Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm not sure why more people have not reviewed this product but I think for the price this is a pretty good deal. This is the third pico type projector that I have bought over the years. I live in limited space so having large media playing devices (TVs/Monitors) is usually not an option especially since I tend to move every 2 years or so. This is the reason that I got interested in Pico Projectors in the first place - imagine it - a big screen TV that fits into your hand. All you really need is a white surface to project it on. But there are also pitfalls to this sort of thing. Battery life tends to max in these devices at about 90-120 minutes. The speakers they have generally are too quiet/small sounding for viewing with multiple people. Most also seem to have lumens under 20 so you really need a dark room. Bearing this in mind and also the fact that I wanted HDMI quality I didn't have that many options. The ShowXX HDMI laser pico projector seemed the most ideal. Yes the battery life is poor at 2 hours - but for the most part I just plug it in. And yes you need an almost completely pitch black room to really appreciate it. What was great was how small it was and the (mini) HDMI out meant that I could hook it up to more than just my Iphone/pad/touch. The sound was tiny since it came only from my attached device, but with bluetooth, I was able to hook up speakers to make the sound warmer. The picture was top notch - but a little dark even on the brightest settings. The fact that it is a laser projector also meant that you don't have to focus it because it is always in focus. The disadvantages? It gets pretty hot, you can't put it on a tripod unless you by the VGA adapter which means then you can't use the HDMI or IPhone hook up either. It really only projects at 848x480. Also, it died on me - or at the very least the bulb was becoming inconsistent - sometimes it would work, other times it would cut out. As I was deciding to buy a new one, I happen to run into the above device while in Miami at Brookstone. Although it was cheaper by about $70.00 I wasn't that impressed with the picture with the display model - until I realized something - I was in a fully lit store and I could still see the movie playing very well. I checked the specs on the model and low and behold the lumens are 85 - a great deal higher than the ShowXX. Could I actually watch a movie with the lights on? Turning it over I saw also that it has a 1/4" hole for a tripod - another plus. In the back was a USB (sadly only for charging other devices) but a full size HDMI (I just feel these are sturdier than Mini-HDMI). I decided to go for it and bought the device. The picture was so much better at home than at the store first off with the lights on. On top of that, with the lights out it's even more outstanding. No laser here, so there is a scroll wheel to adjust the focus. For some reason when I have this hooked into a media player, I can't use the bluetooth (or at least haven't figured out how to), but I could directly connect my speaker to the projector and get the same warmer sound - so no fooling with the smaller speakers in the device. My current set up has it attached to my Apple TV which allows me to stream from my Idevice to the projector directly - that way I can still use my iPad for example without it being connected to the projector. Some may complain that you have to get the HDMI adapter for Apple iPhone/Pad devices in order to connect it - but a) I already had one of these and b) a lack of a propriety connection means you can hook up any media player with an HDMI output socket (my Vaio Laptop, PS3 for example) without the need for a specialized adapter - so it's more versatile. I have already tested it out with my computers and have liked the results. I don't think I will ever use this for presentations (where I work already has one), but blowing up pictures larger to trace them is a plus for some of the other projects I do. The lumens are bright enough that I can actually watch something with the lights on - so it can be more like a regular monitor too. I pretty much always have it plugged in so I haven't really tested the battery. The resolution to my eyes seems almost equal to the ShowXX too, although I think the ShowXX delivers the sharper (darker) picture - but not by much. Thus far I think it is a worthy successor to my last pico projector. What I like - the versatility, the ability to dock on a tripod without an adapter, 85 lumens, full sized HDMI slot, small size, little need for specialized adapters (depending on your device of course) What I don't like - I wish it was a laser projector - I just think that is far cooler, would be nicer if it were smaller, I wish the USB connector would let you attach a thumb drive (just more convienient), battery life (although this is as good as the ShowXX - just a general wish). Also although I can just hook it directly to my speakers, I would rather run the sound from my I device to my speakers via bluetooth (less wires over all and I just feel it looks cooler). In fact given all my complaints, I feel like I need to knock off only 0.5-1 star (can't give it a 4.5 rating on Amazon which is really more accurate). Is this as good as something more expensive - of course not. But if you are on a budget and have more limited space this device - with a little ingenuity added to help with the sound - is actually a pretty good deal.