Acer ships projector the size of a smartphone

Acer's C20 (blue) is the same size as a smartphone

Acer has launched a pico projector no bigger than a smartphone, making it easy to carry around in a pocket, while the device can display output from a laptop, mobile phone or camcorder.

Available now, the C20 pico projector measures 118 x 60.8 x 18.6mm and is comparable in weight to a smartphone at 166g. Even at this small size, it can display images at up to 1,280 x 800 resolution with a 2,000:1 contrast ratio.

Acer appears to be aiming the device at consumers, stating that it can be used to show videos and photos to friends, "like having a portable cinema in your pocket".

However, with HDMI and USB inputs, the C20 could also prove attractive as a highly portable device for travelling executives to deliver presentations to a small audience.

The C20 combines Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology with an LED lamp to deliver high image quality in such a small form factor, and can display images from 13cm up to 168cm size at 20 ANSI Lumens brightness.

With an SDHC card slot, the C20 can also deliver images or presentations from Flash storage cards, and is powered by a 1410mAh lithium-ion battery, or by a 5V mains adapter.

The Acer C20 Pico-projector is available now for a price of £279.99.