Brookstones Pocket Projector — a quirky little iPhone toy

The Brookstones Pocket Projector. I guess if you’ve got money to burn, really need some novelty aspect to your tech life and love only Apple, then this is (almost) the projector you’ve been looking for. That’s if you can find it, literally.

It’s so small you could be forgiven for sitting on it, or losing it along with your car keys and the illusive pair of socks that only your wife can find for you.

I’m not sure how many people will feel the urge to suddenly whip out the iPhone and start projecting, but for emergency meetings or keeping the kids entertained, I reckon it does the trick.

From the iPhone 4 you can project video content from Netflix or YouTube and if you happen to own an iPhone 4S, the projector can mirror everything that you do on your iPhone. You can show photos, browse the web and accurately project a meaningful existence on a stark white canvas.

Zoom function is fixed but there is focus adjustment, so you’re able to place the phone and then tweak for clarity. Simply slide your iPhone into the projector cradle and you’re good to go.

A native resolution of 640×360 (sadly no HD) and a projection image of up to 50 inches will hopefully keep the kids/boss astounded, although it would be best used at night without a full moon, as the LED optic engine and 15 ANSI lumen rating are hardly going to cause arc eye.

And for the audiophiles, there is a 1×0.5W onboard speaker so listen up, carefully. The Pocket Projector’s built-in 2100mAh battery charges via USB connection with the included cord. Bonus points: it’s so simple to operate that it comes with a single page instruction manual. Astounding.

For US$230, Brookstones Pocket Projector is no impulse purchase, but is ridiculously easy to use and does the job. It’s recommended for those whose money burns in their pockets, aching to be spent.