Pico Genie A100 Review
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Easy to use Good battery life Portable Reasonably priced Decent picture and it's not designed to replace your home cinema:
Adds a little bulk to your phone and may need to carry separately Tight fitting if you have iPhone protective skin like iCarbon skins It does not not work with the Sky Tv appThe Pico Genie A100 is the world’s first accessory case for iPhone 4 /4s/iPod Touch 4 with a built in pico projector, extended battery and external speakers.
The Pico Genie A100 is the world’s first accessory case for iPhone 4 /4s/iPod Touch 4 with a built in pico projector, extended battery and external speakers.
Features
- Unique case accessory for iPhone 4/4S/iPod Touch 4
- Protective lightweight case + extended battery for iPhone+ projector in one lightweight product
- Brightest dedicated projector for iPhone/iPod Touch
- 15 Lumen projection brightness
- DLP projection for increased image quality
- Stylish & protective casing
- Instant connectivity for iPhone 4/4S/iPod Touch 4
- battery extender for your iPhone/iPod Touch providing an added 3 hours
- battery time (100% projection use) 1.5 to 3 hours
- 2 watt speaker
Overview of What the Pico Genie A100 is
The World’s First accessory for iPhone 4/4s/iPod Touch 4 with extended battery + projector + case + speakers. You can share content anywhere and enlarge videos/photos from a 3 inch iPhone screen to a 60 inch image on the wall, floor, ceiling desk etc thanks to the built-in 15 Lumen DLP Projector. The built-in 2w speakers allows you to watch videos with louder volume.
The case itself is well designed and ultra lightweight so it’s a perfect compliment for your favourite phone or iPod Touch. The Pico Genie A100 also doubles up as a battery extender for your iPhone/iPod Touch providing an added 3 hours of use so you’re less likely to run out of battery power again. If using the projector only, the battery provides 1.5 to 3 hours projection.
Design and build quality
I could not wait to open the box after seeing this awesome gadget at the gadget show live. Opening the box, the Pico Genie A100 is well presented in it’s packaging with your USB charger, although I am not sure what you get in the box because I received a review unit, but you would get carried away trying to plug your iPhone in straight away and would probably forget about all the aesthetics. The Projectore it’self is of high build quality with a soft plastic curvy finish. On the back is the speaker, and on the side you have the well placed volume keys, moving up a little you will see the focus wheel to help put the picture in focus since we don’t all have 20/20 vision. Inside the gadget itself, you have your 30Pin Dock for your iPhone or iPod to help activate Air Display when playing videos. To the top of the Pico Genie A100, you see the projector lens which is placed in a way to also protect it from accidental damage. On the bottom of the device, you will see the charging port with the on/off switch next to it.
Some of my first concerns were:
- Size and weight- will it add extra bulk for every day use
- Will it use my iPhone battery to power itself
- What picture quality would I get from it
First the size was very decent adding extra bulk but not a great deal of bulk for a gadget that carries extra power pack, a projector and speaker. It was very obvious that the Pico Genie makers spent time and effort on designing it because aesthetically, it is pleasing to the eye. My second concern was answered straight away after inserting my iPhone and switching the device on to realize that it has it’s own battery that will power it and a battery pack to give my iPhone extra juice for watching a whole full length movie which to me, that’s just icing on the cake. My third concern, I put it to test in the day light should in case I needed it for business presentation in a conference room with bright surroundings; then I waited till it was dark and having owned a Cinema level heavy duty HD projector, I can confirm that this portable piece of kit will give you very high quality image at 640 x 360; I also went for a drive and leaned my sit back whilst I watched a movie on my car ceiling and it was awesome.
Functionality and Usability
It is very easy to use and you don’t need a degree to work out how to dock your iPhone and flick the switch to turn it on. The Pico Projector performed very well to high standards with good battery life for it’s multipurpose features, and displays well although you will get better picture in the dark as the 15 Lumen doesn’t handle bright lighting very well. It is very portable and fit for purpose. I can see the typical usage been:
- Displaying music videos and sharing with friends
- Business presentations, although you need to find a perfect spot to place it
- Use it to showcase your designs to a client
Verdict
Awesome gadget which will do its job perfectly. The addiction of backup battery pack is a genius idea because it would be a shame if you iPhone battery ran out before the Pico Projector case. It will give a decent picture but bare in mind it isn’t built to replace your home cinema, although it could display up to 60 inch.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Good battery life.
- Portable.
- Reasonably priced.
- Decent picture and it’s not designed to replace your home cinema.
Cons
- Adds a little bulk to your phone and may need to carry separately.
- Tight fitting if you have iPhone protective skin like iCarbon skins.
- It does not not work with the Sky Tv app.
- Slight loss in picture quality the bigger the display.
- Portable stand not included (but available to buy)
Where to buy
You can purchase the Pico Genie A100 from Personal Projectors for about £199.99
