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Aaxa introduces 'world's first' XGA micro projector

AAXA Technologies has announced a new LED micro projector, the M2, which weighs a pound and offers XGA resolution and 110-lumen image for $369.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials

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David Carnoy

Nov. 10, 2010 10:40 a.m. PT

Aaxa's M2 LED projector weighs in at a pound and offers 1,024x768-pixel resolution for $369. Aaxa Tech

Mainly because of mediocre image quality, the Pico projector market just hasn't taken off as some thought it might. But we're seeing a new trend in mini projectors: go a little bigger and offer improved performance.

That's the idea anyway behind the Aaxa M2, which the company is calling the "world's first" XGA micro projector. It weighs in at a pound, produces a "vivid" 110-lumen image, and has some built-in memory and a media player (you can play files right off the projector). Here are the specs that Aaxa is highlighting (the adjectives aren't ours, so take them with a grain of salt):

Native XVGA (1,024x768) resolution
Ultrabright 110-lumen LED light engine
Vibrant color technology with RGB LEDs
1GB built-in memory plus SD-HC and USB readers
HDMI, VGA, and Composite AV inputs
Excellent text clarity and contrast
Media player (MP4, MP3, AVI, JPG, etc.)
Optional iPod, PSP, smartphone input cables
Price: $369

All in all, the specs and price seem good, but we'll reserve judgment until we actually see the projector in action. Last time we tested an Aaxa Pico projector, the L1 Laser, we had high hopes for it but came away disappointed. Hopefully, that won't be the case this time.