What Ed does at conventions

Compaq's petite projector

With Ed Curran, Technogadgets

(CNN) -- If you're looking for a great way to light up the room when you walk in, I've got a suggestion that'll work everytime. Bring the Compaq Microportable Projector with you.

The Compaq MP2800 just became available and I got a look at it during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Small projectors for presentations have really improved over the past few years. The image quality has gone up and the size and weight of these projectors has come down.

For years, I've watched business people board flights I'm on and -- along with the garment bag and the computer case slung over their shoulder -- they've often had large hard-shell cases that housed heavy, cumbersome, expensive projectors that theyíd use for their client presentations.

QUICK VOTE
	Do you use a projector in your work? Yes, and something more portable would be great. Yes, but I rarely need to move around with it. Not right now, but I think the availability of portables like Compaq's make it more likely I'll use one. Nope, not something I need or will need in my work. View Results

They'd exhale loudly and, with a grunt, hurl the giant case into the overhead bin. This would often result in the destruction of $4 worth of plastic cups some 9-year-old was carrying back from six Flags Over Texas. The businessman would then sit down next to me and complain about his recent hernia operation.

The Compaq unit weighs in at a mere three pounds and is the world's smallest projector at only 118 cubic inches. That's about the size of the dayplanner you used to carry before you bought your Palm V. Its case is magnesium, which means it's lighter than aluminum and sturdier than plastic.

This tiny projector is ready to beam your next PowerPoint presentation from your notebook computer right onto the nearest screen, wall or ceiling. It uses the latest Texas Instruments DLP and Pixelworks technologies; it autosynchs with any PC; and it delivers a superbright picture.

We projected images onto the ceiling of the ballroom at the Bellagio Hotel and soon had everyone looking up to see what we were staring at. Itís a fun trick anyone can do about three days into a Las Vegas convention.

The price for these incredible units has also remained high but they're invaluable business tools. This little beauty from Compaq comes in at about 5,000 bucks.

The best thing is that it's also compatible with VCR, DVD and HDTV equipment. That means the smart professional brings the companyís Compaq projector home on weekends, so the family can show "Star Wars" on the side of the house and invite the neighborhood.

Ed Curran has covered the world of high-tech for more than a dozen years and is the publisher of Technogadgets® -- www.technogadgets.com In addition to his weekly column here at CNN.com/career, watch for Curran's reports on CNN television.

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Compaq Projectors

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