It's quite amazing how sort the development cycle for new and innovative products is in this day and age.  It was not that long ago we first saw 'Pocket Projectors' being displayed at Consumer Electronics Shows around the world.

Over the weekend just gone, I was fortunate enough to trial a DigiShow portable Projector.

At just 6 x 11cm in size, and weighing a tiny 140grams including the internal battery, this really is a pocket device.

Once charged, the internal battery will last around 2 hours, which is enough for a movie I guess, however it certainly can be used while charging.

The unit receives it's picture through a small mini-jack connection.  It comes with a couple of key cables, one which takes a similar Mini-Jack outlet from any device with a mini-jack output.  It also comes with an RCA conversion cable, allowing you to connect those familiar Yellow, Red and White cables from most Audio/Visual equipment into the projector.

And yes, I said Audio - this little projector has built in speakers - Granted, I'm not talking Dolby Surround Sound, but it's certainly very useful.

To really take it to the next level, you can get adaptors which take the output of your iPod or Computer, which would be great for simple laptop presenations (Imagine carrying just a Netbook, and this projector - 1.1kg and you're doing presenations!).

I tried the iPod adaptor with my iPod, however unfortunately despite being a 'video' iPod, it just wasn't new enough. So that was a little disappointing.  That disappointment turned to amazement when I plugged in an iPhone.  Pressed play on a Movie and turned off the lights in the room, and bingo - this movie was being shown in glorious size on the wall, and the sound was excellent while seated next to the projector for viewing.  That won me right there.

At home, I wondered what device would be great to use to put it to the test.  Then I thought about my First Generation XBox which has sat in a box for over a year.  In my little office down in my garage, I cleared a space on the wall, and setup the projector on the other size of the room - around 3 meters away.

Powered up the Xbox connected to the DigiShow by the RCA converter and bingo - a 170cm picture.

Focus is performed on a small dial on the side of the DigiShow, which is quite difficult to fine-tune.  I don't think I ever got a perfect picture, however the gaming experience and similar movie viewing experience is fantastic.

Knowing the internal speaker won't be providing the ultimate in audio, I chose to use headphones while gaming and watching movies this provided the best experience I could muster.

At $399 this is a little pricey - however as an option for temporary projection this is a great little buy.  The iPod converter will cost you an extra $29.95 and the Laptop/PC converter an extra $49.95.

I was a little annoyed by not being able to get it working with my older generation iPod, and I would be a bit concerned about the unit over-heating if I kept on gaming for hours on end, using the power cable to keep it going.

Keep those things in mind, and check your device has the right outputs before buying.

The DigiShow is "Commercialised and sold" by Adelaide technology company Digislide, and is backed by a 12 month warranty.

A Christmas gift idea for that person who has everything perhaps?

Available online at http://www.digishow.com.au or at 'Strathfield' stores and other retailers.