We love pocket-able gadgets, like our mobile phones, which is why when we laid eyes on the new BenQ Joybee GP1, we know we want it! We wouldn’t call it pico projector but a mini projector. It’s physically smaller than your standard sized projectors but nowhere near the size of a pico projector.
The design is simple – black top with white sides. Instead of the standard VGA and Composite ports, BenQ made a tiny propriety port that resembles Apple’s 30 pin iPod connector. A convertor plus AV cable (VGA + Composite) is bundled together with the projector. You have an option to buy an iPod dock or a component convertor from BenQ as well.
There is also a USB port behind the projector where you can plug in USB drives and play movies, music and even presentation files from Microsoft Powerpoint directly from it. We tried a few movies without reading the manual and none of them worked. We then pop the CD into our optical drive, read the manual and found out that it only supports MPEG files. BenQ bundled ArcSoft’s Media Converter 3.0 with the projector for you to convert the videos yourself.
We tested the projector at distance of about 7 feet away from the wall and we got a nice 60 inch screen. However, the projection was dark. We had to switch off all lights just to get a good picture. The 2W speaker built into the projector was really loud but don’t expect crisp audio quality from a low wattage speaker.
One thing we like about the GP1 is that it is switched off, unlike most projectors, the internal fan switches off. This means that you can pack the projector the moment you switch it off. However, it’s always good to let the lamp cool down before packing it up but sometimes, when you’re in a hurry, that 30 seconds “cooling” period will feel like 3 hours.
We like the BenQ Joybee GP1 for its size and also built in media player. However, supporting only one file format is a little disappointing. The instant off feature is great as well. Lets hope that BenQ will come up with a new model soon to address these problems.
Pros : Small size, Built in media player
Cons : Projection is darker than expected
BenQ Joybook GP1 Specifications :
Native Resolution : 858 x 600 (SVGA)
Brightness : 100 ANSI Lumens
Contrast Ratio : 2000:1
Aspect Ratio : 4:3 native, 16:9 selectable
Lamp : 3LED Technology
Dimensions (W x D x H) : 136 x 54 x 120mm
Weight : 640g
Popularity: 7% [?]
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