based Texas Instruments Inc.

The Windows Mobile 6.5 smart phone with a speedy 1 gigahertz processor will be the first projector phone in North America.

Samsung has already released a projector phone in South Korea also using TI's digital light processing technology, but that device was never released in the United States.

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The attachable LG Mobile Projector will ship in the next few weeks for $179.

The device will be able to project videos and other files stored on the phone onto walls, screens and other surfaces.

Ultimately, phone makers and tech companies such as TI want to integrate projectors directly into phones, as Samsung did with its W7900 projector phone.

Analysts estimate sales of projector phones could reach 100 million or more per year by 2015, a substantial chunk of the 1 billion-plus phones sold annually.

The LG eXpo is also notable because it will be able to access a faster version of AT&T's 3G wireless network, which will soon go live in Dallas and a handful of other U.S. cities.

In addition to the eXpo, phones now available that are compatible with the HSPA 7.2 network upgrade are the iPhone 3GS from Apple Inc., the Tilt 2 and Pure from HTC Corp., and the Samsung Jack with the Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade.

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