Toshiba and IBM Announce Lightweight and Affordable Projectors

Every small business wants to project the right image, and two new products from Toshiba and IBM help you do just that — literally. Both companies offer affordable, lightweight projectors that aim to improve your business presentations whether you're in the office explaining complex ideas or on the road closing a sale.

Toshiba's TDP-S20U, available in June for $999, weighs 6.6 pounds and includes DLP technology, 1400 ANSI lumens, a 2000:1 contrast ratio and SVGA 800 by 600 resolution for bright, clear images without having to dim the lights. "The S20 is small but mighty," says Jane Poon, product-marketing manager for Toshiba. "It provides sharp, detailed images with smooth motion and no blurring at a price geared for the budget-conscious small business."

Toshiba's TDP-S20U is light on the budget and your back.

Connect to Multimedia
The S20 comes with a variety of connection options including three video input sources (S-video, composite and component) to handle video presentations, audio in and out, and a special monitor output connection so that you can face and maintain eye contact with your audience and still view your presentation on an external monitor.

Go Wireless
Toshiba offers the same projector in a wireless version — the TDP-SW20U — also available in June. The SW20 includes the same features as its sister, but ships with an 802.11bwireless LAN PC Card for cable-free mobility. The wireless capability is convenient for times when you have sequential presenters and don't want to waste time swapping connections. The PC Card function also comes in handy for PC-free presentations. Simply save your presentation on a Type 2 memory card, pop it into the PC Card slot on the projector and run the presentation for there. The TDP-SW20U sells for $1199.

IBM's E400 supports HDTV.

Big Blue
IBM latest offering is the lightweight E400. Barely tipping the scales at 4.6 pounds, the E400 also features DLP technology along with1300 ANSI lumens, a 1500:1 contrast ratio and ceiling mounting capabilities. The projector sells for $1049.

"The IBM E400 projector is ideal for the small business owner as it offers superior quality with a competitive price," says Bob Galush, IBM vice president, product marketing, personal computing division. "Built with the customer in mind, the E400 projector is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, offers significant portability and ease of use through an on screen display and comes standard with a three-year warranty."

Connectability
The E400 comes with one audio in and three video-in sources (DVI, S-video and composite). The projector also supports HDTV, NTSC , PAL and SECAM (handy in case you find yourself presenting overseas). A locking mechanism lets you use a cable lock to keep anyone from walking off with your projector.

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