Sometimes, the phone in your pocket just isn’t big enough to view images or movies on, and while you could always use a tablet, why do that when there’s a perfectly good wall?
If you have a wall free and you’re somewhere where you won’t bother anyone else — seriously, don’t do this on a train, people — Acer has a solution, and it comes in the form of a pocket projector called the C205.
Based inside a little box, the pocket projector sends out an image that isn’t as bright as your home projector, but will provide 200 ANSI lumens, taking advantage of an LED that can last 20,000 hours in its standard mode, and up to 30,000 hours in its green 30 percent power eco-mode.
We’re checking with Acer to find out what happens when the life is up for the projector bulb, because while you can replace regular projector bulbs, we can’t imagine this one will make it that easy for customers. That said, we’re checking, because while 20,o00 hours is a little over two years of constant use, we can imagine some people who would want to fix their tiny projector, rather than buy a new one altogether.
Outside of this, though, you’ll find a battery is built into the C205, allowing the projector to last up to two hours without being plugged into a wall, while devices like phones, tablets, and even video game systems can talk to the projector through the MHL-compatible HDMI port.
While it’s not quite a pico projector, it is still fairly light weighing 300 grams, and with a size that should make it suitable for most backpacks.
The Acer C205 can be found in stores now, with a recommended retail price of $499.
UPDATE (June 6): We have more information on the Acer C205, for those curious. First, the maximum resolution is 1280×800 (technically the 16:10 equivalent of 720p), it can project a maximum size of 100 inches, and no the LED bulb is not replaceable (sad face), so when that dies you’ll have to pony up for another projector.
