You know what trend we really love? Tiny projectors. We seriously cannot get enough of them. In fact, anything that is cool in regular size, is much, much better once miniaturized. It's not the first time we've seen the Aiptek Pocket Cinema V10: when we last spied it, it was getting ready to go on sale in Australia as the Mint V10 for $600 AUD ($414). Well, it's now available for pre-order on Amazon in the good old US of A, with a miniaturized price tag of $299.99. Russell Crowe is not going to be happy.

Update: The V10's gotten a very exhaustive review over at MetkuMods that you probably want to check out, if only to see the projector's packaging, which is intensely awesome. Needless to say, they love the portability of the device, but deem it not bright enough. Oh, they're also upset it doesn't have any games, which is weird and makes no sense.

[Via I4U News]

The portable Dell M109S projector which we saw a while back has just been reviewed over at Laptop Magazine. Similar to other pocket projectors, the verdict seems to be that the quality is nothing to explode in excitement over, but is impressive for such a small machine. Laptop praised the projector's LED as one of the "brightest in its class," though they seem disappointed with its non-standard native resolution of 858 x 600. They also laud the simplistic design of the projector, but found the buttons on the box "hard to use," and complained about the lack of remote control capability. Ultimately, they conclude that the size -- not as small as pico projectors, but not large enough to compete with higher-end models -- makes the M109S an awkward middle child. If you want the full rundown, however, hit the read link.

What's this? An Asus laptop with built-in projector above the monitor? This curious computer was spotted plopped unceremoniously in a corner at Computex by PC Perspective. They report that the unlabeled machine's camera -- installed right at the top of the monitor bezel -- rotates and that the projector's performance is uncertain given the show's bright conditions. If this is something other than a floor prototype, we're awfully curious about battery life. Until then, we'll just have to fantasize about portable PowerPoints of doom. Hit the read link to see a closeup.

It may (or may not) be wireless, but InFocus will apparently be one of the first companies to incorporate DisplayLink's USB graphics directly into their future projectors. No other details, that's all we've got for now, we'll let you know when they've actually got gear to announce.

Panasonic is aiming for both ends of the home projector market with its new PT-A series, with the silver PT-AX200 targeted at gamers and the black 1080p PT-AE2000E aimed at the tony "pricing undisclosed" crowd. The AX200 (pictured) features 720p resolution, a "Game Mode" that cuts response time down to 5ms and pumps up color saturation, 2,000 lumens of brightness, and a 2x optical zoom for €1499 ($2118). The somewhat less-friendly AE2000E sports 1500 lumens of shine behind its 1080p resolution, with a 16,000:1 contrast ratio, three HDMI inputs, and several "pro-level" installation and configuration features, like a 100-percent vertical lens shift for ceiling-mount applications, a splitscreen adjustment mode and a waveform monitor. Both models should be hitting Europe soon, no word if we'll see them over here anytime soon. Check a shot of the AE2000E after the break.

Read -- PT-AX200 press release
Read -- PT-AE2000E press release

Now that we have email, internet, TV, GPS, cameras, and satellite radio on our cellphones, our next wish is for bigger, higher resolution screens -- which seems paradoxical, because larger displays almost always mean bulkier devices. Well Texas Instruments thinks it'll soon be able to nullify this trade-off with an in-handset projector that we've heard about several times before, but last night's Pepcom event in New York was the first time we've been able to peep the technology up close. Not that the TI reps made it easy to do so: the prototype unit was in a locked metal case underneath the table, and we had to swear up and down that we saw Walt Mossberg getting a demo before they'd cough it up. As you can see, the reason they want to keep this under wraps for the time being is that the quality and brightness are certainly not ready for prime time yet; while the unit we saw used lasers as the light source, we're told that an LED-based model still in the lab offers significant improvements. Keep reading for more shots of this rare prototype -- along with a video courtesy of Popular Science -- and give yourself a few moments to bask in the future before returning to the stark reality of your own phone and its dim little QQVGA action...

Your friendly Canon buddies are rolling out some new REALiS projectors today, clearly hoping to maintain its strong ties with people who love projectors of all shapes and sizes. The two new flavors are called the SX7 (pictured) and the X700, the former being a high-end, HD-ready, Adobe RGB-accurate model, with a 1440 x 1050 resolution, while the latter is a more entry-level offering, with a lower, 1024 x 768 resolution, and no color matching. Both projectors tout 3,000 hours of lamp life, a 1.7x zoom lens, DVI inputs with HDCP encryption, plus three stereo inputs and one set of outputs. The X700 will be available in October for $3,999, and the SX7 will hit stores in December at the Earth-shatteringly low price of $6,999.

[Via Akihabara News]

It's turning into quite the week for projectors, and Sony isn't one to be left out. The company is launching eight new projectors today, mainly for lighting up classrooms and board meetings with boring PowerPoint presentations, but we won't hold that against them. The VPL-EX4 and VPL-ES4 are of the 3 LCD ilk, and feature 2100 lumens and 2200 lumens, respectively. The EX4 does up 1024 x 768 pixels, while the ES4 runs 800 x 600. The 3 LCD VPL-C series is headed by the 3000 lumen VPL-CW125, which does up 16:9 WXGA HD video, while the rest of the series, including the VPL-CX155, VPL-CX150, VPL-CX125, VPL-CX120, and VPL-CX100, run at XGA and sport 2700 to 3600 lumens. The W125, X155 and X125 do networking for presentations over IP, but that's about as fancy as any of these projectors gets. The EX4 and ES4 are out this month for $1,030 and $1,230, respectively, while the five XGA VPL-C projectors will be out in June and July for $2,120-$2,930. The VPL-CW125 will follow in October for $3,330.

Read - Sony's VPL-E series
Read - Sony's VPL-C series

NAB is one of the few times during the year that A/V geeks can pull themselves away from their editing bays, adjust their eyes to the light, and really get down with the latest equipment -- so it should be no surprise that RED Digital Cinema is using the event to leak its plans for some tantalizing new gear. We're all quite familiar with the $17,500 RED-ONE 4K base system and its ecosystem of accessories, and now it looks like the company is prepping products for post-production as well, with self-proclaimed "RED Savant" Steve Gibby reporting that a 4K projector and entire lineup of 4K displays are on the way. Even more exciting -- at least for the average consumer or prosumer -- is a promised "professional pocket camera" being described as a "mini-RED," and though we doubt you'll see these for sale at Best Buy, we're still pretty stoked to see what kind of offer they're going to make us here. And if they do already have a prototype of this one, you can bet it's under extra tight lock and key.

Panasonic recently announced two 10,000 lumen three-chip DLP projectors with specifications aimed very much at the high end market. The lesser of the two new models is the PT-D10000U, which features a native resolution of 1400 x 1050 pixels, and is apparently one of the smallest 10,000 lumen projectors out there: according to Panasonic, it's the only 10k lumen projector capable of operating from a standard 120-VAC outlet too. The bigger brother of the pair is the PT-DW10000U which ups the native resolution to 1920 x 1200 pixels. Both models feature 5,000:1 contrast ratios, 10-bit video processing, a liquid-cooling system that allows both projectors to operate in ambient temperatures of up to 45°C (113°F), individual screen sizes above 10 foot x 10 foot, 30 percent smaller casing than the models that they replace, and an Auto Cleaning Robot which keeps the filter clean for up to 2,000 hours without external maintenance. That "Robot" could simply be an automated wiper that moves dust away for all we know, but unfortunately we'll never get to check, because the PT-D10000U comes in with a MSRP of $54,999, and the PT-DW10000U at $74,999. Both should be available during the first quarter of this year.

You didn't think that the 108-inch LCD TV was the only big-ticket item Sharp was going to announce today, did you? It's got a trio of projectors to show off as well, the XV-Z3100, DT-510, and the XV-Z20000 1080p models. The XV-Z3100, a nice little portable unit, does 720p at a resolution of 1280 x 780 and has a 6,500:1 contrast ratio, with 1,000 lumens of brightness. Its sibling, the Sharp DT-510 also projects at 720p widescreen, and boasts a contrast ratio of 4,000:1, also at 1,000 lumens. Both of those models will be released in February, for $2,700 and $2,500 respectively. However, the pair of 'em pale in comparison to the XV-Z20000 (pictured), a full HD 1080p HDCP-compliant projector that shines at 1920 x 1080 with a contrast ratio of 12,000:1 and a brightness of 1,000 lumens. It will also upconvert standard resolution signals and is decked out with two HDMI ports. In other words, if you've got $12,000 burning a hole in your pocket right now, Sharp would like to talk to you pronto. Check the next page for some pics of the first two models.

Looks like BenQ is running the whole gamut of projectors these days. Shortly after we saw one of its higher-end models drop late last month, we now get word of a new projector that costs 1/10th the price. The MP510 packs 1500 lumens, a 2000:1 contrast ratio, and an 800 x 600 resolution -- all for $500. To date, the only other projector that we've seen at this price is the Lumenlab 1000 projector, which does have better resolution, but an inferior lumen output and contrast ratio. The MP510 will do 480p, 576p, 720p and 1080i and has the usual assortment of analog inputs, including RGB, component and S-Video. Expect this inexpensive projector to come to a home theater or boardroom near you later this month.

[Via AboutProjectors]

If there's something we don't see enough of these days in the US, it's projectors that can fit in the palm of your hand. Yes, Toshiba appears to have already released this one in Japan under the model number TDP-FF1A, but this is the first time we've spotted it on our golden shores. For those of you who may have missed it the first time, this cute number comes in at 1.9 lbs with a battery (or 1.1 lbs without), will toss up your PowerPoint slides at 800 x 600, brings a 1500:1 contrast ratio and will shine at 400 lux. Further, the TDP-FF1AU supports the usual assortment of analog and digital inputs, including component, RCA plus 480p, 480i, 576i, 576p, 720p and 1080i. Keep in mind though, as AboutProjectors points out, this projector probably won't work for a Jobsian keynote address, but might do well for a small rehearsal in front of a small audience. It'll hit the American streets for $700, but we don't yet know when.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Dell's not exactly known for its home projectors, but the company is hoping to turn a few heads in the boardroom and the living room with its new sub-$900 projector, the 1800MP. This $850 newcomer (available now), brings a 1,024 x 768 (native XGA) resolution at a serious 2,100 lumens and 2,000:1 contrast ratio, and weighs a trim 4.6 pounds. It supports NTSC, PAL, HDTV (480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i), the usual assortment of analog inputs (composite, component, S-Video), and even has password protection accessible via the menu -- you know, in case you want to make extra sure that those rampant office miscreants don't start projecting your PowerPoint slides at random.

Are you ready to finally assemble your home theater? You've got all the elements picked out: the screen, the sound system -- and a big projector. Well, if you really want the most awesome projector out there, you may want to head on down to Kentucky, where two university engineers, Christopher Jaynes and Stephen Webb have just built a 27 foot x 15 foot projected seamless display that shows 60 million pixels. As The Courier-Journal reported: "Building such a high-resolution display would normally cost millions of dollars, but Jaynes and Webb crafted the device from $100,000 in computers and projectors available at Best Buy and Circuit City." The alleged "world's highest resolution seamless display" is currently on public exhibition at the Galt House Conservatory in Louisville, Kentucky through Saturday (it's free, so bring the kids), where there will be a rotating collection of images. These will include photographs from inside the space shuttle cockpit (you'll be able to read the instruments), to snaps from the Hubble Space Telescope, to even extremely high-resolution imagery from the National Weather Service. Jaynes and Webb will also be on hand taking questions from visitors, so if you want to proposition them to see if they can incorporate one of these screens into your home -- just remember to bring as much cash as you can carry.

[Thanks, Travis F., photo courtesy The Courier-Journal]