- Image is always in focus - you never, ever have to adjust focus
- Rich and vivid laser colors amplify your photos, movies and more
- High resolution (WVGA 848x480), Widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio
- Made for Apple iPod - works with various other devices with video out capabilities
The image quality is good given the size of the device and the brightness set to its highest value is sufficient. The projector suffers from severe pincushion distortions, and there's no way to correct for this via any of the limited menu settings, which is quite surprising. There's also no keystone adjustment, or any other image geometry adjustment for that matter. This includes the size of the image. When other reviewers say that the size can be adjusted, that simply means that you can increase or decrease the distance to the screen to change the image size, since the projection opening angle is fixed. Somewhat annoying, but not a deal breaker.
While we are at missing features, the device doesn't have a threaded hole to attach it to a tripod or any other means of attaching it to anything. This wouldn't be so bad if the device wasn't that lightweight due to the plastic housing (which could be considered a plus, but it feels cheap) and came with a very short and stiff iPod connector cable. The moment you reposition the iPod / iPad, the projector will move; there aren't even rubberized feet underneath the device. Clearly, not too much thought was put into this. According to the Microvision website, the VGA connector comes with a threaded hole for tripod mounting. I would have hoped that there was some sort of mounting plate available as an accessory to mount the actual projector as well. Right now, I'd recommend using a universal iPod / iPhone car mount.
The really bad part is, as somewhat feared, the battery life. Set to the highest brightness (there are 3 brightness settings) and standard color mode, one gets about 60 minutes out of a fully charged battery. That's not enough to watch a full-length movie, obviously, and we are considering returning the device for this reason. Yes, you could plug the device into the wall or buy an extra ($30) battery, but that takes away some of the ultra portability. We'll test it once more on the next lower setting to see if we can make it through a 90 minute movie. If not, the device goes back. The specs claim up to 120 minutes of battery life ... maybe when you display an image of a black panther at night;-)
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Update: We tested the battery life on the next lower brightness setting and still only got 60 minutes of continuous play out of a fully charged battery. We'll try to return the product.
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One reviewer pointed out that since the device uses lasers to operate instead of an incandescent bulb, he would never ever have to replace a bulb again. Well, true, but lasers do have a MTBF as well, and there's no way to replace them in this unit. I wouldn't count the absence of a replacement option as a plus.
Just our two cents. Think about the money you are about to spend and whether you really need such a portable device. Laser projectors are certainly the future, but maybe there needs to be some more competition to perfect the product.
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Update: We just found out that the seller, DBROTH, doesn't accept any open-box returns unless the device is DOA. Our bad about not looking into the non-existent return policy. I wouldn't recommend purchasing from DBROTH.
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Buy MicroVision SHOWWX+ Laser Pocket Projector Now
I received this projector for Christmas and I am utterly blown away. The disclaimer is that I have long been a fan of projectors and we have the excellent Panasonic PT-AE700U, a spectacular home projector which was incredibly well-received when it debuted a few years back.That said, I did not expect anything too remarkable from something 1/4 the price of my home projector and 1/20th the size... but, boy was I wrong!
A few things about this unit:
First, it's about the size of an iPhone and that includes the battery. This is absolutely incredible and showing it to people, they say: "Where's the rest of it?!"
Second, unlike my home theater projector, this uses laser technology so it is always in perfect focus. Let me repeat that: IT IS ALWAYS IN PERFECT FOCUS. This is mind-numbingly cool and is a game-changer in and of itself! Focus is one of those things that you fiddle with almost every time you start the projector, but here it is always perfect. Amazing!
Next, because of the lasers, there are no bulbs to burn out--an expensive and annoying feature of traditional projectors.
So, in theory, this is an astounding piece of technology, but what about the image quality? Well, I am delighted to report that it is superb! Crisp, clear, with eye-popping colors and very good resolution. It also fortunately looks great with video, with a rapid response that really looks perfect.
What are the negatives?
Well there are two: the first is that it is bright but could be brighter. In a dark room, it looks amazing, even projecting to over 100 inches on the ceiling! But if there is some ambient light, it gets faded fast at larger sizes. That said, keeping a small and concentrated image--say 30 or 40 inches, it looks pretty great and would be a much better way to show photos, videos or slides than on your phone or even iPad.
The second is that the resolution is really good, but not quite as sharp as a home projector. Given the source material (phones and even iPads), however, this works out well.
I am thinking that this is the direction things will go. With low prices like these already, and with increasing brightness each iteration, I am wondering when these will replace LCD and Plasma TVs--I think it really is just a matter of time. For now, this is an incredible unit for anyone who needs to present to small groups on the go: sales folks, executives, and even teachers for smaller groups. For just a few hundred dollars, you are a totally self-contained AV service. This is going to make a very big splash, I think.
Read Best Reviews of MicroVision SHOWWX+ Laser Pocket Projector Here
Pretty happy with this upgraded version. Using this toy mainly for watching streaming video movies from Netflix. Good for up to 40 in. on the wall in semi-dark env. Linked via s-video from laptop to composite video on the projector. Bought an s-video to rca convertor.Pros:
-ultra compact
-adjustable image size and color
-always in focus
-no noise
Cons:
-poor for viewing text (almost can not view any words in MS Word doc from VGA docking to laptop)
Looking forward for HD and brighter laser pico projector in the future.
Want MicroVision SHOWWX+ Laser Pocket Projector Discount?
I just purchased a ShowWx+ from Amazon for $199 a spectacular price break, particularly compared to the ShowWx I bought last March from a European retailer for $630. I was excited about the technology and couldn't wait to get my hands on one, so $630 was worth it to me.I wasn't disaappointed vivid colors, infinite focus, small, lightweight portability the ShowWx is an absolute revolution in display technology. And it never ceases to amaze those I show it to. They cannot believe such a stunning picture can be produced by such a small device. I have literally stopped traffic at night with 30-foot diagonal videos on the side of my house.
So I was more than willing to pay $199 for an "improved" version of the ShowWx. The plus model boasts 15 lumens output (versus 10 lumens for the original Show), and I was anxious to see the difference. So I lined up my Shows side-by-side in a dark room in my basement and hooked them up to iPods containing the same music video. I then tried (and failed, somewhat) to run the videos simultaneously. I made a video of the experiment, but since they won't allow me to post a link to YouTube here, if you wish to see it, just go to YouTube to my channel, "hendersonbay1" and it's the only video on there. It's about 5 minutes.
Quickly, the limitations of both the ShowWx and the Plus model are about the same. They perform best in darkness or very low light, and the battery life is limited to 90 100 minutes not plugged into a wall outlet or USB port. I noticed other reviewers complaining about not being able to display the menus or screens on their iPhones or iPads, but that is because Apple has locked their devices so as to prevent them from using alternate displays. If you "jailbreak" your Apple devices, this limitation goes away. But videos or pictures on Apple devices look great via the Show.
Putting the ShowWx and the ShowWx side by side, I can say that the colors and picture overall from the Plus model are better richer colors and color contrast. What I can't say is DRAMATICALLY better, because the picture on the original ShowWx is so good. But it is an improvement. If you take the time to view the video I posted, you should understand that the difference on the video was somewhat more dramatic than the difference I noticed in person. I'm sure there's a technical reason for this, but I don't know what it is.
In any case, the pictures from both Shows were spectacular. I had the projectors 63 inches from the wall, which translates into an over five foot diagonal projection. The colors were rich and bright, the focus was flawless, and the "wow factor" was doubled with two 63-inch projections filling the wall.
I could go on for many more paragraphs about all the potentially fun and productive things you could do with a Show, but I'd start sounding like a salesman for Microvision (which I'm not). I think this technology is amazing and, if you've done your research and understand the limitations, you will not be disappointed in either the Show Wx or ShowWx+. It'll knock your socks off.
1. I understand this is a tiny projector with dim light but I was not expecting it to be useless in a normally lighted office. I tried to project in a room with blinds closes, one ceiling light and projecting it to a white wall about 4 feet away; can't see anything. I had to get closer than 2 feet to get a decent image.
2. The battery life is short, but I can connect the power cord so I don't rely on battery. The device can be powered by USB so you can connect it to a laptop USB port to power it while you're using the projector.
3. I purchased the VGA adapter. It works with my Sony and Alienware laptops. However I had to reduce the resolution to 800x600. It does not support anything higher. The problem with my Sony is my Sony is a mini P model with 16:9 screens. When I changed it to 800x600 made the Sony screen is tiny and difficult to operate, at the same time the projection turned to 16:9 ratio, so the image looks bad.
3. I connected it to an iPhone 4, iPod video and movie play well, but it does not project iPhone photos or Safari. I used an Altec Lansing iM-237 speaker, which works great with the iPhone and projector.
I purchased this projector as a carry in bag at all-time device for both personal entertainment and do quick demo of applications and internet to customers via iPhone/iPad/Laptop. I can deal with the dim light and the 800x600 resolution, but I was disappointed that I can't display applications, games or Safari from iPhone. I have not tried iPad yet and will test it tomorrow. I will also try the composite video cable to see if I can display photo and Safari from iPhone.
This is a beautiful piece of hardware and does one thing, play iTunes video from iPod/iPhone/iPad. The reason why it does not display Safari or games from iPhone 4 may be an Apple software issue, but unfortunately I was hoping for more than playing iPod video.
I am returning this and will try an Optoma PK301.
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