Optoma Pico Pocket Projector
The prospect of projecting an image anywhere becomes a reality with Optoma's Pico Pocket Projector, the first shipping product we've tested in this burgeoning new projector categoryIntroduced earlier this summer, the Pico Projector lets you easily give presentations or share photos and videos from your iPod, smart phone, or digital cameraIts ease of use and compact size make the Pico Pocket Projector a nifty gadget for anyone who shares media or presentations with a select fewBut its minimal lamp and limited projection capabilities mean that it can't replace a traditional mobile projector.
The Pico Projector package includes the cables needed to hook it up to a TV or mobile device (iPod, PDA, digital camera, or the like), along with a carrying case, an AC adapter, and two lithium ion battery packs, which Optoma says will last 90 minutes eachFeaturing a 480-by-320 native resolution, the Pico can project an image measuring 60 inches diagonally from a distance of 8.5 feetThe projector itself is about the size of a cell phone, so it's easy to toss in your bag and take with you.
Setup is negligibleThe biggest difficulty I had involved opening the battery compartment on the Pico: The battery compartment cover put up spirited resistance to my efforts to remove it, though eventually I wonAside from that, the Pico is ready to go to work right out of the boxPlug it into the gadget you want to project from, configure the output device (I used a fifth-generation iPod in my testing), switch on the Pico, and you're ready to start projecting.