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Castrade intros CV-MP02 pocket projector
Castrade, previously known for the CV-MP01 pico (you remember: the one that famously fits inside a wine glass) has just announced the CV-MP02, a larger but still decently small pocket projector. This little guy looks a lot like 3M's MPro 110, but the VGA (640 x 480) projector boasts 10 ANSI lumens, uses an LCoS display, and the use of LCD lamps should reduce heat and sound coming off the projector. It's got two ports (composite and VGA), and uses a lithium-ion battery for about an hour of running time before needing a charge. It's a Japan only release, and will cost ¥35,000 (around $400).
Samsung's MBP200 pico PJ, i7410 projector phone get ship dates
Two of Samsung's smallest beamers just got prices and release dates, but sadly, neither are in US dollars. The MBP200 pico projector will reportedly ship this May across the pond for €499 ($637), while the i7410 (more commonly referred to as the Show) will hit during the summertime for a price still to be determined. We know, it's not the bucketful of information you wanted, but it's something to whet your appetite until the suits at Sammy give us the dirty details we're really after.
BenQ GP1 (P1) LED pocket projector eyes-on
Remember that GP1 pico projector that was quietly announced alongside a slew of others at CES this year? Apparently it's sporting the P1 moniker in Europe, which is infinitely confusing given that BenQ used to have a PJ that looked mighty similar to this one, and yeah, it too was called the P1. At any rate, the GP1 you see here is BenQ's first ever LED beamer, and with it will come an 858 x 600 native resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, an integrated USB reader, TI's DLP technology and a lamp life of 20,000 hours. It should be out in Germany by April, but we're still expecting it here in the US next month for a lofty $599.%Gallery-46757%
Acer K10 pocket projector hands-on
Acer's K10 pocket projector was propped up aimlessly amongst a flurry of Aspire netbooks, and being that we're the caring individuals that we are, we had to stop over and show it some love. The 800 x 600 resolution actually looked great, though the image was decidedly faint in the well-lit hall. Size wise, it's a real winner, but we still don't see this being all that useful in areas that are even mildly splashed with daylight. Have a look below to see what we mean.%Gallery-46707%
Acer K10 pocket projector finally lands in the UK
Acer announced its K10 pocket projector way back in December, but it looks like it's just now finally landed in the UK, and unfortunately received a bit of a price hike in the process. Now retailing for just over £400 (or $560, roughly a $100 increase), the SVGA projector otherwise seems to have remained unchanged since its debut, with it still promising an impressive 20,000 hour lamp life, and offering up 100 ANSI lumens of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and a projected image size up to 60 inches. As you can see, it's also not quite able to join the ranks of pico projectors, though its specs certainly beat out most of its smaller cousins.
Syba debuts RCG RC-VIS62002 pocket projector
Its name may never be spoken aloud, but Syba's new RCG RC-VIS62002 pocket projector looks like it should at least get the job done for anyone in the market for a basic, not-quite-pico projector. As is par for the course with the more budget-minded models, this one packs a basic 640 x 480 native resolution (with "support" for XGA), along with a brightness rating of 10 ANSI lumens, a maximum projected image size of 40 inches from just over two feet away, and what seems to be the most basic of port selections: just VGA and composite. With a list price of $399, it's also not the cheapest pocket projector out there, but we suspect this one should see some discounts if and when it becomes more widely available.[Via About Projectors]
How would you change 3M's MPro110 pocket projector?
The pico projector market has practically exploded over the past six months or so, but all the while it was 3M's MPro110 leading the charge. Given that you've now had a few months to toy with it, we're wondering if this thing really has lived up to the hype. Is having a projector in your pocket as awesome as advertised? Is the image quality sufficient for impromptu wall splashings? Would you recommend holding off for round two? We have all ideas we'll hear tons of "make it brighter!" and "where's the 1080p version?" type comments, but if you have something else besides that to add, then -- by all means -- drop some knowledge on us in comments below.
AAXA pushes out P1 pint-sized pico projector
AAXA's recently rolled out a rather cute lil pico projector -- the P1 -- which boasts enough features to make it stand out from the pack, even if only slightly (there are so many to choose from these days). This half-pounder measures 2.3-inches wide and 4.1-inches long, and boasts a VGA resolution with a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 12 ANSI lumens o' brightness -- making it a bit on the weak side. It's also got a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD slot, 1GB of internal storage and an on-board media player, with anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes of battery life. This puppy's available now for around $289. [Via About Projectors]
Adapt MPJ-101 pico projector: tiny, cute, available
Go ahead, you can admit it: you're really, really into picos -- the best of us are. Adapt's update to its pocket projector, the MPJ-101 -- which is nearly identical to the previous model -- shouldn't fill us with joy, but it does. This little (125 x 55 x 23 mm) monster's got 1GB of built in memory, an SD slot, and two .5 watt speakers. It projects up to 10 lumens of brightness at a resolution of 640×480 from around 6 to 50 feet. All this excitement doesn't come cheap, though -- expect to shell out about a thousand bucks for this teeny bundle of joy. Oh boy.
Aiptek PocketCinema V10 hands-on
This is it! We just received video of the only pico projector endorsed by Russell Crowe (if by "endorsed" you mean "absolutely not endorsed," and by "Russell Crowe" you mean "the poor target of our Photoshoppery"). For a handheld VGA projector, the thing seems to handle itself pretty well. It's small and simple to use, but then again it doesn't really seem all that bright (something you might notice if you ever need it to, we don't know, "project" something). This bad boy has 1GB internal memory, an SD slot, and miniUSB, which should handle most of your I/O needs. Be sure to check out the explosive videos -- generously provided by Engadget Spanish -- after the break.
Light Blue Optics showcases holographic laser projection technology at CES
Light Blue Optics may not be as familiar a name as say, Optoma or Texas Instruments, but it's bringing an equally interesting approach to pico projection at CES. Showcased in Vegas last week was the outfit's holographic laser projection technology, which is reportedly brighter and smaller than existing alternatives. The demo system will also check in with double the brightness and at half the volume as its previous setups, and it's looking to wow with a conceptual rig that features a "table-down mode that allows the user to control the projector simply by touching the projected image." Now, if only these guys could push resolution to 720p+, we'd really consider ourselves fans.
WowWee mixes it up at CES: Cinemin pico PJ, new Alive Cubs and more
Can you say "diversify?" WowWee can, and it's saying it loudly and proudly here at CES 2009. While the company has surely dabbled in areas outside of straight-up robotics before, it's never taken it upon itself to product a suite of pico projectors nor pets designed solely as sleeping companions. No need to wipe the sand from your eyes -- the same company responsible for Mr. Personality is dish out a Cinemin line of micro PJs (powered by TI's DLP technology) here in the desert. Moving on, we're also informed of the Spyball spy-cam, a remote controller, WiFi-enabled robotic ball that strangely reminds us of American Gladiators. The company's got plenty more in its bag of tricks too, including the Joebot and Roborover robots, FlyTech Lightstar flyer / Hoverpod racer, four new breeds of Alive Cubs and a fresh line of "pajama pals" dubbed Sleeping Cuties. Hop past the break for details on the whole crew. %Gallery-40670%
3M's MM200 micro projector seeks integration within cellphones, cameras
The MPro110 has picked up some pretty positive vibes in the burgeoning pico projector market, but 3M is already looking well beyond that. At this year's CES, the company is debuting the LCoS-based MM200, a micro projection engine that is destined to find its way into cellphones, handheld accessories and digital cameras of the future. Reportedly, the device can project a 50-inch image while only drawing a single watt of power, and best of all, it'll be "available for consumer purchase in 2009." Yeah, as in, this year. One more look is after the break.
Microvision's PicoP-based SHOW WX pocket PJ makes debut
While Microvision isn't new (per se) to the pico projector arena entirely, it certainly lacks the namesake of, say, Dell or Optoma. Of course, it's not letting that fact damper its excitement about the PicoP-based SHOW WX. The pre-production device is being unveiled today at Macworld, and it promises to boast a 25% package-size reduction over the company's own SHOW prototype. The diminutive beamer will eventually arrive with a WVGA native resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, a battery good for around two hours of usage and a chassis that measures just 4.6- x 2.4- x 0.6-inches. The outfit anticipates that commercial production will get going in Q2, with mass availability ready by 2H 2009; regrettably, pricing still remains a mystery.
Nextar hops on the bandwagon with Z10 LCoS micro projector
Just in case counting every last pico projector on or coming to the market was too easy for you, Nextar's hoping to boggle your hippocampus by adding one more to the furiously growing list. The outfit's LCoS-based Z10 is being launched alongside the equally portable PS-001 20-inch screen, and it'll check in weighing under 2.5-pounds and boasting a 640 x 480 resolution. As for additional specifications, you're looking at a brightness level between 7 and 12 lumens, a 360-degree lens shift capability with manual adjust and a 4:3 aspect ratio. To its credit, it will accept a litany of file formats and can be fed data via microSD / TF cards, a USB port and L/R audio ports. Both products are slated to hit retailers in the Spring for $299.99 and $39.99 in order of mention, and you can catch two more looks and the full release just after the break.
3M's MPro110 pocket projector reviewed: okay for geeks, so it's okay for you
3M's MPro110 never set out to blow minds, just to wow those who thought projectors could never be this small. According to Gadling's hands-on review, it achieved its goal(s). With a brightness of just 7 lumens, the actual image that it produced wasn't exactly stunning, but it was deemed "far from useless." The biggest knock was just how limited it was in terms of real-world usage; unless the room was perfectly dark, it wasn't the most gorgeous thing to look at, which means those midday sales presentations may not fly if there's a window in the room. In the end, the MPro110 was found to be more of a geek's toy than a proper presentation tool, but who says that's a bad thing?
3M MPro110 / Optoma PK101 pico projectors get dissected
Sure, we frequently come across gizmos so small that tweezers and eyeglass repair kits are needed to dissect 'em, but rarely are those gadgets projectors. With the new wave of minuscule beamers comes a new kind of tear down, and Tech-On has taken the time to split apart and photograph both the 3M MPro110 and Optoma PK101. The splaying gets pretty detailed, too, with us being informed of two large LSIs on the former (one from Weltrend; one from TI) and a hard look at the LEDs of the latter. Have a peek at the writeups and accompanying images below, and see just how long you can go without uttering an "aww" -- we'll bet it's not long at all.Read - 3M tear downRead - Optoma tear down
Acer's K10 pocket projector announced, projected for January
Tiny projectors are pretty much a dime a dozen these days, so we'll be honest, the Acer K10 kind of looks like more of the same. Sure, it's small -- just 1.2 pounds -- but that's not nearly as small as some (and certainly not small enough to be impressive). It's an SVGA projector with an 800 x 600 resolution, and it's got an LED backlight with about 20,000 estimated life hours, delivering 100 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The K10 also boasts both S-video and VGA connections. It's a little hard to say, but this might be what we've been searching for to project our tiny kitten photo collection upon our walls. It's supposed to be ready for a January release and it'll go for about $443. [Via About Projectors]
Kairen's Projector X Pro920M is small, but not impressively so
The tiny projector craze has really been heating up as of late, and the introduction of the Kairen Projector X Pro920M only promises to increase the insanity. Measuring a diminutive 3.5 x 1.73 x 3.15-inches (not nearly as small as some), we hear it's got 10 lumens of brightness, a contrast ratio of 100:1, and a resolution of 640 x 480. The little projector... um, projects a 25-inch image from of a distance of up to 1 meter. It's going to be on sale in January 2009 in Japan for $400, and we can only hope it makes its way to North America at some point. Until that happens, we'll just have to make do in our wasteland of medium-sized projectors.[Thanks, Lenny]
Aiptek Pocket Cinema V10 available for pre-order on Amazon
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]
