Is that a projector in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Projectors have been common-place for training and trial presentations.  They have also been used with notebook PC's for smaller-scale mediation and arbitration proceedings.  But even the smallest projector requires bringing a separate carrying case or finding room for it in a larger wheeled case.

Texas Instruments is now showing pre-production models of its sub-$400 Pico Projector.  A recent preview by Laptop Magazine shows how tiny this device is (about the size of a smart phone).  Although you wouldn't use it in a large room for dozens of people, you could use it in a conference room to display a presentation for an ADR hearing or to train small groups.  It will connect and display images from an iPod and many smart phones. 

This could help many lawyers take their show on the road without carrying anything more than a smart phone and a similarly sized projector.  In the next few years we may see the Pico projector actually built-into smart phones and digital media players.