Asus P2B Pocket Projector Review - Special Features

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Art Feierman

Battery or AC Power

Some other pocket class projectors require an external battery pack while the P2B's inclusion of an internal battery, with a reasonable run time, is positive feature for this model. The Asus P2B's built-in battery that can power the projector for about 1.5 hours in what is essentially an Eco mode, with reduced light output. The P2B also comes with an AC power supply of similar size and weight to those used with a laptop PC. In fact the P2B can be powered by the same power supply used with most of the current Asus notebook computers. Having the option to run the projector or either AC or battery power provides great flexibility for the business traveler requiring a minimum of components necessary to get the projector set up and ready for making a presentation.

LED Light Source

As with other Pico/Pocket projectors the Asus P2B uses a long lasting LED light source. The P2B's LED light source has a rated life of 30,000 hours. Unlike lamp-based projectors, LEDs typically offer very stable color performance and very little light loss over their life, so the brightness and image quality after several years of use should be very close to what they were when the projector was new.

PC-Free Presentations

The Asus P2B is much better than many more expensive business projectors, including full size models, at being a fully self contained solution for making media rich business presentations. It has 2 GB of internal user memory where videos, photos, audio files and documents can be stored or the media files can be on a micoSD card or a USB flash memory drive plugged into the rear of the projector. The built-in "Media Center" function allows the presenter to bring up and control presentations not only using video/photo/audio files but also the P2B can directly display MS Office and Adobe Acrobat (pdf) documents. The supplied remote has the essential buttons for controlling the media presentations and even includes a laser pointer.

HDMI/MHL Input

Like virtually all modern projectors, the Asus P2B include a HDMI input for connection to a computer or video source. The P2B's HDMI input connection also supports MHL for use with compatible MHL equipped mobile/portable devices. The P2B charges MHL-enabled devices while simultaneously projecting their content. As a result presenters need not worry about their mobile device running out of charge while in the middle of a presentation.

Quick Setup

The Asus P2B offers several features that make it very quick to get it set up and running. Some of these have been noted above, but the combination of the following capabilities mean a presentation can be started without a delay of more than a minute or two for getting the projector setup.

quick power up (about 5 seconds from power on to ready to use),
simple flip down front tilt foot combined with automatic vertical keystone correction
relatively short throw lens and simple mechanical focus control
battery power immediately available, especially useful if a power outlet is not readily available
most presentations can be stored in the projector's own internal user memory or on a microSD or USB flash drive, eliminating the need for a connection to a laptop computer or tablet