While sizable all-in-one projectors like the Aura are great for movie-watching at home, taking them into the wilds to provide entertainment at camp or even the yard can be a little awkward. This is where pico projectors tend to shine, and the latest to appear on our radar is the Tairona.
One of the main advantages of a pico projector is its portability. The Tairona from Taiwan’s Inaday’s team has pocket-friendly 112 x 112 x 28 mm (4.4 x 4.4 x 1.1 in) dimensions and weighs in at just 277 g (9.7 oz). This includes a 5,600-mAh Li-ion battery that’s reckoned good for an hour and a half of normal usage while out and about, or up to three hours in eco mode. And users could extend mobile up time by plugging in a portable power bank.
Of course, the DLP projection module and RGB LED here are no match for bigger beasts like the Aura mentioned earlier, but the designers reckon visuals at up to 120 diagonal inches are possible. However, a native resolution of just 854 x 480 pixels (with support for 4K input) and a light source rated at a mere 100 ANSI lumens will pretty much restrict viewing to after dark to a stretched bedsheet at camp or with indoor lights low while watching on the bedroom ceiling.
The Tairona comes with a built-in 1-W speaker plus a 3.5-mm audio jack for output to headphones or an external speaker – where users can take advantage of the inclusion of Dolby 5.1 sonics. It also runs Android 9.0 for access to thousands of entertainment apps (including Netflix and Disney Plus) via built-in dual-band Wi-Fi, and there’s support for Airplay and Miracast too. Cabled connection to media devices shapes up as HDMI (with support for Audio Return Channel) and USB.
Elsewhere, the pico projector has 8 GB of internal storage, features auto vertical and horizontal keystone correction for positioning flexibility, includes Bluetooth 5.1 and comes supplied with an airmouse remote with support for voice control.
Another advantage that pico projectors bring to the table (or tripod) is relatively low cost. Earlier this year, Inaday launched the first version of the Tairona projector on its home turf, and has now upgraded the design for the international market via Kickstarter.
As of writing, pledges for the already funded campaign start at JPY 55,860 (about US$385), and the company is guaranteeing November shipping while reporting that production has already started – though all of the usual crowdfunding caveats apply.
Pocket-friendly pico projector makes for movie-watching flexibility [New Atlas]