Hands-on with 3M's micro projector

John Chan | Oct 21, 2008

(Credit: 3M)

The idea of having a projector that fits in the palm of your hands has been floating around for ages. There have been prototypes shown off by various companies but it looks like 3M has beaten everyone (i.e. mainstream technology companies--there are micro projectors from lesser-known Asian OEMs) to the chase with a real commercial product, the MPro110. Representatives from the company gave us a demo of the product. Here are our thoughts.

The MPro110 is, indeed, compact. With dimensions of 115 x 50 x 22mm, it's about the same size as a large PDA-phone and just as light at 160g. Operating the projector is incredibly simple--it has just one power switch and a focusing dial. Unlike regular projectors, there are no settings to speak of, so don't expect to be able to adjust keystone correction, brightness, contrast and so on. For it to work, just connect the video cable, turn the projector on and get the image focused. On the base of the MPro110 is a standard tripod socket so you can use a mini tripod to elevate the device.

Another similarity with a mobile phone is the power source. It has a 1,050mAh lithium-ion battery which is found behind the cover on the back. This gives about 45 to 60 minutes of use and can be fully charged in about an hour. As with most handsets, you can buy an extra battery if needed. For longer presentations, you can also use the MPro110 plugged into a wall socket with the power adapter.

Provided with the projector are two video cables for connecting to either a computer's VGA output or a video source's composite video-out port. Image-quality wise, well, don't expect to be blown away. According to 3M's Web site, the MPro110 produces about 7 lumens of brightness. This means you can use it in daylight to project a 5-inch image or up to a 50-inch display in a darkened room. We watched a few videos fed off a laptop and later an iPhone, and found colors to be slightly subdued compared to the source's own LCD displays. Motion was smooth and jitter-free--it isn't quite videophile quality but is definitely good enough to enjoy short clips or MTVs without getting a headache.

The video projection technology used in the MPro110 is LCoS and the light source is an LED. While this LED cannot be replaced, it does have a very long life compared to regular projector bulbs, so that isn't an issue. Aside from using it in the MPro110, 3M will also be licensing the technology out to other companies so this can be integrated into other consumer products like notebooks, mobile phones and so on. The MPro110 isn't a one-off thing, either. 3M is looking into producing more of such projectors with improved specifications, though it wasn't able to provide more details on the timeline.

If you find yourself having to make presentations at very short notice to small groups of people or just like to share videos and photos during gatherings, this might be the tool for you. It has already shipped in the US and will be launched in most Asia-Pacific countries before the end of the year. Check with your local 3M office for an exact date. In Singapore, it will go on sale starting December 1 at S$540.

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