Review: General Imaging iPico PJ205

Those that follow Mini Projector Watch know that we love a great iPhone projector.

So when we saw the iPico PJ205 we jumped at the chance to review it.

We were surprised to see that it’s actually made by a subsidiary of General Electric called General Imaging.

We can only surmise that this is part of a broader experiment by the electronics giant to get into mini projectors and accessories.

Either way, we’re thrilled take a look at this little gem because it looks pretty awesome on the outside. Let’s jump in and take a look at the features…

General Imaging iPico PJ205 Features Overview

The iPico PJ205 by General Imaging is a mini projector made specifically for a purpose, to blow up your iPhone/iPod screen from a tiny 3″ to up to 50″.

“Gone are the days of friends and family crowding around a small 3″ screen” they say on their website and we agree.

It’s light at only 3.6 ounces (~100 grams) and it’s small being not much larger than the iPhone 4S and about twice the thickness of the phone.

It has a popup connector which you press on the device and it slides up. The good thing about this is they say it works with a large array of cases so unlike a lot of other iPhone projectors you don’t need to remove your case to work with it. Just pop your phone on and away you go.

They’re a bit coy with some of the details surrounding the imaging engine and how many lumens the device projects but here’s some stats for you that we could find out.

As we mentioned it can project images up to 50″ (diagonal) with a throw distance of approx. 6.5 in. – 5.5 ft. (~16.5cm – 1.67m).

The resolution is 960 x 540 pixels in 16:9 ratio and the contrast ratio is 100:1.

There is actually two connectors on this unit too, so it’s not just the popup iPhone/iPod connector. There is also a Mini USB port hidden away underneath the popup connector. We’re still waiting for word on what this is actually for and if it supports any other non-iOS devices.

One last thing to check out, and you’ll thank me for this, is the friends style 90’s video clips they have on their site.. pretty damn hilarious, but I’m sure we all want to be that dude at the party. See how many chicks he had surrounding him??? And all because of the iPico PJ205. Lol!

General Imaging iPico PJ205 Technology Overview

The General Imaging iPico PJ205 uses a FLCoS (Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projector (see here for more info on how LCoS works.

The light source is from Superbright RGB LEDs but we’re unsure on the brightness Lumen rating. We’ve contacted General Imaging for more information.

You can expect up to 90 minutes of play time out of the 3.7V Lithium Polymer battery (built-in).

What we love is their attention to detail with releasing a special iPhone app for this unit. You can download the app here for free.

The iPico app lets you play videos, surf the web, and more which a lot of other iPhone projectors don’t have the ability to do because of restrictions in the OS.

What’s in the box?

• General Imaging iPico PJ205 Mini Projector
• Micro-USB cable
• Manual
• Cleaning cloth

Conclusion