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Cinemin Swivel Pico Projector

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Cinemin Swivel Pico Projector - What is a Pico Anyway?

Cinemin Mini Pico Projector to the rescue. Do you remember when you had to lug those big projectors around for each PowerPoint for your business. When you were done you then had to let them cool down for ever. Those machines also cost your company thousands of dollars, so you were terribley paronoid about using them in case something happened on your watch. Those days are over.

While we use our Cinemin Swivel with our iPhone and iPod it is not just for those devices. You will find that it comes with a 3.5mm AV cable and a composite video cable. It works with other video sources and is pretty easy and straight -- you literally plug and play. I envision that people will be using this pico projector with cameras and camcorders. Since we are in the era of HD the current new models will only be for showing off mostly. The resolution currently is pretty low and so is mostly good for quick playbacks and not so much top notch presentations. But I feel that over time this will change as it has with most new technology that has a place in the market space.

These are so new that may you have or maybe you have not heard of these new tiny projectors. They go by various names, the most commonly used are Pico Projectors, Mini Projectors, Pocket Projectors and LED Projectors.

Cinemin Swivel Pico Projector

Mini Projector That Fits In Your Pocket Ready For Fun

Take projection out of the boardrooms and put it literally in the palm of your hand with the Cinemin Swivel Multimedia Pico Projector by WowWee. This pocket-size projector features Texas Instruments' DLP projection technology and a unique 90-degree hinge that allows you to project onto virtually any surface. Use it to connect to a wide variety of handheld devices--such as the iPod, iPhone, and Flip Video--so that you can project your videos, photos, and more with anyone, at any time.

Made for iPod and Other Popular Devices
The Cinemin Swivel can be used with your favorite portable media players, including the iPod, iPhone, Flip Video, PSP, digital cameras, portable DVD players, netbooks, and smartphones with video-out functionality. Just connect your device to the Swivels' easy-to-access AV-in jack, and you're ready to project. And with its unique, mid-body 90-degree hinge, the Swivel can project on any surface you can image, such as the ceiling, walls, and floor, without a tripod or prop.

Ultra-clear, High Contrast Picture
Featuring Texas Instruments' DLP projection technology, the Cinemin Swivel produces remarkably clear, high contrast pictures with a resolution of 480 x 320 (HVGA). In a dimly lit environment, the Swivel can project a crisp 60-inch image from over eight feet away, or from the floor to the ceiling in a typical room.

Cinemin Swivel Multimedia Pico Projector

Amazon Price: $165.54 (as of 02/16/2012)
List Price: $349.99

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty cool little gadget, November 6, 2009

This is really an impressive little gadget. Quite easy to use, just plug it in to charge, turn it on and attach a device. I attached my iPhone and watched videos through iTunes and YouTube quite easily. On a wall, on a ceiling. There really needs to be very little ambient lighting though. But when it's dark, really a pretty sharp picture for the size of the thing and its resolution. And I was especially impressed by the sound given the tiny size of the speaker.

My only complaint is a lack of documentation. The box came with a "quick start guide" which told you very little beyond how to charge it and a couple of other notes and one "sample" configuration. That's it, and there doesn't seem to be any more documentation online. But given how relatively easy to use it is, this is a minor quibble.

A Pico By Any Other Name...

Why They Are Called Pico

While these mini projectors are tiny, the term Pico is really a misnomer, as "pico" when used scientifically is something representing "one trillionth" of something. So by way of an example you might say, if you were a scientist of course, since real people don't speak this way, that a pico second is one trillionth of a second. A more common and alternative definition that makes more sense in this usage case is referring to something that is "very small". So if you run across this term you can now be a smarty pants and tell everyone that the term Pico is not really accurate and why that is, however it does seem to be the term that the manufacturers and press are using for these projectors.

At 5x3x8.5 inches and around 6.4, I would consider the Cinemin Pico Swivel to be a mini or pocket projector because that is how people really speak. I also think that it truely fits as a better definition. Most of these pico projectors are marketed as fitting in a shirt pocket but I think the term pocket projector would be confused with pocket protector, don't you?

lso there are some of these pico projectors, like the Microvision Show WX, that does not use an LED light source. It uses a laser light source instead. One superior function of the Laser light will be that you will not need to focus your projector. As with any new technology, expect to pay more, some where around $400 and $500.)

So by pointing out this issue that both large and small projectors currently use LED light we should adopt the term Pico or mini, or micro Projector to avoid confustion. While it is not optimal, it is catching on as the markets standard term to describe these projectors