A projector that can fit in your pocket, Toshiba's $699 TDP-FF1AU presentation package offers mobile users the ultimate in portability. You can use the palm-size projector and bundled screen almost anywhere, without being tethered to a power source or a PC.
I took the shipping version of the TDP-FF1AU for a spin, and was impressed by its versatility given its diminutive size. This tiny projector weighs a scant 1.1 pounds (1.7 pounds with the battery pack), and measures just 5.5 by 2.2 by 4.0 inches. The unit uses Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing technology and LED-based bulbs to project native SVGA-resolution (800-by-600) images.
The TDP-FF1AU's main limitation is its moderate brightness, just 400 lux (an industry measurement of light output, far less than the lumens measure used to gauge brightness on traditional projectors). Its relatively low brightness requires a fully darkened room for viewers to clearly see anything larger than projections on a 2-foot-diagonal display. Performance improves, however, when you use the unit in tandem with the bundled, 23-inch folding projection screen, which has a highly reflective material that maximizes the brightness level. With the screen, the projector can display easily viewable images for small audiences of two or three people, even with ambient daylight in the room.
In my tests of the projector with both a laptop PC and a DVD player, its image quality with the small bundled screen was very good, displaying sharp text images and colorful graphics. Tested with a 5-foot-diagonal screen, the projector's color and contrast were too washed out during daylight hours. In a darkened room at night, seeing the projected images was much easier.
The TDP-FF1AU comes bundled with a rechargeable battery pack (good for about 2 hours), and it has a USB 2.0 port that can read PowerPoint slides and other image files stored on a USB flash memory drive. It also has standard power, VGA, and composite video inputs, and comes with a carrying case for all of the components.
The TDP-FF1AU package is good for one-on-one sales demos or personal presentations in an office cubicle or small meeting room. But for displaying bigger images to larger audiences in rooms with ambient light, a standard-size, more versatile SVGA portable that weighs a few pounds more than the Toshiba can deliver brighter, sharper images for the same price--or less.
Richard Jantz