Pico Projectors - how to overcome your iPod's video drawbacks

I just read that a new class of projectors, called Pico Projectors, are poised to hit the market in the next few months. Microvision, based in Redmond, Washington, is slated to release a digital projector that will be just a bit larger than an iPod Classic (small enough to fit in a shirt pocket), and will allow video to be projected on just about any surface, up to six feet in size.

What an awesome idea! They are also working on a series of even smaller projectors that are small enough that they could actually be embedded in devices like audio/video players and cell phones. The company's Pico Projector (seen above), code named "More", is supposed to retail in the $300-$400 range and will be available in late 2008.

Sign me up! Imagine plugging your iPod into one of these beauties, and projecting your own movie on the back of the seat in front of you on an airplane. And if you can plug it into a laptop, and project presentations, there is even a business use for it--I can't tell you how many times I've traveled to a customer location and they were supposed to have a projector, and didn't--and it's pretty hard to show a decent PowerPoint presentation on a laptop screen with 8 people peeking over your shoulder!