Google has long been fascinated by sharing content between screens: the new Chromecast dongle is focused on that functionality, as is older software like Chrome tab sync, the YouTube Leanback remote, and the Chrome to Phone extension. Now there's a new project out of the company's research arm that allows you to "project" any content from your smartphone onto a display. It's called Open Project, and the researchers see the open source framework as a possible future standard for sharing content from mobile phones to displays.

The idea is you're viewing content on your smartphone and you want to show your friends what you're looking at. Load a specific QR code in a web browser on a nearby display and then scan the code using the app on your phone. You'll then be able to place where you want your screen to be "projected" onto the display just by moving your phone — the camera will continue to track. Once you're happy with the placement and size of the projected image you can lock it in and start showing off what's on your phone in real time. If you have a touchscreen monitor you can even navigate your phone right from there. It's all very much a proof of concept at this point, but even with Google's prior forays into the space, we've yet to find the one best solution for sharing what you're looking at on your phone.