BOTHELL, Wash., Sept. 26 -- Microvision has shipped a prototype front projection display to a European automaker for two months of performance evaluations in test vehicles. The system is expected to deliver extremely bright, high fidelity images in a small, robust and inexpensive package. The palm-sized projector is a flexible display module that can support a full range of automotive information applications, including serving as a digital replacement for conventional vehicle information and dashboard displays as well as emerging "telematics" applications like GPS navigation, traffic advisories and internet-based information services. Microvision's proprietary scanning display technology allows drivers to view information projected in selected locations such as rear-view mirrors, windshields or instrument clusters. "This system achieves brightness nearly three times that of competing displays, using a low-power laser light source that never has to be replaced, unlike the bulbs in conventional projection displays," said Rick Rutkowski, Microvision CEO. "Brightness is an important safety feature because it allows the driver to keep the display up near the windshield so the eyes stay on the road."