Projectors aren’t typically impressive to most of us, though that’s due to their high price and, well, our perception of classroom projectors. Those clunky things really are a thing of the past (unless you’re still in school), because today you can just plug your iPhone in and stream movies directly through the projector, no hassle. At CES, BenQ revealed the Joybee GP2 Mini Projector, which not only provides video out for your iPhone, but for any device you can think of. Or, even with nothing plugged in at all.

The Joybee GP2 is is a big step up from the GP1, which acted as an any-device projector utilizing a USB port and iOS 30-pin connector. It wasn’t really an any-device projector unless you had the right cable and had the device on and streaming, which for a projector may sound OK but will kill the battery life of cameras, laptops, and anything else with undue haste. So the GP2 makes one basic change that completely changes the way the projector handles media: it has more ports, including an SD-card slot reader, HDMI, standard USB and a USB-mini port. And, of course, the iPod dock on the top of the GP2.

These extra ports improve on the original not just by making it more accessible, but by releasing many external devices from handling data as intensly as on the GP1. Any computer with work with the GP2, either through HDMI or USB (though as we’ve seen in the past with USB-powered media streaming modules, USB isn’t suited for high-resolution video without a high-performance processor). Devices that use SD cards can remain powered off, and users need only swap the card into the projector. Devices without SD cards can also be plugged directly in using the USB port. If that means your phone, then you don’t have to worry about power, because it’ll charge the phone and stream the data to the projector.

The GP2 is very light and very easy on the eyes. The glossy top has a simple control scheme, and it’s small and weighs just 565g. When we get one in for review, it’s the sort of device I’d take with me on trips to watch TV shows or movies I normally store on my phone, instead of holding the relatively tiny display close to my face.

While the GP2 supports 720p video and recommends 44″ between the projector and a screen or wall, BenQ representatives told me that it’ll hold a solid image up to 160″ (the image can be up to 160″ diagonally). Even at 44″, that’s huge compared to a smartphone screen. BenQ promises 30,000 hours for a single bulb at regular brightness settings, which is about 3.5 years of continuous use.

The GP2 also has 4W speakers, which while minimalist are more powerful than today’s mobile devices. Everything can be controlled either through the dial control on the top of the GP2 or with an included remote. I was impressed with the picture quality on two videos that were playing back in BenQ’s suite at the show, Burn Notice and Moneyball. I’ll need to play with a unit more before I can verify the screen quality, especially indifferent lighting conditions, but from a preliminary look I was satisfied with the video quality.

The BenQ Joybee GP2 Mini-Projector is out now, and can be purchased today for $549 from Amazon, though I’ve already found some lower prices down around $470. It may seem pricey, but for a 720p home projector that can be used for just about any purpose, including business, office, home video, or even travel, the GP2 looks like the kind of projector we should see in classrooms today.

Is it s projector?  Is it a speaker?  Is it an iPhone dock?  Nope, it’s all of the above.

Epson’s MegaPlex MG-850HD projector eliminates the need for an iPhone cord, speakers and external display.  While we can’t exactly call it portable, despite Epson’s effort to do so (they’ve added a handle) there is no disputing this device’s versatility.  At the rear is a 30-pin dock for any iOS device.  Connected to that is a set of built-in 10 watt stereo speakers and a 720p capable projector that can blast movies and images up to 100-inches in size at a max output of 2800 lumens, enough intensity for conference rooms that aren’t draped in black cloth.

For some added versatility the MG-850HD can be used as a stand alone speaker without displaying video.  They’ve also included a USB port, HDMI input, component and composite inputs.

The COOLPIX S1200pj is Nikon’s third attempt at a camera that sports a built-in projector.  And this time it’s the most robust, and thus why it’s worth purchasing.

We’re not sure why, but the previous generations of this COOLPIX camera seemed gimmicky.  The addition of a projector, while a great idea, didn’t really resolve a problem that the mass consumer ran into.  How many times have you been sitting around biting your lip and stopping your feet because you couldn’t project your camera’s photos onto a nearby white wall.  And perhaps that’s what Nikon figured out and hence why they increased the projectors compatibility to work with, what else, Apple’s iOS products.  Now you can plugin in an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and project your contents in all the grandeur it deserves.  It’s also compatible with Macs and PC via a USB connection.

The COOLPIX’s S1200pj projector is capable of shining up to a 60-inch image from 10-feet away and boasts a 20-lumen rating, 40% brighter than the previous iteration.  The camera has a 14.1 megapixel sensor, sports a 3-inch LCD on its rear, a 5x optical zoom, picture effects, an ISO of 80-6400 and image stabilization.  If no tripod is near, the COOLPIX S1200pj includes a built-in stand.

The Nikon COOLPIX S1200pj will retail for $429.99.  An exact launch date hasn’t been announced.

This is one of those “see it to believe it” kind of posts – there is a video below.  ”Mr. Beam”, who ever that is, created an all white room installed with 2 video projectors.  We know, that doesn’t sound remotely titillating. But it’s what the projectors can achieve that is amazing, which is a unique physical 3D video-mapping experience that allows them to manipulate wallpaper color, furniture textures and even carpet at the flip of a switch.

Seriously, though, just hit the video below and you’ll be impressed.

Isabelle Hayeur’s video installation is made out of three rather giant giant screen playing three separate videos of fire starting and growing, and then extinguishing itself over a 15 minute continuous loop.

Located at 112 West Hastings Street in Vancouver, this seemingly anti-social project, bound to get some passerby hearts racing, was actually commisioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

West Hastings Street is located in the Downtown Eastside, which is one of the hotspots where Vancouver’s homelesness and poverty issues concentrate. Preceding the 2010 Winter Olympics, the neighborhood was seeing a sort of ressurection, with investments and interests soaring.

I’m not sure if the installation was a way of consuming the misery of the past, with a continuous fire showing the ressiliency of the area, or if instead was a form of protest, because much has been written of the escalation of homeless problems in the area despite growing investments.

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Sanyo’s new projector, the LP-HF1000L, is an impressive device, boasting a 2K resolution and a 10,000 lumens brightness, an industry best. Other specs include Sanyo’s QuaDrive optical engine for improved color, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, LAN, an HDMI port, and two 380W NSHA lamps. Yeah, this isn’t the nicest looking thing, design wise but if the picture quality is great, that’s what matters, right?

The LP-HF1000L hits Japan in October. Pricing and a US release date are currently unknown.

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Is there a practical application to the portable projector? You bet your ass there is. But it all depends on who you are and what you’re doing.

For the last few weeks I’ve been testing out 3M’s Mpro150 Pico Projector. It’s a pocket sized device with its own UI and rechargeable battery. It has a mini VGA input, micro-USB port, microSD card slot and headphone jack. included in the box is a VGA to mini-VGA, RCA to mini-VGA, AC plug and tripod. The AC charger is modular and includes a variety of plugs for international travel.

The projector’s body is finished in a rubber coating and features a small kickstand on its stomach. From a portability stand point the projector is pocket sized and weighs no more than an smartphone with the battery installed, 5.6oz to be exact.

The top of the device sports a set of buttons for navigating the Mpro 150′s menus. In addition to a directional pad with an ‘ok’ button there is a back button as well as a focus wheel, which is situated next to the lens. There is also a small speaker, which lacks any level of fidelity but is great in a pinch.

The MPro 150 supports MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and Adobe PDF files. That means you can copy your presentation to a microSD card slot or its 1GB of built-in storage, and without the use of a computer (or any cords) walk your clients through a ‘deck’. It also supports BMP and JPG files for picture viewing and a variety of video and audio formats (MP3, MPEG4, H.264, AAC and WMA).

In terms of specs the battery is rated for up to 120 minutes of continuos use with a 3 hour recharge time (90 minutes on high brightness). The LED lamp, which is good for up to 15,000 hours and can produce 15 lumens, can project up to a 50 inch image with a max resolution of 1280×800.

In use the Mpro 150 is very simple and straight forward. You can attach an external device such as a computer or iPhone (I bought the necessary cables) or just plug the projector into your computer’s USB port and transfer a variety of files to its 1GB of storage.

I loaded the following files on the MPro 150: Microsoft Word document, PDF, video file and JPG. They all worked flawlessly, though some took longer than others to load. If need be you can magnify the documents up to 3 times (2x, 4x and 8x) and pan and scroll using the directional pad. In the event the font used in the document isn’t supported, the MPro 150 will automatically substitute it for a compatible one.

Start up time for the MPro 150 isn’t instantaneous, but fast enough – probably about 20 seconds – which isn’t that much of a difference from a normal sized projector.

After about 5 minutes of use the MPro 150 activates an internal fan to help it keep cool. While I’m sure it is necessary it was annoying since it emitted a reasonably loud buzzing sound. Adding insult to injury if you move the projector while the fan is running it sounded as if it is was grinding plastic, leading me to believe that the fan would eventually wear down and break.

As with any portable you’ll have to be willing to make a sacrifice in terms of features and power. The MPro 150 has an extremely strong feature set which should appeal to any business class user. But where it falls short – when compared to a larger projector – is its brightness. There are two brightness settings, but no matter what lighting situation you’re in you’ll want to use the brightest setting, which will still require you to be in an almost blacked out room. Otherwise the images will be washed out and make it challenging to view what is being projected. And as with any projector, as the image size increases so does the brightness, so you’ll need a pitch black room to even think about displaying a 50-inch screen.

The battery life is on par with the manufacturer’s rating. I was a bit disappointed that the package didn’t include a more advanced computer (VGA) hookup. Although I didn’t drop the MPro 150 its build felt sturdy enough to take a few tumble and there is no doubt that the rubber finish would help soften the blow. I particularly liked that they included a mini tripod in the package, which can be used with other devices such as cameras anything sporting a standard tripod screw hole.

3M MPro 150 has all sort of practical business applications, which is clearly the market is targeted for. But that isn’t to say it couldn’t be purchased for personal use, though I think one would be hard pressed to use it on a regular basis. The rechargeable battery, microSD card slot, built-in 1GB of memory and variety of connectivity options makes the MPro an easy choice for anyone running around from pitch to pitch.

You can buy the MPro 150 at Amazon for $354.

Pros:

• Built-in battery and 1GB of memory
• Rubber finish
• Includes RCA, 2GB microSD card and VGA cords

Cons:

• Requires a very dark room
• VGA cord is antiquated
• High price tag

What could possible be the cutest thing you own minus the Hello Kitty toilet seat comes the Toyjector from Princeton.  Not being one of those words that rolls off the tongue, the baby little Toyjector displays images with a resolution of 300 x 224 (QVGA), a contrast ratio of 100:1, and a brightness of 5 Lumens.

Costing just over $180, the portability of this thing is quite robust.  A tripod is included in the price as well as an AC adapter.  GeekStuff4U has the Toyjector expects to ship within 5 to 10 days.

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As the 3-D bombardment begins like humans descending on Na’vi, Acer’s S5200 3D Video Projector should wet your multi-dimensional appetite.  With a 120Hz refresh rate, the S5200 will heave an 81″ image from as close as 3 feet away.

Compatible with LAN control systems, the S5200 also has a: HDMI port, 3,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, a 2,500:1 contrast ratio, native XGA resolution, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and displays 16:9 at 1,600 x 1,200 resolution.  Hook it up to a computer, strap on some 3-D glasses and you’re good to go.

The Acer S5200 3D Video Projector is priced at just over $1,000 and is available now.

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Home Theater calibration can be a tricky situation for the everyday Gary, so if you have a nice projector, an iPhone and an extra $30 lying around, then the SIM2Calc app may be worth checking out.

Designed only for projector set-ups, especially if you have one made by SIM2, the app will effectively help you get the best out of your Home Theater tech.  The app will help you calculate your:

• Screen and room size
• Projector model
• Aspect ratio
• Throw ratio
• Geometry settings
• Viewing angle map
• Luminance levels

I can’t see this app being worth the asking price, but hopefully we’ll to see other, more cheaper apps like this in the future.

[via ElectronicHouse]

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Have you ever want to just zone out with the stars when taking a steamy bath?  Sega Toys HomeStar Aqua Planetarium will provide just that.  This waterproof little planetarium will project thousands of your favorites stars in a circular pattern on your bathroom ceiling.

The LED lighting system runs off of 4 AAA batteries and displays stars continuously for three hours.  Seems like a great gift idea for the dreamer or junkie in your family.  On sale now for $66

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Folks, there were a LOT of things to come boiling out of the CES show.  No one person can possibly pass on all the sheer cool that was generated by that convention.  Thus, you’ll likely be getting the total update for days and weeks to come.

Today, a gadget that made the rounds at CES and the Hologram Display Exhibition in Taiwan: namely, Innovision’s HoloAD Holographic Display.

The HoloAD uses a specially designed case in which three different images are projected onto a glass pyramid, generating an “animated full-color hologram”. Even better, the item you’re projecting as a hologram can be placed in a display unit under the projection glass for added effect.

It galls me that the first use of serious holography beyond proof of concept is advertising, but hopefully we’ll get to immersive entertainment and holodecks later.  After all, without the impetus of cash behind it, who’d ever get a gadget off the ground anyway, and nothing screams “cash cow” like appealing to advertisers.

UPDATE: According to a company called RealFiction, the above product is a ripoff of their patented Dreamoc device.  They’ve provided a number of patent numbers (Europe: EU Design No. 001066278-0001, 001041289-0001, 000852108-0001 and 000835806-0001, US: Design Patent Application No. 29/332,917, Japan: Design Patent Application No. 2009-020417) and some video below.  Sounds legit to me.

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Research In Motion, the guys who brought you the BlackBerry, have just come out with a new add-on for the device, the BlackBerry Presenter.

Basically, it’s a projector for your BlackBerry, which allows you to show PowerPoint slideshows from your BlackBerry to any projection screen.

The BlackBerry Presenter has three available resolutions, 640 x 480, 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768.  It also offers VGA and S-Video outputs, along with a USB connection and a status LED that reflects various modes.  They’re going to be sold for $199, and there’s no word on when they’ll actually hit shelves–all Research In Motion will say is that they’re “coming soon”.

Considering how purely business the BlackBerry phone line is, it’s not a surprise that they’d make it even more so with this device.  It may well be the complete business tool thanks to this add-on, so anyone who’s using a BlackBerry for business is likely to be interested.  Don’t forget to keep the receipt!

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Well, folks, leave it to the Japanese to make a more advanced and yet much more terrifying version of every high school freshman’s secret dread, Baby Think It Over.

Today we’re talking about Yotaro, possibly the creepiest robot baby on the face of the Earth, and it’s also designed to be the best simulated baby ever made.  Yotaro is designed to be a baby simulator, featuring a touch-sensitive face and ports from which Yotaro can “cry”, or spew warm water.

It’s not a standalone baby sim just yet, though–it has to be attached to a series of devices to realize its full functionality.  It can wiggle mechanical legs once its “belly” is tickled, and contains a projector under the touch-sensitive face to show the appropriate emotional face on the touch-sensitive faceplate.

It’s creepy and it’s entirely too realistic, in a deranged sort of way.  All I know is, I’m glad I’m out of high school and never have to tackle a simulated baby.  Ever.

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Now this is mildly novel.  Designed with a Fisher-Price type of aesthetic, this Mobile Cinema DVD Projector is a great way to introduce your baby to the power of movies.  The LED projector can display images up to 50″ and has built in speakers and a microphone input for Karaoke sessions.

While projectors have been around for quite some time now, this is the first I’m seeing with a DVD player and is designed for kids.  Big shaped buttons make it easy for the kids to use and the whole thing seems pretty sturdy.  On sale now for $260.

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For all you fireworks junkies out there, the Sega Indoor Fireworks Projector takes the danger and financial burden out of cornea burning displays of holiday.  Not so sure whether or not this is actually made from the iconic video game company, I’m interested in seeing just how cool this thing is.

The Sega Indoor Fireworks Projector has a small speaker for sounding out periodic blasts but you can also hook it up to your home theater for that extra push.  To keep sets varied, you can exchange circular pattern discs for different arrays of fireworks like a slide machine or those old picture viewers you had as a child.

On sale now for $217.

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The HypnosEye Projector is a completely wireless projector and is a cheap and easy way for you to display visual media from your iPhone.  It actually works with any phone that has an adjustable brightness as it uses a special mirror with a reflection agent at the top of the glass instead of the bottom making for a more clear image.

Priced at $80, this little but not that cool looking projector is cheap enough to warrant a possible purchase.  No mention of how it’s powered, though.  See the other specs below:

• Portable wireless projector with screen and stand
• Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, mobile phones etc.
• Projection distance: 0.5-2m
• Projection area: from 17-45″ (43-114cm)
• Projection focus is adjustable
• Material: Polycarbonate (screen) + ABS (stand)
• Screen size: 250 x 360 x 1mm (9.8 x 14.2 x 0.04″)
• Weight: 80g (screen), 400g (projector and stand)
• Manual: Japanese

[via RandomGoodStuff]

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In what appears to be a product I’ve never seen the likes of, the Sparkz Projector Dock is a fresh and pricey new addition to aftermarket iPhone accessories.  The built-in pico projector accepts a variety of A/V and VGA inputs and is capable of displaying 640 x 480 resolutions at up to 60 inches.  Snaps.

There’s also some little stereo speakers attached but I can’t imagine them doing much banging.  The dock also charges your iPhone and it comes with a tri-pod.  At a $495 price tag, early adopters will want to make sure this is a quality product.  Maybe the video below will help.

[via Ubergizmo]

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Way back in the depths of 2005, we talked about a kind of ultra portable scanner called the Docupen.  Well, the company that makes these has just released a brand new kind that they’re hoping will be so extreme you’ll likely ignore the mostly pointlessness of the device and buy several.  It’s the Docupen X-Series, and the X is almost certainly for X-treeeeeeme.

The Docupen is essentially a scanner the size of a standard ballpoint pen, and allows you to scan a document or a photo into JPEG format by rolling the scanner part along the surface of the thing you want scanned.  It has 64 gigs of internal memory, microSD card compatibility, and can scan to 600 dpi, which is no mean feat for a pen-sized scanner.

If you do a lot of photo manipulation or deal with a lot of actual paper documents–like, say, business cards at trade shows–then you might feel pretty good about the Docupen X-Series.  But you likely won’t feel good about its price, a whopping $369.

Chances are you’ll almost never need to use this, and chances are even greater that you’ll lose it in short order anyway, so it’s probably not what you’d call a good investment.

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If you’ve looked at your job and thought, you know, it’s great here and all, but what we need are more random Jedi duels, then do I have the gadget for you!

Five words: Star Wars Lightsaber Laser Pointers.

I know, I just said a whole volume of geektastic joy in one handy little five-word burst, but it is exactly what I said it is, a red laser pointer (what, no color options?  Can’t I have something other than Sith Red?  Why no love for any of the half-dozen or so Jedi colors?) that projects a small beam of red light.  Call attention to points in your PowerPoint presentation.  Freak out your cat.  Grab a magnifying glass and try in vain to fry ants.  Stage duels on your lunch break.

There are so many uses for this, but the clearest use of all is to clearly denote that YOU, sir (or ma’am as the case may be) are a serious Star Wars fan, true believer.  And if you’ve got $14.99, you too can slice up your choice of foes.

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