---   PORTABLE PROJECTORS   ---


The Valley of Portable Projectors
 -- Jim Gelder, Projectorian.com


When making a business presentation, quality is important. You will be judged on your technology as much as your content, and trying to make a sales pitch with an old-fashioned overhead projector, transparencies and slide trays will position you and your company as dinosaurs.


The projector industry itself has grown as new technology has made mobile presentations more possible and a lot more attractive.


Projectors have become a lot more portable, and every year the weight becomes a bit less, to accommodate the needs of these mobile workers who want to be able to use advanced projection devices that are the size of laptops or smaller.


For the road warrior, traveling from place to place to give sales pitches, classes, or trade show presentations, it's necessary to lug around a certain amount of equipment. Naturally, the best possible scenario is for all of that equipment to be as lightweight and portable as possible.


While ten years ago, the idea of incorporating a projector into a mobile presentation was difficult, with projectors weighing well in excess of a hundred pounds, today it is possible to obtain a unit that is less than five pounds and can be easily carried from place to place. The latest micro portables are even less than three pounds.


These ultralight projectors are full of features and deliver excellent performance. When deciding on a portable however, take into account the weight and bulk of the entire system, which includes the cables, remotes, and other accessories, and the carrying case as well. The case you carry your projector in can be almost as important as the projector itself if you spend a lot of time traveling. If you check in your baggage, be sure to get a case that is rugged to avoid damage.


The portability can be enhanced even further by using a projector that has wireless capability, and an included PCMCIA slot and USB port or CompactFlash slot. This allows a presentation to be downloaded directly into the projector, without having to connect it to a laptop at all. Many portable units contain remote control functionality.


A portable projector is also very useful for presentations being made by multiple individuals, or by a single individual that hooks up to multiple PCs. The best projector for that situation will be a plug-and-play projector, which automatically detects the source and makes adjustments without having to reboot.


Ideally too, your portable should be able to accommodate presentations made in different size conference rooms. This is usually made possible with the presence of a zoom lens, which many portables do include.


When purchasing your portable projector, don't forget about other accessories, and make sure that the entire package is still easy to carry from place to place. Portable screens are also widely available, and can be carried around without difficulty.





If you're in the market for some uber portable projectors, you may want to take a look at pcworld's latest reviews. If you are committed to finding a projector that weighs in at under seven pounds, check out the top seven list of portable projectors from about.com. I also found a great link from the Electronic Universe Project that offers a lot of information you can use before making a purchase decision.