By: S. Jacobs "eyegor"

S. Jacobs "eyegor" — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:01:09 +0000

Nice for sharing videos with friends I had my doubts when I first saw this projector. I didn’t expect much from something so small, but I was pleasantly surprised by the image and the ease of use.The phone slides into the sleeve snugly, which means it must be removed from its case first. The controls are simple and easy to figure out. I would have liked to see a set of small speakers, but the channel built into the bottom of the case directs the sound from the iPhone’s internal speakers and they’re audible, but a bit tinny sounding.In a darkened room, the projector’s image looks fine up to a distance of 10 feet or so. Beyond that, it begins washing out a bit which isn’t surprising given how small this unit is. The Projector Sleeve gets fairly warm while operating for more than a few minutes, but didn’t seem affected by the heat at all.I used the Sleeve with several video apps and had good success with all. I was a bit disappointed that it couldn’t project the iPhone screen, but that’s a very minor nit. My kids loved dragging the Projector Sleeve around the house and watching movies.Please note: The 3M Projector Sleeve is for iPhone 4/4S ONLY. After evaluating it with an iPhone 4 and 4S, I tried it with my iPhone 5 and the 30 pin to lightening adapter with no success at all. The iPhone 5 adapter doesn’t seem to provide any sort of video out at least with the current cable. Since this is a Projector Sleeve for the iPhone 4/4S, incompatibility with iPhone 5 is a non-issue.

By: John W. Graham

John W. Graham — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:55:02 +0000

Good for a limited type of usage I got the 3M Projector Sleeve for my iPhone 4S. This thing is marketed as something you can slip into the back pocket of your skinny-jeans and reveal it at an opportune moment to become the envied owner of the coolest gadget ever, sharing viral videos, doing a slideshow of your photos and projecting a blockbuster movie in a darkened room. But wait, there’s more! It even charges your phone. Sarcasm aside, it does do all of those things.I first hesitated when reading the brightness level of “35 ANSI lumens.” Given that most business level conference room 4:3 projectors weigh in between 2500 and 4500 lumens, 35 sounded awfully low. Scaling and contrast ratios mean a lot when viewing content in the context of a home theatre. So how does the PS4100 compare? In a darkened bedroom, projecting against an unobstructed wall, it displays movies and pics pretty good. Not so good in a conference room full of stuffed shirts.For a business traveler or someone who jumps here and there to do presentations to small groups, this probably isn’t the device for you. In fact, the would be a better choice for road warriors. For playing back a video to a group of friends gathered in the living room, this is pretty cool and appropriate.I also tested this device on an iPod Touch and used it to play back a movie, from a distance of 8 feet against a white wall. Playback was flawless. You do get about 60-90 minutes on a full charge depending on which projection mode is used. I use it with the charging cable plugged in. I expect that number to decline as the projector ages.The big dilemma I have in recommending this product is whether it provides any value beyond what you’d get with an iPad or a slim notebook. I really don’t find myself using it that much. However, I did use it after a Thanksgiving dinner to display some pics to gathered family. In that capacity, using it was successful. But I typically just use my iPod Touch and the Apple video cable with my HDTV to watch movies. Bottom line…yes, there is a cool gadget factor associated with this device. I’m not skinny enough to wear skinny jeans and even if I did I wouldn’t put an iPhone 4S with this thing connected to it in my back pocket. But for a casual gatherings and the ability to quickly throw content against a surface this does its job.

Comments on: 3M Projector Sleeve for iPhone 4/4S (PS4100)

By: S. Jacobs "eyegor"

By: John W. Graham