Pocket projectors from 3M and others make it easy and fun to share your photos and videos. Just hook up your laptop, or even your smartphone or tablet, and project away -- on a handy wall or even on the ceiling (see earlier post).
These handheld projectors don't have the full brightness and large image size of full-size units, but they work fine for smaller groups, even with normal lighting. Some now also have wireless connections, or have built-in memory so you can store your clips or presentations or even documents, and project them directly without needing any other source device.
Even better, as the required electronics gets smaller, we'll see them built in to devices such as camcorders (as with the Sony HDR-PJ series) and digital cameras (such as the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj).
Or, you can build a projector into a smartphone case, as with the 3M Projector Sleeve for iPhone 4/4S.
This is a DLP projector that's about the same size and weight as the iPhone.
Just slide in your phone to dock with the integrated connector. Then use the iPhone Photos app to play videos or photo slideshows.
The Projector Sleeve displays a 640 x 480 resolution image at 10 to 60 inches (diagonal), with LED light up to 35 lumens.
Use the focus wheel to sharpen the image. There's also a Scene Mode switch to select Cinema (enhance color), Web (enhance text), or Eco mode (decrease brightness for power saving).
The battery charges through a miniUSB port in about 4 hours, and runs for 100 minutes. You even can use the sleeve as an auxiliary battery for your iPhone by pressing the iPhone Charging Mode button.
The 3M Projector Sleeve is available for $229. It's an easy way to share all those fun photos and videos that you have stored on your phone.
See my Holiday Gadgets 2012 coverage of Portable Accessories for more imaging devices and other useful and fun ideas.
Find the 3M Projector Sleeve for iPhone on Amazon.com