Product Review: Aiptek Pocket Cinema V10 Cheap Pico Projector

Aiptek has made a name for itself as being the company that offers modern technology for a price well below the competition. This trend started with the release of the popular Aiptek A-HD pocket digital camera, and has continued with their lines of pocket and pen cameras and camcorders, and now with Aiptek's first pico projector, the Pocket Cinema V10.

If you're in the marketed for an inexpensive-yet-quality pico projector, read on to find out if the Aiptek Pocket Cinema V10 is for you.

Features

The Pocket Cinema is battery powered and can be charged via a USB cable. The device has an internal flash drive that is 1GB in capacity, which is scarcely big enough to hold a single movie, and can be expanded up to 8GB with a microSD card. The device is only rated at 10 lumens, which isn't very bright at all. The image can be scaled up to 50 inches, but the higher you go, the dimmer the image gets, until it is so dim that you can't see it unless the room is dark. The battery lasts 60 - 70 minutes on a charge, which makes it only viable for short videos and TV shows while running off battery power; you can run the device from a wall charger while using it, and can charge from a USB, but not while watching anything.

Supported photos are JPEG, music is MP3, and videos are MP4. The device comes with a special converter to convert videos into the specific format.

Image Quality

Poor when compared to normal projectors; acceptable for a pico projector, though it poor for the price. For a device that is a novelty, the $300 is a bit high, especially given the poor video quality.

Conclusion

For most people, this gadget is a novelty. You can play your videos on the wall, on the ceiling, or on your foot, and that makes it cool, though not very practical. If you're looking for a pico projector to play with, and to maybe use legitimately on occasional, the Aiptek's Pocket Cinema is the perfect blend of function and price.