Brookstone’s New Pocket Projector: A Good Excuse for Movie Night

(Last Updated On: February 1, 2015)

The summer is drawing to an end but we couldn’t go back to school without one more Movie Night. It’s become a bit of a tradition in our neighborhood. Towards the end of summer we watch a movie in our driveway. We invite friends over. We pop a ton of popcorn and we stock up on milk duds and hot tamales.

Over the years we’ve tried a number of different systems for watching movies. When we first started ten years ago, one of the parents on the street would bring home a projector system from work. Those projectors from the first few years were hug! They were suitcase sized and we had to keep the kids away from them because they cost thousands of dollars! We hung a sheet from the balcony and watched our movie flapping in the wind.

We have evolved.

We’ve tried assorted alternative projectors over the past few years, but Brookstone’s new pocket projector is the one we’ve been waiting for. It’s truly the projector of our dreams. I just cannot get over the fact that it is only slightly larger than a deck of cards. Truly fits in a pocket.

What I love about this projector is that it works with a multitude of devices. You can hook it up to a computer, a dvd player, a gaming console, a cell phone or a tablet (you do need an adapter for apple products but it is easy to purchase this separately). The possibilities are amazing. It’s like having a big screen TV with you everywhere, indoors or out.

Still, even after reading all the specs, the proof for us was in the driveway.

We set up our DIY Outdoor Home Theater Screen and fired up our projector at dusk. We were able to hook up the projector to our Sony Streaming Media box and a boombox to amplify audio, without much angst or hair pulling out. Unlike other ones projectors we’ve tried in the past this one was super bright. Bright enough that you could still see the movie before dark and with all the lights on in our courtyard. When we turned off the lights, the picture popped. Projected at 60 inches the image qualitywas about what you would expect from a television. Sharp, clear and bright.

There’s something about watching a movie outside, snuggled up in a blanket. And there are certain movies you just have to see like this: Jurassic Park, Jumanji, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Land of The Lost, to name a few of our faves. You have to go big, but you can stay home.

I can guarantee this is going to happen again, soon. I’m so thrilled with both our portable easy assembly DIY screen and the Brookstone projector that I can even imagine taking the show (literally) on the road – setting up an impromptu “Drive In” while camping at the beach or campsite.

Here are some stats on the projector from the Brookstone site:

• Projects up to 1080p HD images up to 60″ diagonal
• Rechargeable and portable
• Connects via HDMI to most smartphones, tablets, computers, video players, cameras and more*
• Mega-bright LED lamp projects up to 85 lumens for up to 2 hours on a single charge
• Dual built-in speakers and focus control
• Rechargeable 3800mAh battery doubles as a USB backup battery for your smartphone devices
• Includes 3′ HDMI cable, Micro HDMI adapter, Mini HDMI adapter and AC adapter
• Dimensions: 3.9″ w x 3.8″ d x .89″ h; .5 lbs.

*IMPORTANT: Apple® devices require an Apple Digital AV Adapter (sold separately) for HDMI use.

My favorite thing about this tech gadget? It gives our family an excuse to do something together, rather than apart. We spend so much time dialed in to individual devices – cell phones, tablets, etc that the group experience is a rare and special one. Sure it’s going to come in handy for business presentations, etc. But more important and unique to me is this device’s easy ability to declare any Saturday night a block party.  Who’s up for a movie in my driveway this weekend?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Brookstone Review Crew. It is not a compensated position but from time to time I do get to try out new tech. Some of which makes me giddy. We’ve been waiting for a long time for a projector like this one. All opinions and plans for outdoor movie theaters are my own.