By: Troy Gayle of Gadget-T.com
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The evolution of corporate America has lead to the outsourcing of many jobs to independent contractors, and if you’re one of these people, you may not be confined to the walls of your cubicle. While some of us jump for joy at freedom of it all, others cringe at the lack of some basic office facilities.
Let’s say you have an impromptu gathering of the minds in your local deli or coffee spot. You have a group of three colleagues: two potential customers and your smart phone, where you happened to save slides for this great sales pitch that you put together this morning. The question is, how do you share this award-worthy presentation without everyone crowding around your phone?
There are a few companies who have produced what could be the answer… micro projectors! They’re lightweight and small enough to fit in a briefcase or purse, and in some cases, a pocket. Truth be told, they’re all pretty similar, so it’s all about what fits your style and needs the best!
Here are a few pint-sized projectors that make the board room just as portable as the office:
Coming in just shy of $400 is the palm-sized Pico Pocket Projector PK301, which can project an image size of 5 to 120 inches. It also boasts an SD card slot and has a number of I/O connections, including USB and HDMI.
– MicroSD card slot allows for memory expansion up to 16 GB
– Project large widescreen images of up to 120” diagonal
– LED light source lasts over 20,000 hours while producing excellent color
– Full assortment of I/O ports, including USB, VGA, HDMI and video, allow for easy connection to most analog or digital devices
You can find more detailed specs on the PK301 at OptomaUSA.com
Next is the 3M MPro150. It’s just $289 at B&H, and the video below is pretty self explanatory.
– 1GB built-in memory w/ 2GB standard interchangeable Micro SD Card
– Connects to PC, DVD, iPod, iPhone, cameras and cell phones
– Full sound, 120 minutes of batter life
– Screen size up to 50 inches, 15 lumens of brightness
– Compatible with MS Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Adobe PDF
You can view more specs on the MPro150 at 3M.com.
You also can’t go wrong with the Aaxa M1 Micro Projector. It starts at $299, and projects images up to 100”!
– Native SVGA (800×600) resolution
– M1 Plus: 66 lumen LED light source
– M1 Limited: 75 lumen LED light source
– 1GB onboard memory + SD card reader
– RMVB, MP3, AVI, JPG decoder
– Optional iPod, PSP, PDA, DVD input cables
For those of who would love to have a projector in your pocket, but really hate the idea of carrying around another gadget, the Samsung W9600 may be what you’re looking for – a cell phone/projector all-in-one! It’s been on the market in Korea, however there doesn’t appear to be a release date for it just yet in the U.S.
It’s a cool idea, but with an $800 price tag, you definitely pay for convenience. Engadget.com says it might be worth waiting for the Beam i8520, however there’s no set date for that one either just yet. Check out the W9600 demo video below and see if it’s right for you. The W9600 includes:
– AMOLED Beam
– Screen size of 50″ (video from CES says 60″)
– 3.3” WVGA display
– 5 megapixel camera
Have you gotten your hands on any of these micro-projectors yet?
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