Pico projectors the next thing in Mobile devices.

Companies like Microvision Inc are putting their bets smaller scale projectors from devices as tiny as cellphones.

Microvision and rivals such as Texas Instruments Inc and 3M Co were promising strong prospects for pico at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.

Microvision showed off a stand-alone projector that looked like a big bar of soap and projected crisp video images using laser technology. Its big hope is to embed the technology in a range of consumer electronics including cameras and phones.

"My feeling is that ultimately the phone is the largest opportunity," Microvision's director of communications Matt Nichols said, adding that his company was talking to dozens of potential customers including phone makers.

Read more at Reuters: Are pico projectors the next big cellphone trend?