Notably light and small even for an ultraportable, the AAXA M1 Plus weighs less than a pound by itself and less than 1.5 pounds if you include the power block. That makes it not much heavier than the biggest pocket projectors. It has a white LED light source, and is brighter than most projectors in its weight class. It is also higher resolution, with an SVGA (800x600) LCOS chip.

The M1 Plus scores particularly well on convenience features, with the ability to read files directly from a microSD card or its own 1GB internal memory as well as connect to computers and video devices. Best of all, it boasts a relatively low price, at $339 direct from AAXA Technologies.

Small size and light weight. Manufacturers tend to exclude the weight of the external power block when they state the size and weight of their projectors, and even then most ultraportable projectors come out to 1.5 pounds or heavier. Adding the power block typically boosts the weight to well over 2 pounds. We weighed the M1 Plus along with its power block at 1.4 pounds, making it one of the lightest ultraportables available -- and perhaps the lightest. It's also one of the smallest, at 4.4" x 4.1" x 1.8".

The power block is also reasonably small, at 3.75" x 1.7" x 1.4" (not including the prongs or power cord). It's too big to fit along with the M1 Plus into the soft carrying case that comes with the projector, but small enough so carrying it separately shouldn't be a problem.

Reads files directly to enhance portability. The M1 Plus can read an assortment of file types directly from its 1GB internal memory or from microSD cards, so you don't have to carry a notebook or video source with you. The full list of supported formats according to AAXA, includes JPG and GIF files for presentations or photos; AVI, MPG, MP4, RMVB, RM, VOB, DAT, and 3GP files for video; and MP3 files for audio.

To read files from a memory card, you simply plug the card into the slot on the back of the M1 Plus and then pick SDcard from the projector's Source menu. Similarly, to use the internal memory, you copy the files to the projector, and choose Memory as the source.

AAXA supplies a USB cable to connect to a computer. Simply set the projector to USB Data mode, plug in the cable, and your computer will recognize the M1 Plus memory as a drive. (According to AAXA, this will work with both Mac and Windows systems.)

Additional Advantages

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