One of the more amazing things I saw at this year’s CES was a new(er) class of data projectors - pico projectors. These tiny projectors could change the way we think about sharing presentations, video, images, etc. Smaller than some of last year’s smart phones and easily fitting into the palm of your hand or pocket, they are a lot easier to travel with than the “portable” LCD projectors we’re all used to seeing. I say “could” and not “will” because like any first generation technology, they have some limitations. In the case of the pico projectors it’s image resolution, brightness and battery life.

There are about a half-dozen companies making the devices, including 3M, Aiptek and Optoma. Samsung has even integrated one into a phone (launched in Korea in January – not yet available in North America).

The devices utilize Texas Instruments’ DLP technology to produce their images. In most settings you would need to turn the room lights down – if not off entirely – to project a usable image. Most of these projectors have a brightness in the single digits (lumens), whereas even low-cost portable projectors available at office superstores are in the 1000-2000 lumen range. Image resolution is generally 640 x 480 pixels – the de facto standard in 1996. Battery life ranges from 2 -3 hours. Prices range from about $300- $400. Expect to see higher resolutions and longer battery life in future generations of the product.

For now though, these can be handy for client or co-counsel presentations, mediations, arbitrations, or anywhere you want to share information with more people than can comfortably gather around your laptop screen.