We take a look at how a pico projector can benefit you in your profession.

Your name:
Alex

Your job:
Pharmaceutical representative

What does it involve?:
Traveling around my area speaking to physicians and other medical professionals about the latest drugs and providing drug samples. Sometimes I only have a small amount of time to talk to someone and in that time I have to relay a lot of information.

Which personal projector did you buy?:
Adapt 305

What is your favourite feature?:
I would say the portability, which is a major factor in my line of work. I’m on the road all day so in the morning I leave the house checking my pockets “Keys, phone, wallet, projector!”

How has it helped you?
I have a presentation with key points loaded onto the onboard memory, so I don’t have to carry around a laptop. The battery slides onto the bottom which means there are no power leads. I simply take it out of my pocket, switch it on and present. It can project onto any surface, a wall, table, ceiling, even my folder. It’s easier to catch the clients attention with visual aids and using the Adapt 305 is 10 times better than crawling about the floor looking for leads and waiting for my laptop to boot up. It’s a conversation starter too!

Would you recommend using a micro LED projector to others?
Definitely. The Adapt 305 helps me do my job quicker and with less hassle.

If you have bought a pico projector and use it for business or personal use, and you would like to tell us how you use it and where, then contact us and we will include you in the next case study!

This post was written by Katie. Want to talk to her? Do it here

Nikon are due to release the replacement for the S1000pj. But what do we think?

The Nikon S1000pj was meant to be a revolution, you could take photographs and then project them onto the nearest surface to show off to your adoring fans. However, it didn’t sell as well as they had hoped, and there was rumours that they had been dropped by at least one major retailer.

Now Nikon are planning on releasing a second generation projector camera, which supposedly, can also function as a conventional external projector. The camera itself contains 12 megapixels, and 5x wide angled zoom, but the projector only packs 10 lumens of brightness.

Quality over quantity?

There is a risk when trying to pack too many features into one product that you can loose the quality of those features. Unfortunately, when it comes to this specific camera, it seems to be the projector that is compromised. If you have spent time getting your pictures right, you want the projector to show them in their best light (if you will excuse the pun).

Project anywhere, just not there.

As with any projector, you have to be selective when it comes to where you project your images. So let’s think for a moment where you would want to project when you have the Nikon camera. Outside on your walk? At a party? With only 10 lumens, the amount of places available to you to project becomes limited.

So what do we think?

We think it is a great idea, but, we think we’ll wait until the projector has more lumens and a better picture.

In the mean time, we will continue to show off our lovely pictures using our mini LED projectors. They can connect via SD card slot, USB or even via cable to a computer, or iPhone.

This post was written by Katie. Want to talk to her? Do it here

Gone are the days when you had to stay in to watch your favourite programme, over the past year there has been a significant rise in the number of websites available to watch ‘catch-up TV’.  And now some of these services have transferred over to our mobile phones.

The next generation of phones may include a pico projector in-built. There are already models in the pipeline, such as the Galaxy Beam by Samsung due to be released in July, but with any advance in technology it is still in the early stages.

If you are wanting to project images from a phone (or even TV, DVD player, games console, laptop…) then there is an excellent range of pico projectors out there, to meet all needs.
Projectors can be connected up to phones and games consoles, as well as TV’s, DVD players and laptops, via the video out cable (available for Adapt, Aiptek and 3M), to give you mobile entertainment at it’s best.

We have been looking at some of the on demand services out there, including TV, films, current affairs and sports. If you have used them, why not leave a comment?

TVCatchup on the iPhone.

Over one million iPhones were sold in its first weekend, and you can bet that if you want it, there’s an App for it. Introducing TVCatchup, which allows you to tune in with an Apple iPhone or iPod touch. It’s free and available via your browser - so no downloading an App!
http://iphone.tvcatchup.com

Blinkbox for PS3.

Blinking from amazement, perhaps? Rent movies and TV shows and watch selected free content too, all through your Play Station 3.
www.blinkbox.com

iplayer

You can download iPlayer and catch up with all of your favourite shows. From the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Seesaw

This carries content from the three main broadcasters, but not ITV. It offers recent shows, classics and has just launched a rental service for just 99p for 30days.
www.seesaw.com

TV.com

A place for full length US and UK shows, schedules, viewer reviews and podcasts. Five have recently signed a deal to make their content available on the site.
www.tv.com

Virgin Media Online Movies

Watch movies from £1.99 This site holds a decent selection of older and newer movies, and is powered by FilmFlex.
http://onlinemovies.virginmedia.com

This post was written by Katie. Want to talk to her? Do it here

Tell us how you’d use the Adapt 450Pro to watch the World Cup and WIN a FREE Gorilla Tripod worth £30!

This competition has now ended. Look out for the winning announcement on Twitter @WhatPico

One of the best personal projectors around; the Adapt 450 Pro is available to buy, and just in time to watch the World Cup! Forget HD, what you need is a big screen.

This palm projector can project up to 150 inches, onto almost any surface, and has in built speakers. Amazingly, the 450 Pro is the worlds first pico projector to include onboard Digital TV.

The Adapt 450 Pro is designed to be portable. Wherever you are, you can watch the World Cup! The Adapt 450 Pro hosts a number of features including a SD Card and USB slot and battery.  It can also connect to phones, TV’s and DVD players and games consoles. So, when you’ve finished watching the football, you can use it to create a home cinema, show picture slideshows, take it into work for that important presentation or even just use the Digital TV for a night in with the telly. It’s not just a big screen, it’s an investment.

Want to see the Adapt 450 Pro in action? Then watch the video by clicking here!

To celebrate the beginning of the World Cup, and the Adapt 450 Pro’s release, we are asking you where you would watch the footy using the Adapt 450 Pro…

Would you set up a ‘footy only’ space in the garage, or sneak it into work when the boss isn’t looking? Let Personal Projector know and you could WIN a FREE gorilla tripod worth £30!

This post was written by Katie. Want to talk to her? Do it here

Personal Projector want you to get a projector that is right for you, so here are a few things to consider before buying one. If you think you know which one you would like take a look at our handy comparison guide to compare the main features, or read our glossary.

If you still need some guidance, you can contact us or phone us on +44 (0)845 121 8800

What are you using your projector for?

Our range of projectors can be used to project anything onto any surface (almost), so think about the many ways you might be using yours. You could be sharing your holiday photos with the family, watching a movie with friends, or impressing the boss with a slide show presentation.
For example, if you are a business user, the 3m Mpro 150 can display office documents in their original format, and has a handy zoom feature.

What are you going to be using your projector with?

All of our projectors can connect to laptops, DVD players, TV’s, games consoles and iPhones, or anything with a Video out function. Some have Micro SD/ SD Card slots, USB slots and onboard memory.

Where are you going to be using your projector?

In a board room, in your lounge with the lights turned down, in a class room… the environment and the amount of people you will be projecting to are important factors in choosing a projector.

We recommend you use your projector in the darkest environment possible, but we know that isn’t always easy. All of our projectors can be used in normal room conditions (but not direct sunlight).
As a general rule we recommend the following:
<10 people… 3m Mpro 150 or Adapt 305
10-50 people… Adapt 450/pro
50+ people… Casio range.

Which features are most important to you?

We want you to get the best projector for your needs, so why buy one that doesn’t? If it just has to have that one feature - tell us.

This post was written by Katie. Want to talk to her? Do it here

There are many things you need to consider before purchasing a pocket or palm projector, as LED projectors are different from traditional projectors and offer a range of features. For more information also see our buying guide or glossary.

We have created a handy comparison table featuring the three most popular products we sell; the Adapt 305, the Adapt 450 Pro and the 3m Mpro 150.  If you need expert advice please dont hesitate to contact Personal Projector team on  +44 (0)845 121 8800 or contact us

It’s also worth noting the benefits of all of the projectors:-

- Fast boot. Switch projector on or off in less than 5 secs without risking bulb damage

- Can Pass through a TV out: act as a pass through system for any electronic device with a video out or TV out (RCA yellow cables) which means you can project from portable DVD players, games consoles, mobile phones etc

- Are Environmentally friendly: are far greener than older projectors with no need to replace expensive mercury bulbs, and have less power comsumption

- Have lower total cost of ownership than older projectors as bulbs last significantly longer, with no need to worry about filters or dust.

- Have a 1-2 hour battery life - great for when there is a powercut or no plug/powersource and means you don’t have wires everywhere

- Improve heath and safety by not having to carry around a heavy laptop and projector, and choose one lightweight unit instead.

- Increase sharing of content (how many times have you listened to someone go through a presentation and just seen the back of the laptop/ mobile)

Ultimately, all the products are incredible advances in micro projection and will help deliver the wow factor to whoever uses/sees them. Overall, the final choice of which pocket projector to buy has come down to:

- If you’re a business user often working heavily with PowerPoint and prefer to carry a laptop around then most users will need the 3m micro projector, it includes a handy zoom feature. However those who can’t predict their lighting conditions might benefit from the extra brightness of the  Adapt 305 and be content with saving powerpoint files as jpg directly from ppt.

- If you’re either a consumer or business user wishing to “Project and
Go” just about anywhere and do impromptu presentations, watch a video or playback photos then most users will prefer the Adapt 305. It can fit into your pocket, and with 4gb of onboard memory you won’t need to carry around a laptop.

- Users who need extra brightness than a pocket projector but dont want to carry around a heavy traditional bulb projector would would like the Adapt 450 Pro/Adapt 450 palm projector as it has a much larger screen size (150 inches) and includes 2x 2w speakers and offers the best connectivity options of any projector on the market. You also have the added benefit of Digital TV anywhere (Adapt 450 Pro)

This post was written by Oliver. Want to talk to him? Do it here