Wireless projectors get a new image

Technofile: If you are like me and once in a while had to do a talk or presentation, sometimes even in the dreaded Powerpoint, the potential for being embarrassed by your technology is immense.

For starters, there's your laptop. As much as you cosset it, enfold it, give it your every attention and, even on occasion, give it a spring clean and a makeover, it has an invariable tendency to cause problems during presentations.

Not only will it not engage with the very amiable video projector you have tried plugging it into (is there such as thing as snobbery between electronic devices?) but even once displayed, working out how to focus the image can try even the most patient.

But video projectors are a necessary evil in today's image conscious business world. Have you ever tried showing a presentation on a laptop to a football-pitched sized boardroom? I rest my case.

Coming to the rescue are two products that might help.

The first is Sony's new range of smart Front Projectors. The range extends across the business market and even has a home entertainment version.

The rather anonymously- named Sony VPL-CX75, VPL-CX70, VPL-CS7 and VPL-ES2 come fairly packed with features such as automatic set-up, but of particular interest is the Air Shot wireless transmission technology. I tried out the VPL-CX75, which is designed for business and education users who also have to be mobile.

In plain English, the Air Shot technology is another way of saying the projector uses the common 802.11b wireless standard, often known as Wi-Fi. This means you can put a wireless LAN card into the projector, fire up the Wi-Fi card on your PC and the projector and computer recognise one another and automatically display the image.

And if you really want to impress those clients, you can transmit the image on the PC to more than one projector using the wireless feature.

Thus several users can control a presentation without changing cables, or moving around the room.

Unfortunately, it's bad luck if you have a Mac, as Sony has yet to support it with the projector. The VPL-CX75 is available from Sony electrical stores and online, priced around €2,400.

However, if you seriously want to show off, then why not bring your own projector in a tiny portable bag?

I was amazed by the compact size of the new NEC LT10 projector (priced around €1,790). Weighing in at a highly portable 0.95 kg or 2.1lbs, the projector packed a big punch from such a small device, easily projecting a large, clear image onto my office wall with its Carl Zeiss lens.

Not only that, but I connected both PC and Mac and the projector performed perfectly well with both machines. And like the Sony, it also comes with a tiny remote control.

As the NEC was substantially smaller than the more normal sized Sony, I would be tempted by both the NEC's portability and its size, despite the former's wireless feature.

So next time you are faced with a presentation, it may be worth investing in a projector to wow potential clients into winning their business. Failing that, sit back and project a DVD movie onto the wall instead.

Mike Butcher edits mbites.com