Childhood memories are still fresh in my mind when I along with my two brothers used to be sent away from the heat of Delhi every summer to the cool confines of the hill districts of then undivided Uttar Pradesh. We used to visit our uncle, a doctor by profession and posted as the chief medical officer of some of the districts back in the eighties. A considerable part of his job involved disseminating information on State government health programmes?as short audio-visual documentaries in between Hindi films?among the hill people by means of a rickety old projector, which had a mind of its own and to say that it was highly unreliable would be an understatement. Crowds hated it and used to slap it every now and then when it used to turn itself off.
That was then. Nowadays, projectors come in very a elegant design, are extremely smart and portable and packed with highly advanced technologies. The Joybee GP2 projector from Taiwanese technology group BenQ is a case in point. BenQ is a leading brand in projectors and its new offering is a true mobile entertainer. Based on my experience, I would say it is the right device for a big screen experience on the go.
Light and compact at a mere 565 grams, Joybee GP2 is a product that can be used while you are off for a vacation, organising a party at your home or even at your office boardroom presentations by connecting it to Apple iPads, iPhone and other tablets via high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). It is an all-in-one pocket device that can serve both business as well as personal entertainment purpose.
Our review unit came to us neatly packed in a sturdy box. Styled with the signature black and white design, this palm-sized device leads the category with a number of upgraded features, including an all-in-one iPhone/iPod-compatible dock, an optional battery pack, short-throw projection, unparalleled multimedia connectivity and two 2W stereo speakers.
Unwrapping the package, I found an ultra portable mini projector designed for on-the-go audiovisual entertainment. The first thing I did was to plug my iPhone into the projector’s iPhone/iPod-compatible dock to play videos and watch family photographs. In the absence of a white projector screen, I simply aimed the projector at my drawing wall and big-picture entertainment came alive. Boasting a high contrast ratio of 2400:1 and 200 ANSI lumen brightness, the GP2 gives you ultra-refined colour definition with sharper text.
This palm-sized device is built around a DLP chip along with an LED light source meant to last for the life of the projector. Powered by BenQ?s 3LED projection technology, the GP2 utilises RGB LEDs as the light source to bring you crisp, clear cinematic picture quality with optimised brightness, contrast ratio, native resolution and NTSC colour gamut.
The projector?s multifunctional dock is uniquely designed to simultaneously charge up your Apple device, so you?ll never run out of fun. The GP2 also supports other smartphones, tablets and media players. When running at 100 ANSI lumen brightness on a fully charged battery, the GP2 can give you three hours of mobile cinema fun. Thanks to the 3LED technology, this mini projector can project for 30,000 hours without decrease in brightness when in the Eco Mode. That?s more than ten years of big-screen entertainment?if you use it for eight hours a day!
Unlike traditional projectors, the GP2 is styled up with a user interface that brings together navigation elements from popular multimedia devices that you are already familiar with and thoughtful features to keep up with your on-the-go lifestyle. The sleek and stylish device is perfect to carry around town?whether it?s for house parties, camping expeditions or for traveling abroad.
The GP2 connects to your everyday home entertainment and personal media devices with a simple plug and play. With this projector, you won?t need a D-sub cable! Connect it to your computer using a USB cable instead. Plug and transfer your multimedia files to the 2 GB internal storage to travel light. That?s not all. This mini projector is packed with two quality built-in 2W speakers, so you can leave your speakers at home.
The GP2 is also your personal speaker system. Simply have the device in the Standby mode to listen to your favourite tunes day in and day out. The GP2 supports a variety of multimedia formats ranging from videos, photos and music to MS Office and PDF documents.
All in all, this BenQ innovation has been designed with thoughtful features to keep up with your on-the-go lifestyle. It is a long-lasting all-purpose mini projector and provides good performance, yet it won?t break the bank.
My verdict: GP2 is a perfect answer for the collaborative needs of professionals as well as individuals.
SPECS
Dimensions: 140.3 x 52.5 x 129.8 mm (W x H x D)
Native resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800)
Brightness: 200 ANSI Lumens
Contrast ratio: 2400:1
Colour: 1.07 billion colours
Lens: F =1.93, f=26.95 mm
16:9 aspect ratio: Native 16:10 (5 aspect ratio selectable)
Resolution support: VGA (640 x 480) to UXGA (1600 x 1200)
Image size (diagonal): 20-160 inch
Estimated street price: R39,167
