Schools are starting to see the benefits of using pico and palm projectors as a means of saving money and space. This new trend has become a great way to engage pupils visually in all areas of the school and not just with a fixed overhead projector. The projectors give the flexibility to project onto any surface (or even each other) as a creative and engaging way for pupils to learn. As proven by one school, who has used the projector at a zoo to morph people into chimpanzees.

There are some clear benefits for teachers, as this new range of projectors takes up less space and doesn’t need to be professionally installed. Moreover, these micro projectors are more environmentally friendly (with no mercury and low power consumption) and can save thousands of pounds on running costs over the average life of a projector as they require no expensive lamp replacements.

A main interest comes from the number of new features which are being added to the mini LED projector’s. In addition to the increase in brightness and decrease in size, projectors are being released with features such as in built Digital TV. The new Adapt 450 Pro has 100 lumens of brightness, 1.5 hour battery, USB and SD card slot. Teachers can connect via these simple external devices to transfer hassle free into teaching to minimise disruption.

The new range of LED projectors were displayed at the TES Education Show 2010 in Manchester and have impressed the education community with amazing connectivity, portability, size and price. Clare Kelly, the Assistant Head at Dane Royd J&I, Wakefield, is a regular user of this new technology. “Last week the children were creating animations using digital cameras and were able to share them easily with the handheld projectors.” She says. “Children like immediate results and being able to show off their work to others. In this lesson, memory cards containing the animations were quickly transferred from the cameras to the pocket projectors. This meant children could easily share their work with the group or the whole class by projecting it onto tabletops, walls and even the ceiling. It’s an approach that has certainly improved speaking and listening, and the children’s presenting skills.”

The move over to LED will certainly increase over the next year as the LED revolution takes hold and schools search for best value as well as great features. There is a whole range of LED projectors available ranging from something that fits in the pocket such as theAdapt 305, the worlds brightest pocket projector, to mid range projectors suitable for presenting to the entire classroom or Casio projectors which are perfect for the school hall or connecting to smartboards.

For more information contact us or call 0845 121 8800 for expert advice on which projector is right for you.

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

To see the Gadget Show video of the new Adapt 210, Adapt 450 and Adapt 450 Pro with Digital TV and the Adapt 305 click here

Please note that the Adapt 210 is no longer available.

3M Mpro 150 micro projector launch

The new 3m Mpro 150 is the perfect business pocket projector as it offers some very unique features which no other pico projectors offer and its also now one of the brightest pico projectors available. If you’re thinking of buying a pocket projector mainly for business then this is going to be one of the best options available for quite some time.

• The first pico projector with viewer for ppt, pdf & office docs - perfect for business with less need for file conversions
• Truly amazing zoom feature means you can see even the smallest text on a document
• Storage: 1GB of built in memory on projector SD card
• 2gb Micro SD card included in the box
• VGA connection for laptops and SD card with 1gb onboard memory
• 15 lumens brightness so amongst the highest available
• World plug
• 2 hour battery life (4 hours on the Mpro 120 but 150 is brighter)
• Case plus all cables for laptop and AV devices (composite cable)

If you need any advice on pocket projectors please call the experts at Personal Projector 0845 121 8800 or contact us

A new breed of LED palm projectors are appearing in the market which have more power, portability and connectivity than any previous traditional projector. This new breed of LED projector includes features such as inbuilt digital TV, battery, loud speakers and a wealth of connection options that all fit in the palm of your hand.

The first of these projectors is the Adapt 450 & 450 Pro which was launched by Personal Projector, the LED and pocket projector specialists, at this years Gadget Show Live event and is now available for purchase online.

The Adapt 450 features are very impressive, offering 100 LED lumens of brightness, a 1.5 hour battery, a 150 inch screen and connection options such as SD and USB plus AV In and Out, the obligatory VGA ports and rear projection.

The Adapt 450 pro is the worlds first projector to include digital TV, so now you can watch TV literally anywhere on a giant screen. There is also a standard model, the Adapt 450 which is well suited to business users who may not need the Digital TV option.

Both projectors are the first projectors on the market with a battery to offer USB and standard SD card slot, supporting 32gb capacity so you can easily drop files straight from your mobile, camera or camcorder without having to worry about having to use a PC to convert files. Included with the Adapt 450 Pro is a 1.5 hour external battery as standard making it the first truly portable projector on the market.

The Adapt 450 Pro is available online for £416.17 ex vat
The Adapt 450 available without the digital TV for £399. This model can connect to an external battery which is available to purchase as an optional accessory.

Watch the video!

Full Press Release

Personal Projector launches another world first: Battery Powered LED Mini Palm projector with onboard digital TV, SD & USB slot for under £500!

Personal Projector are returning to the Gadget Show Live exhibition for the second year running with some truly innovative gadgets, great prizes and yet more world firsts.

On the stand (B13) you can find the very latest new models in LED & Laser projectors from Adapt, 3M and Casio as well as some of the best selling pico projectors from Aiptek.

Adapt 450 & 450 Pro Launch

The major event this year will be the launch of the Adapt 450 Pro Palm Projector. Not only is this one of the tiniest palm projectors ever seen, it also has 100 LED lumens of brightness, extended battery life and a built in digital TV so you can now watch TV literally anywhere on a giant screen.

The Adapt 450 Pro can beam an image of over 150″ of live TV so it’s the perfect purchase for watching this year’s World Cup or ensuring you have mobile cinema screen entertainment anytime, anyplace in the workplace or on holiday.

The 450 Pro includes a VGA slot for projecting direct from laptops as well as an AV slot for use with iPods, iPhones and other AV out devices, like DVD players. It also offers rear projection at the flick of a button on the remote control.

This is not only one of the smallest ever palm projectors, it is also one of the first projectors to offer both a USB port and a standard SD card slot, supporting 32GB capacity so you can use the projector independently of any other device. The 450 Pro will come with a whopping 4000mAH external battery making it also the first truly portable lightweight mini projector on the market with an added bonus of TV built in. There will also be an extended battery available offering 1.5 hours of playback.

The 450 Pro will be available online from www.personalprojector.co.uk and at the Gadget Show Live event with an expected retail price £499.

There will also be a standard version (Adapt 450) available without the digital TV for £399

Adapt launch 210 Pico Projector one of Best Value Picos on market (20 lumens, 4gb onboard memory, USB connection to laptop) (THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED)

The new Adapt 210 is a stunningly designed pocket projector and will be a firm favourite for many as it offers such great value.  At just under £200 its not only one of the brightest projectors on the market but it also offers excellent connectivity with USB connection (for laptops) as well as 4gb of onboard memory.

The Adapt 210 is also by far the lightest pocket projector we’ve ever tested.

Overall with 20 lumens brightness, onboard memory and stunning design for less than £200, the Adapt 210 is set to be one of the most popular pocket projectors ever launched.

3M Mpro 150 micro projector launch

The 3M Mpro 150 will be on sale for the first time in the UK at the Gadget Show and will be available at a very special introductory price for Gadget Show visitors with a whopping £50 discount (Reduced from £349.99 to £299.99).

The new 3m Mpro 150 is the perfect business pocket projector as it offers some very unique features which no other pico projectors offer and its also now one of the brightest pico projectors available.

• The first pico projector with viewer for ppt, pdf & office docs - perfect for business with less need for file conversions
• Truly amazing zoom feature means you can see even the smallest text on a document
• Storage: 1GB of built in memory on projector SD card
• 2gb Micro SD card included in the box
• VGA connection for laptops and SD card with 1gb onboard memory
• 15 lumens brightness so amongst the highest available
• World plug
• 2 hour battery life (4 hours on the Mpro 120 but 150 is brighter)
• Case plus all cables for laptop and AV devices (composite cable)

Casio Laser LED Projector

This projector really is the future of projection whether its for business, travel, training, education or just for pleasure. This is the first major exhibition in the UK where the Casio 2,000 lumens laser LED projector can be seen and purchased at the stand.

Casio XJ series is a true revolution in projection and is the first laser combined LED projector offering a staggering 2,000 lumen brightness. With 20,000 hours lamp life and no loss in image performance over its lifetime, you will save at least £500 - £1,500 on bulbs over 3 years. Power costs are also reduced and the projector is practically maintenance free.

The Casio XJ’s ultra thin and lightweight design means it is truly portable allowing it to easily squeeze into your laptop bag.

The product is also available with USB and WLAN so can work as a stand alone projector.

Contacts

Personal Projector Ltd

Visit the Product page at www.personalprojector.co.uk for more details

Tel: 0845 121 8800

Contact us

After a 3 year wait the Microvision Show WX projector has finally gone on sale in the USA for a staggering $999 / £666 / €735. Whilst it might be going on sale at devilish prices (I’m sure those prices in sterling and dollars have some significance) it should come down in price to around £500 in the UK and will probably arrive in Q3 or Q4 this year.

Here’s our quick review of the show WX

Pros of Microvision Show WX pico projector

- its very thin and lightweight

- it has auto focus means its always in focus

- its widescreen (although this can be a problem actually fitting it onto some walls or screens)

- its the nicest design of any pico projector and in terms of style its up there with the iphone

- it has VGA connectivity as well as connection to ipods etc (but cant be used as a standalone device with no SD card or onboard memory)

Cons of Microvision Show WX pico projector

- the brightness is disappointing at only 10 lumens as when the lights are turned on or the blinds are not completely shut its very difficult to see. Pocket projectors like the Adapt 305 are significantly brighter in these conditions.

- its £300 / $450 / €330 more expensive than the Adapt 305 and 3M mpro 150 with far less features

- no micro SD slot or onboard memory

- takes a while to warm up and switch on compared to all other picos

- menu buttons are quite fiddly and its easy to turn it off by accident and annoying when you have to switch it back on again and wait an age

- there is quite a lot of speckling on the screen so you’d need to really show it on a proper screen rather than just any wall which you would do with a normal projector. This maybe why Microvision have decided to bundle a screen with it but clearly your paying for it at $999.

Overall, the Microvision Show WX is beautiful design but overall its disappointing considering the 3 year wait and that many other competitors have now produced far superior products. Couple the lack of brightness with the enourmous price tag its really hard to recommend this projector when projectors like the 3m Mpro 150 and the Adapt 305 are cheaper, brighter, have more connectivity, are easier to use and are quicker to boot up.

Realistically the Microvision Show WX is a mid range rather than a top of the range mini projector and there are many projectors at around £290 / $430/  €320 whcih would equal its performance but if you want the best projector for less money then the Adapt 305 is still the number one choice pocket  projector in the world today.

Ooops, well this was slightly embarrassing. On yesterdays Gadget Section of The Hour on STV, Scotland’s ITV,  the technology review didnt go quite according to plan when the guys tested the Adapt 305 on Live TV. The poor little projector got knocked off its pedestal by a popcorn machine and bounced off a hard floor in the studio.

The presenter cleverly recovered by saying it was a good drop test and it proves that this projector was very well made..amazingly the Adapt 305 still works perfectly. Check out the video here (3.15 secs into the video http://tinyurl.com/ybvje3u).

For more detailed video on the Adapt 305, its features and why its the number one pocket projector in the world click here

3m Mpro 120 video

3M Mpro 120

The 3M Mpro 120 is the new pocket projector offering from 3M which is a marked improvement on its predecessor, the Mpro 110. 3M have come up with a nice sleek design for this projector and have targeted the product squarely at the demanding business customer.

You can expect a number of new benefits with the Mpro 120 including enhanced brightness and picture quality, amazing battery life, integrated speakers and a rubberised exterior design.

(more…)

Aiptek T20 with Digital Picture Quality

The new Aiptek T20 Pocket Cinema Projector is now available prior to its Sept launch at Personal Projector. The Aitpek T20 is a revolutionary pico projector as its the first to connect a projector to a laptop via a USB. This means you can replace your heavy analogue VGA cables, battery and mains charger with just one lightweight cable. It’s also the lightest projector on the market today (125g) and offers incredible sharp picture quality for its tiny size.

The projector is the lightest we’ve ever seen as its doesn’t need a battery to power it as power is drawn from the USB itself. For this reason Aiptek have been able to make it ultra small too. (more…)

London Lite, Thursday 28th May 2009

The popular London newspaper, London Lite, reviewed a number of pocket projectors in its recent technology round-up of the latest hot gadgets.

The London Lite review covered a number of pico projectors including

- 3M Mpro 110
- Aiptek V10+
- Adapt Pico Projector
- Aiptek Docking Station

Aiptek V10 Plus

The new Aiptek V10 Plus is the first pico projector to offer a Record & Store feature…this bascially means that each time you pass through any video through the projector it will record it directly onto the units own internal memory (2GB).

Now you might be thinking why on earth would I need this feature.. well apart from the extra memory (1gb) you get with the V10 Plus model its well worth using the Record & Store feature to SHARE content with friends and colleagues.

Imagine you’re down the pub and you’re friends have just come back from the holiday of a lifetime..lets say they’ve been on safari they can now project 50 inches high onto the pub wall their own version of Big Cat Week. Lets say there was a comedy moment where the lions decide that your friend looks like a nice lunch and starts to give chase while your friend’s videoing the experience, then you might want to share the clip with others too…so you just press record on your projector and it stores it ready for you to play your own copy back later and share with others.

Whether its business or pleasure this really does open a great new way to share videos from iphones or mobile phones equiped with video-out, DVD’s etc.

For business users, if you already have a large number of videos on your website or on your laptop then its a great way to show them to your customers and targets and for you to share content both inside and outside your organisation.

Obviously copyright protection is in place so you cant start recording your favourite blockbuster movie straight onto the device but there is so much publically available content on You Tube now surely there are hours of fun to be had out of this great new projector and for business users its one extra way to differentiate yourself with wow factor video sharing.