Diminutive Dell Projector Designed for Digital Nomads
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008Laptop computers and wireless networking have added incredible freedom to the way we do business. It’s possible to have all the functions of your personal computer system along with access to the entire resources of your network contained within one briefcase.
Of course, if you are a digital nomad and want to share this with others in the form of a business presentation, you still need to hope that there is a projector at the other end or lug one around in its own separate case with you, adding to the collection of devices you have to carry when you travel. Wouldn’t it be great if you could fit a working projector into that same briefcase that carries your laptop?
Say hello to Dell’s M109S Projector:
If the pencil doesn’t provide enough perspective, here are the specific dimensions: 3.64 inches x 4.12 inches x 1.46 inches and weighing in at a microscopic 385 grams - less than a pound!
So honestly, how good a projector can this possibly be in such a diminutive package? The answer is, surprisingly good. The lamp is an LED module that puts out very little heat and has an expected life of over 10,000 hours. It only puts out 50-55 lumens but in the range of roughly two to eight feet, the image is quite bright in a normally lit room. Turn off the lights and the image will be easily readable on a white wall and even better on a projection screen. The image brightness tails off rapidly beyond the recommended limit of 94.5 inches, but within that range, it sure beats clustering four or five spectators around the screen of your laptop.
Supporting the projector is simple, too. There is only one connecting cable that handles both video input (either VGA or composite) and power. Power is provided by a standard Dell laptop computer power supply. The projector and the power/video cable fit into a padded cloth case that tucks away in your briefcase easily. In my experimentation with the projector, the DLP signal processing module created more heat than the lamp but it was still possible to hold it comfortably on the palm of your hand even after it had been running for some time.
Make no mistake: a full-size projector certainly provides a brighter image and superior functionality. But if I was concerned about carry-on baggage and was unsure whether there was a projector available at my meeting destination, I would find the M109S to be well worth the space it takes up in my briefcase.
The M109S is priced at $499 and the package includes the projector, cable, a power supply and the case.