We’re excited about pico projectors here at CG, but the first wave of them has been somewhat underwhelming. Optoma, 3M and Dell have the right idea, but image quality just isn’t up to par yet (the new 3M one might change that, though.. On the other hand, mini-projectors are a perfectly good option if you’ve got a decent surface to project on. Peter liked the Joybee, and this new one from Viewsonic looks like a competitor, though it isn’t quite as small. The idea, I think, is “portable” but not “pocketable.” Where are you going to go, after all, that you need a projector but can’t take a backpack?

The PJD2121 has 400 lumens and an 1800:1 contrast ratio, which is perfectly solid and good enough for using in your apartment with the blinds down. Lacking some of the features of the Joybee, it’s meant for a more traditional projector role, but it’s still very portable. At about 8″x5″x2″, it’s almost exactly the size of my copy of Tale of Genji — a thick but not oversize hardcover. At $450 it’s cheaper than full-size projectors, but still not quite an impulse buy.

I’ll be checking this one out, so you’ll know soon whether the brightness and simplicity is a good trade-off for smaller size and (semi-functional) extra features of the Joybee.