Hi-tech Frontier

DIY HD projector hits the right note, sub-€500 price range It's really hard to say how much of a value this DIY HD projector is, given we're missing some crucial specs like resolution (gotta be at least 720p, right?), contrast ratio, and luminosity. Still, at €500 (about $708 US) for the whole kit, it's not a bad deal if you planned on spending your weekend doing projects anyway. All the pieces come in four separate bundles -- HD optic, light, housing, and electronics -- and if you need some handholding (it's okay, so do we), there's a German-language instruction manual that's thankfully full of pictures and diagrams, and even more entertaining, we've got a video / picture slideshow of the process done to a playful techno ditty.

Mili Pro Is A Pocket Projector For Your iPhone iPhones and iPods can be great for watching videos, but only if a single person is trying to view them. However, if you’re wanting to show something to a group of people, you’re not going to want them to crowd around your tiny screen are you? Well later this year you’ll be able to pull out a small accessory that will make your videos large enough to be viewed by all. The Mili Pro LED projector is a cool little dock for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Just slide your iPhone into place and it will project an image roughly equivalent to a 40-inch TV. The picture will be displayed at 640 x 480, which isn’t going blow your mind with its clarity, but it will get the job done. Having something this small that hooks up to your iPhone/iPod Touch (or any other device using VGA or RGA connectors) would certainly be appealing for the business types giving presentations, or anyone else just wanting to show off video on a bigger scale. Look for this in Septe...

BeamBox outs MiLi Evolution Mini Power Projector for iPhone, iPod touch Pocket projectors -- if they aren't quite 'all the rage' -- crop up all over the place these days. Beambox has teamed up with MiLi (makers of some fine iPhone chargers) on this newest one. The MiLi Evolution Mini Power Projector works in conjunction with your iPhone or iPod touch, docking it into the unit which then acts as projector and charger in one. The LCOS projector boasts 10 lumens of brightness for VGA projection of an image from 3 to 70 inches. It'll be about $255 when it's released around the end of July.

Lancer's iJector is the $700 projector for your $200 iPhone For that $700 price quoted above you were probably hoping for some sort of impossibly small and stylish pico projector, able to consume your iPhone, beam its contents onto the nearest flat surface, and make everyone nearby say "Ooh." Sadly the truth is not quite so charming, with Lancer Corporation's iJector looking to be smallish but not particularly svelte -- or stylish, for that matter. It sports the ubiquitous iPod dock on top that will accept a suite of Apple devices ranging from Gen 1 iPod nanos to iPhones running OS 3.0, and also has video input and output so that it can work with non-Apple devices, beaming a maximum 50-inch image at a disappointing 557 x 234 resolution. Did we mention that, at ¥64,800, it's nearly $700? It is, and it's shipping to Japan next month if for some reason you're still interested.

Samsung's Joe Kane-designed SP-A900 due later this month Been waiting for something to top the well-received Samsung SP-A800B? How about the next in the line, the SP-A900, ready to ship later this month but now improved with Texas Instruments' DarkChip 4 DLP chipset for an even higher contrast ratio (now up to 12,000:1), similarly higher price, 1080p res at an MSRP of $12,999. CNET lets it be known this should bring the Joe Kane approved design home via specialty retailers as is its custom, but we're sure fans of quality projectors know where it can be found.

Sanyo's LP-WXU700 projector is first to stream HD video over 802.11n WiFi True, Sanyo's LP-WXU700 is limited to a WXGA (1280 x 800) pixel image. But it's still the world's first to transmit that video over 802.11b/g/n (draft 2.0). Grabbing wireless video off your Vista PC is a snap thanks to the projector's Windows Embedded CE 6.0 software with Video Streaming Function that links back to Vista's Network Projector Function. Spec-wise we're looking at a 0.74-inch 3LCD panel capable of projecting a 100-inch image at a distance of 2.5 to 4-meters at 3,800 lumens with a 500:1 contrast ratio. Sanyo even tosses in a single HDMI jack in addition to the usual analog inputs. While, it's targeted at offices and schools, it wouldn't surprise us to see this ¥62,790 (about $642) projector show up in make-shift home theaters and gaming rooms when it launches in June.

RealD LP makes 3D projection a touch more portable It may be stretching the definition of what we'd call "portable" around here by quite a large margin, but RealD's touting its latest creation as the world's first mobile, single-projector 3D solution. The RealD LP can blast video on screens up to 17 feet wide with a 150:1 contrast ratio -- glasses still required for the full effect, of course. No price mentioned, but we reckon it's still in the realm of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it."

Christie LW650 projector A little bit of keystone distortion during a PowerPoint has never bothered us too much, let alone an off-center placement, but if your boardroom won't tolerate such things then Christie wants to show you its new LW650 projector. The 1366x800 pixel, 3LCD beamer delivers 6500 lumens with a 2500:1 contrast ratio, but its real calling card is the lens shift technology (motorized, we assume) that will allow users to achieve undistorted images without resorting to any resolution-wasting digital corrections. Christie is promising a wide range of lenses that span several throw distances, so it's safe to assume that at least one short-throw option will be in there so you can hop on the bandwagon. Ping your Christie rep for a quotation, as retail pricing info hasn't been released.

LitPhone projector phone Outside of Samsung's W7900 Show and a few nondescript prototypes, the projector phone sector has been largely stagnant. Thankfully, it seems at least one no-name company is looking to make a name for itself by developing yet another entrant. The LitPhone, designed and showcased by China's own SCT Optronics, is a GSM handset that sports CMMB TV tuning, a touchscreen and a built-in projector with an undisclosed native resolution. Furthermore, the company also demonstrated its USB-powered PCLit mobile projector at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, which debuted alongside Join Technology's JP77 and WE3 Technology's WE8626. Have a glance at the whole bundle down in the read link -- just don't get those hopes too high about a US release date anytime soon.

Samsung 1080p-blasting A800B and A900 projectors Good ole' Sammy's announced an octuplet of new projectors, and while we'd like to say they're all special in their own little way, two models definitely catch our eye more. The A800B DLP boasts a 1080p output, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 1000 ANSI lumens, two HDMI ports, and a variety of other input options. The luxury doesn't come cheap, of course: retail price is $10,000. The other full HD model is the A900, and although we're lighter on details with this one, we do know it's packing 1000 ANSI lumens, only one HDMI port, an impressive 12,000:1 contrast ratio, and what we can only assume is price tag of equal magnitude. As for others, we've got the travel-sized $700 P400 with SVGA output, the L220 (price unknown) and $1100 L300 for bringing VGA / XGA to classrooms, respectively, the XGA-blasting D300 for large venues, and a $1500 A400B for home theaters, which features WXGA, 2500:1 contrast ratio, and 2000 A...

AU Mobile's iida pico projector for G9 handsets unveiled Unless you're in the thick of it here in the Engadget organization, you can't possibly realize how many desperate (and sometimes, just plain odd) emails we get in the average day. The high weirdness can, at times, become staggering -- dire warnings of robot apocalypse come to mind -- but we do take our responsibilty as media darlings and role models very seriously. Case in point: many of you have been asking, "what's up with that iida pico projector for the G9 phone?" Well, we dug up some more details for you, and if you're anywhere near Japan (or Okinawa) you just might want to check this bad boy out. The device boasts approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes of charge time, projects and image anywhere from six ro sixty-three inches, and features a 0.5W (mono) speaker. In case this particular handset isn't on your short list, the proj is also compatible with AU S001, VA001, H001, W63CA, W63H, W62CA ...

Ever Win EWP1000 pico projector Every week we consistently get another couple new pico projectors to tell you about, and since the market for these things can't possibly be big enough to support all these releases the only possible explanation is that people are continually losing the things. Assuming that's the case, Ever Win's EWP1000 could be your next misplaced projector. As such it has fairly forgettable specs, including 10 lumens of brightness, VGA (640 x 480) resolution, projection sizes of between 5- and 50-inches, and about 80 minutes of battery life on a charge. About the only thing distancing this from the competition is its Ferengi-inspired styling, giving it a more notable look than most others and possibly making it perfect for your next Tongo party. But, with no price or availability, we won't blame you if you don't remember this tomorrow either.

Sony VPL-FW41 projector Sony's certainly got lots of cheaper, higher-res options out there for folks who've already sealed out all of the light from their downstairs den (er, "home theater room"), but if you're looking for something to cut through ambient light, search no more. The VPL-FW41 WXGA 3LCD beamer sports an expected 1,280 x 800 native resolution but impresses with its 4,500 lumens of light output -- or enough to make The Sun look like a faraway glow in comparison. All kidding aside, Sony's newest PJ should do wonders for rooms with oodles of sunshine seeping in, and the 12-bit 3D gamma correction circuitry, HDMI socket and 3D digital comb-filter should keep most everyone happy. Unfortunately, you'll be paying for all that brightness, with the MSRP sitting at $6,710.

Tiny Retro LED Projector Tiny LED Projector with built-in rechargeable battery and a speaker. Simply connect your Digital devices, such as cellphones, laptops, netbooks, PC, digital cameras, VCD/DVD players, iPod, PMP players, via the RCA and USB cable - then project your film, music concert, PowerPoint presentation on the wall or ceiling. Featuers: Cuboid Tiny Projector Plug-and-Play Standard Camera screw-hold Connected Interface: RCA cable Resolution: 640 x 480 pixel Light source: 3W LED Picture Size: 15 - 48 inch Contract Ratio: 200:1 Video Source: Composite Video In (iPod Video Compatible (PAL/NTSC) Video Input: AV IN (iPod Video compatible) Speaker: Built-in Loudspeaker Size: 6 x 6 x 3.8 cm The Retro Tiny LED Projector is available from the Gagdet Brando website for $219.

Forever Plus finally takes a pico projector to 720p Well, would you look at that! It's not 3M, Dell, Toshiba or any other mega-corp taking the totally tired pico projector from lackluster to 720p -- oh no, it's, um, Forever Plus. Said beamer has been around the block a time or two, but given the native 1,280 x 768 native resolution, we couldn't help but take notice. Reportedly, the 0.49- x 0.59- x 0.19-inch box outputs via HDMI and packs a lamp life of 30,000 hours, but we definitely have serious doubts about the quality. And the actual availability, for that matter.

BeamBox Evolution R-1 pocket projector BeamBox has just announced it's taking pre-orders for the Evolution R-1 pocket projector. If you've forgotten, the R-1 boasts an LCoS chip, with a brightness of 30 lumens, a 200:1 contrast ratio and VGA (640 x 480) resolution. The little guy has up to 4GB of onboard Flash memory, plus a microSD slot. It weighs in at about 175 grams, and will run you £260 (about $364), and is expected to ship on April 1st.

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 MBP200 pico PJ, i7410 projector phone 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.

Mitsubishi HL2750U projector We know, we could totally see you confusing "detail-oriented" with "high-resolution," but unfortunately Mitsu's not referring to those kinds of details. The HL2750U checks in with a barely respectable SXGA+ (1,400 x 1,050) resolution and a lovely 3,100 ANSI lumens for lighting up even mildly lit rooms. The 10.8 pound beamer also touts a lamp life of 5,000 hours, digital vertical and horizontal keystone correction, various lens options, Ethernet / RS-232c ports and an array of video inputs. Obviously, we'd recommend looking elsewhere for your dedicated home theater PJ, and we suspect you'll agree after swallowing the $3,995 MSRP.

Acer K10 pocket projector 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.