Monday, Nov. 03, 2008

Optoma Pico PK-101

Of all the gadgets on this list, this is the one that James Bond is most likely to carry. That is, it's the coolest gadget of the year. It's a pocket projector — meaning you plug the 4.1-inch gizmo into your iPod or iPhone, and it projects your movies on a wall, or even on the seat back in front of you on the plane. It displays images crisply on a surface as close as 8 inches away and as distant as 8 feet away, even in daylight. The super-bright Pico weighs 4 ounces and is smaller than many cell phones. Two cautionary notes: The sound output is dinky, so you'll want to use it with headphones, which makes it less fun for the whole family, or an external speaker, which makes it bulky. (Or, see the FoxL Bluetooth Speaker, at No. 5 on this list). And the rechargeable battery lasts 1.5 hours. Luckily, it ships with two. Price: $399