Sha-Miel: Sanyo's Mobile Magnifying Camera

Have you ever needed to project the display of a cell phone or portable gadget on a TV or big screen? If yes, you know that this is often a pain (for example, during a presentation) – but Sanyo’s Sha-Miel [JP] might do the trick for you. It’s essentially a flexible magnifying camera for displays of mobile devices.

The 0.3MP CMOS camera has been offered by Sanyo subsidiary Sanyo Precision [JP] for about a year, but the newest version has arms whose joints can be turned 360°.

Users can fix the camera to the mobile device in question through a clip at the base of the arm. Sanyo claims that even when users start typing on a phone (and their hands shake), the images produced on the big screen (in 640×480 resolution) don’t shake.

The made-in-Japan, 72g Sha-Miel can be used only in regions using NTSC, according to Sanyo. It’s already available in Japan where it costs $465 (ask export specialist Geek Stuff 4 U to get one for you if you’re interested).