Although its existence was leaked during the summer, Dell’s new pocket projector, formally dubbed with the instantly forgettable moniker of “M109S“, has been officially released to generally availability.  Weighing only four-fifths of a pound, the ultra-compact 3.6 x 1.5 x 4.1 inches (small enough to fit in the palm of your hand) projector can fit easily into a briefcase or computer bag without breaking any traveling salesperson’s back.

If you use a Dell Latitude or Vostro computer, you can use the same AC adapter to power the M109S.  The device uses a mercury-free LED light to project at SVGA (858 x 600) resolution, up to 60-inch diagonal picture with 50 lumens of brightness, which means you’ll need to darken the room to see the image clearly.  In other words, the M109S is perfect for small group sales presentations.

Priced at US$499, the M109S is now available for purchase on the Dell website - but only in the U.S., for now.

Popular Mechanics tested a prototype of the M109S - their initial results were generally positive:

What we saw was quite impressive. While the colors were a little more washed-out than a top-end home theater projector, this thing should be able to handle road trip PowerPoints with aplomb. And while early reports suggested that the first Pico products would only be able to produce a decent picture up to about the size of a single sheet of paper, we were able to blow up ours far bigger than that—and without too much loss.

For the entire review and a video of the unit in action, check out this link: Dell M109S @ PopMech.

Tags: Dell Pocket Projector, M109S, pico projector

While ultra-tiny pico projectors have been released in other parts of the world, like the Aiptek V10 in Australia, we’ve not yet seen any of these super-portable display devices released in the U.S. - until now!

3M’s German division announced that the MPro110 pocket projector will be available worldwide on September 30th.  Priced at US$359, the MPro110 features:

• Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) technology capable of displaying VGA (640 x 480) resolution
• LED lamp requiring no fan for cooling
• Lightweight and compact design: less than a third of a pound (0.14kg) and it fits in the palm of your hand (2.0 x 0.9 x 4.5 inches, or 5.08cm x 2.29cm x 11.43cm)
• Up to 50-inch diagonal display size
• VGA and composite video connections

This is the first ultra-portable pico-projector to be made available in the North American market from a major manufacturer.

Meanwhile, Toshiba has been showing its pocket projector design at industry trade shows.  The Toshiba LED Pico Projector weighs less than a half-pound (100 grams), and measures 10 x 4.5 x 1.7 cm in size - a little larger than a typical smartphone.  The projector is able to display 10 ANSI lumens and uses an LED lamp (meaning: no fan noise). The Pico projector technology was developed by Texas Instruments, whom also has given this technology to Optoma for their Pico projector. Toshiba expects to release the device worldwide in the first quarter of 2009.

Here is a video showing how the Toshiba LED Pico Projector displays a video image on a 50-inch screen.  Although the picture is not too bright, the colors and resolution appear to be acceptable for small group presentations.

Tags: 3M MPro110, Aiptek V10 projector, micro projector, pico projector, pocket projector, Toshiba LED Pico Projector

 

 Selling Geek 012-GPS for Sales Pros [45:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of the Selling Geek podcast, we interview Tim Flight, the moderator of the popular website for information about GPS devices: GPS Review.

Click here for a complete transcription of this interview.

• What is GPS? How does it work?
• What GPS systems have the best maps?
• How does GPS benefit sales professionals?
• Advantages and disadvantages of portable, in-dash and mobile phone based GPS devices
• What are the best GPS features for salespeople?
• Which GPS devices should salespeople consider buying, and why?
• How much do good GPS systems cost?  Will they continue to get less expensive over time?
• What future developments can we expect in GPS technology?
• How should sales pros evaluate and buy a GPS?

Links to resources mentioned in this show:

• Mozilla Firefox 3.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer - IE8 Beta
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry
• LinkedIn
• GPSReview.net
• NavTeq
• Tele Atlas
• Bluetooth
• Garmin - Nuvi series
• Magellan
• TomTom - XL330
• Dash

Tags: Dash, Garmin, GPS, GPSReview.net, Interview, Magellan, Nuvi, Podcast, Tim Flight, Timothy Sullivan, TomTom

CNET reported that Mint Wireless will be releasing a version of Aiptek’s V10 pocket projector under their brand in Australia and New Zealand in September 2008, at a cost of A$649 (about US$603). The V10 will be the first commercially available pocket projector to be released into a retail market.

The V10 can display a 50 inch diagonal screen at 640×480 resolution from a distance of just over 5 feet, and it includes a 1 gigabyte internal hard drive, expandable microSD memory slot, USB and RCA video/audio connections (enabling you to hook up computers, DVD players, game systems, and digital cameras), stereo speakers (albeit tiny), and battery (but only for 60 minutes of independent power) - all in a package about the size of a typical smartphone.  The V10 will support native display of a variety of different media files including MP4, AVI and ASF video files, MP3 audio, and JPEG images.

At the end of a leaked Dell internal presentation - about the soon-to-be-released, Intel Centrino 2 based, Latitude E series of new laptops - was a small mention and a photo of a new mini-projector, to be called the “Pocket Projector“.  The new pico-sized projector weighs just 1.1 pounds, uses LED technology (no lamp or bulb), employs “green” technology (no mercury), and as the photo shows, it’s smaller than a coffee mug.

The tech blog Engadget speculates that the Dell device should be available before the end of 2008, based on the scope of the overall presentation.  No official confirmation from Dell, so far, on the device’s existence, possible release date, or cost.

Meanwhile, Nippon Signal recently demonstrated a prototype of their new pico projector, which is about the size of a cigarette pack. This projector uses lasers to display 800×600 (SVGA) resolution images, which is higher than the V10.  Release dates for this new device have not yet been set, although AboutProjectors.com reports that “Nippon Signal is looking to release this projector as soon as possible”.

Finally, check out this roundup of super-tiny projectors, compiled by OObject.com - all of which are slated for release within the next year.

Tags: Aiptek V10 projector, Dell Pocket Projector, mini-projectors, Mint Wireless V10 projector, Nippon Signal micro projector, pico projectors, pocket projectors

Dell recently leaked information about a new “Pocket Projector” — for updated details, see this post.

Tags: Dell Pocket Projector, pico projector

We continue to see small glimpses of pocket-sized, yet very functional projectors, but only as prototypes so far, with no immediate plans for a real product release in the U.S.  It’s as if the developers of these ultra-cool miniaturized projectors delight in teasing us, like some weird band of snickering technological sadists.

For example, here is a demo of a Texas Instruments (TI) pico projector, crammed into a BlackBerry body:

I can hear the collective plaintive whine from all of you now: “I want one, baaaaaad.”  Unfortunately, this is just a prototype.  In fact, some of the working guts of the phone had to be removed to make room for the projector.  But you can clearly see where TI is going with this technology.  Imagine loading your presentation file into your mobile device, and then being able to display it on a sales call, without having to plug it in, or without needing another projection device.

Cool.  I want one.

Meanwhile, Korea Electronics Technology Institute announced this week that they have developed a 4-ounce projector designed for integration into mobile phones, and capable of projecting up to a 60-inch full-color SVGA image from more than 6 feet away.  But they haven’t yet announced when the device may appear in a working phone, or in what markets they will be sold.

Groan.  I want one.

Finally, Taiwan-based Optoma recently announced a partnership with TI to bring a 4-ounce standalone micro-projector to market.  The Optoma Pico Projector, which uses TI’s DLP chipset and LED technology, will be introduced in Europe and Asia this year, with plans to arrive on the U.S. market in 2009.

2009 - oh, well, it’s only a few months away.  *sigh*

Tags: micro projectors, pico projectors

Other than educators, no one delivers more presentations than sales professionals. Unlike most teachers, however, salespeople have to carry all their presentation equipment with them, to a variety of locations. And nothing is more of a pain than to lug around a projector, which is usually bulky and yet so delicate that it can’t be checked as luggage on a plane — made doubly troublesome by some airlines’ recent increase in baggage restrictions.

Enter, the pocket projector, which packs enough lumens to fill a 50-inch screen bright enough to be seen comfortably by your audience in a box small enough to fit in your pocket. This rapidly-developing technology promises to be a gift from the gods for traveling salespeople who live and die by the quality of their presentations.

Projectors have been getting smaller and brighter and easier to operate for many years now, but the most recent announcements about the next generation of pocket projectors takes this technology to a whole new level. Two units have caught our eye, especially — the Foxconn PD-W1001 DLP, and the Aiptek PocketCinema V10. Although they aren’t readily available yet, these two units herald what the next essential piece of equipment for salespeople is going to look like. And sales pros are going to want these, if for no other reason than they are ultra-cool and as light as a feather to carry.

The Foxconn projector is smaller than a mobile phone, and produces enough brightness for a small-group presentation. You wouldn’t want to use one of these before an audience of hundreds, but for the typical in-office meeting of less than a dozen people, this unit will deliver the goods. And it weighs just a few ounces.

The Aiptek unit is slightly larger, but also features 1GB of internal memory and a 3-in-1 multicard reader, which means that you could drive your presentation completely from the projector alone, without a PC attached. It also includes a built-in battery and stereo speakers, although the duration of the battery charge and the quality of the speakers will probably be relatively short and tinny, respectively.

These new units have been announced by their respective manufacturers with tentative release date in mid-2009. However, no one’s saying what they will cost, or where in the world they may be introduced. So, until then, most salespeople can only wait and hope, and continue to haul their giant, heavy projectors around.

If you’re in the market for a new, lighter, better performing projector, one of the best sources we’ve found for research is aboutprojectors.com, which covers every make and model, even those that aren’t in production yet.

Tags: aboutprojectors.com, Aiptek, Foxconn, pico projectors, portable projectors, sales presentations