BlackBerry Presenter with Pico Projector Tutorial

We recently wrote about how great the iPhone 4s mirroring ability was that allowed us to project everything on the phone onto a projection.  We know the iPhone is a popular phone but another popular phone is the blackberry line.

As we all know the BlackBerry, better known as the CrackBerry is used by many business professionals out there and I can only imagine how many of them wish they could easily connect their phone to a pico projector to do a presentation.  With the combination of the BlackBerry Presenter and a pico projector this is now possible.

AAXA Technologies made a nice little write up on how to hook up the BlackBerry presenter to their P4 pico projector but the steps will be pretty similar to any other projector with VGA input.

Pictured is the BlackBerry Presenter along with a BlackBerry Bold 9000 and an AAXA P4 Pico Projector.

After hooking it up the BlackBerry Presenter start up screen looks like this.  

Once you open your document on your phone and press present it shows up like this.

Obviously I skipped some steps, but I just wanted to show essentially how easy it is to present with BlackBerry phones for all of you who complained that we only talk about the iPhone here.

The Full Tutorial can be found here:

http://www.aaxatech.com/support/faq/BlackBerry_Presenter_AAXA_P4.php

Benq joybee GP2 handheld projector

The Benq Joybee GP2 is Benq’s latest projector replacing their previous GP1 model.  It’s pretty small but not small enough to classify it into the pico range.  It is however small enough to be a micro projector.    The GP2  looks similar to the previous model as it still has the same black and white casing but the features have been greatly improved.

Features:

The BENQ Joybee GP2 features short throw projection, integrated iphone/ipod doc, a multitude of connections and an external 3hour battery pack.  Unfortunately the extra battery pack does double the size of the projector, but it is still a nifty thing to have.

The GP2 also features 200 lumens led light engine with 2 2w stereo speakers.  With its WXGA(1280×800) resolution it can be be a great viewing device.  You can now get the this micro projector for $549

iPhone projector, or standalone pico projector, we have the answer

Right now there are three main pico projectors made specifically for the iPhone.  There is the Brookstone iPhone case which is the newest one getting all the buzz for the holiday season. The mili Pro v2.0 has been around for quite a while but never seemed to catch on because of the giant price tag.  The is also the Thanko pico projector attachment just connects to the bottom of any iPod, iPhone, or iPad.

Brookstone iPhone case/projector/battery pack

$229.99,

15 lumen,

64×360 native display

.5w speaker

2100mAh battery with ability to power iPhone

Mili Pro v2.0, iPhone, iPad, iPod Video Projector

$398.99

10 lumen

native 640×480 resolution

integrated speakers

Thanko iPhone, iPad, iPod Video Projector

$202

10 lumen

320×240 resolution

Analysis

From looking at all three, I’d have to say that the Brookstone projector probably gives you the most bang for the bug.  With its recharging ability it won’t put a drain on your iPhone.  One MAJOR flaw I did notice is that headphone jack is placed right above the projectors lens.  If you wanted to put in some headphones and watch some videos , you might have some problems.

Main problems

The other main problem I have with these projectors is the lumens.  With 10 and 12 lumens you will need very dim ambient light to get good images.  You can get a standalone 10 lumen pico projector like the aaxa p1 jr for 100 bucks and it can hook up to iPhones through its a/v jack.  The don’t think being made specifically for apple devices constitutes the dramatic increase in price.

Solution: get a stand alone pico projector

There are plenty of 50-80 lumen projectors available in the $200-$300 dollar price range.  We had the chance to test the AAXA p4 and we love the 80 lumens that it has.  For $339 we think its well worth the price over any of these specifically tailored iPhone projectors.

Luidia’s eBeam Edge interactive whiteboards with projectors
We love news of projector technology being mixed with others types of interactive media.  Disney is working on their version, microsoft is working on their omnitouch, and now Luidia has an interactive whiteboard.

The device can be attached to a wall and plug in a usb cable and you are ready.  There are also BlueTooth versions which would let you not need that usb cable.

Pair this system with a micro projector or even a pico projector since they are getting brighter and you have an interactive whiteboard solution.  With the stylus you can choose from a palette of controls to change colors, line sizes and other features.

With the ebeam hardware being small and portable, it would be easy to put all your essential tools in a small bag and carry it from classroom to class room.

Seeser pico projector powered by android

ESPlus has recently introduced their new Seeser projector which offers 25 lumens.  It is capable of projecting image up to 100″ at a resolution of 800×600.   With a 1Ghz processor running Froyo and an sd card slot on the side, this projector can run alone without being hooked up to external devices.  Unfortunately there is no access to the android market.  There is no price on this unit yet but we can only hope its not too high.