Power Up Your PowerPoints

Nothing says you mean business quite like an artfully done PowerPoint presentation. And when you're on the road, the best way to get your point across is with a portable projector. Whether you need to equip your sales staff, pitch your services to clients or present to investors, these slim projectors will fit right in with your laptop or PDA without weighing you down. Most of the projectors we reviewed use Digital Light Processing, or DLP, technology for crisp pictures and long life. Others use LCD technology, which can be quieter than similar DLP devices. In terms of price, the two technologies are very close.

The Planar PR6020 slims in at less than 3 pounds and features 2000 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. Higher brightness translates into good visibility in bright rooms, while a higher contrast ratio generally helps generate clearer, deeper-looking images. The $1,199 PR6020 features an uncluttered design with a simple setup. A menu function gives you easy access to color levels, brightness settings, keystone correction and various display modes. The laptop presentation we projected came across sharply with accurate color reproduction and plenty of brightness, even in a well-lit room. The PR6020 gets fairly hot, but that's not unusual for high-brightness portables.