Acer K11 LED Projector review for Corporate Users & Lecturers

The adoption of pico projector (also known as pocket projector, handheld projector or mobile projector) is gaining momentum in the industry and 2011 is most probably the tipping point where we will see the adoption of the pico projectors in the main market. Two key factors that played a major role are

1. the lumens (brightness) of the projector; and
2. price.

Increasingly, in both lecture rooms and corporate conference rooms, I found that an additional projector to be handy in many situations, and with the availablity of an interesting Q&A web-based tool called Pigeonhole, the need for a 2nd projector for my lectures became a necessity.

As it turns out, there are many pico projectors to choose from, and I spent many weeks going through numerous product reviews both fellow reviewers and also Youtube videos. The 4 pico projectors which I have narrowed down to include:

• 1. AAXA M2
• 2. Acer K11
• 3. BenQ JoyBee
• 4. Optoma PK301

Among the 4, in terms of brightness (lumens), Acer K11 being capable of 200 lumens stands out. After going through numerous Acer K11 videos in Youtube, my sense is that this may be the one. While there are many Youtube videos on Acer K11 covering it's features and how the K11 performs when movies are played, I did not chance upon any videos that (1) test it's capabilities under powerpoint-like presentation mode, nor (2) one that has a direct comparsion with a traditional 2000+ lumens projector within the same environment (ie. lighting conditions). There are a couple of videos that stated the dimensions of the projected screen, the largest one is 93" projection.

I took a calculated risk and ordered an Acer K11 unit from Amazon on 2 June 2011 at a price of USD359.99 - interestingly, a few days later after my purchase, Amazon adjusted the price to USD329.99 :-| The projector arrived on the 16 June 2011 and I have done several tests on the unit, comparing it with the traditional projectors (those above 2000 lumens) in classrooms of varying sizes (from 12 to 55 students) to a boardroom.

Tests and comparsion that I have done covered these information for Acer K11 and a traditional projector (of different brands and lumens):

• Environment
• Max no. of people (in the room)
• Lumens
• Actual Brightness (relative)
• Screen Dimension
• Prj Away from Screen
• Smallest font (points) visible
• Display Resolution (Max)
• Price (USD, Amazon)
• Ratings (Amazon)
• Website (Amazon)
• Video Review (Youtube)

Results are as follow (click to enlarged in a new window):

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[Video Playlist] To view a playlist of the 5 Acer K11 videos in different settings/environnment:
 
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[Videos] Environment: A large classroom (capacity for 55 students)

Acer K11:

Epson EMP 1825:

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[Videos] Environment: A large classroom (capacity for 50 students)

Acer K11:

Epson EB-1915

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[Videos] Environment: A small classroom (capacity for 12 students)

Acer K11:

Canon LV-7375:

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[Videos] Environment: A board/conference room (capacity for 10 students)

Acer K11 (Dimmed room):

Acer K11 (room with some light):

Casio KJ-A145 (room with some light):

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Other noteworthy and related Youtube Videos that are useful for reviewers include:

[O1]  A good introduction to K11 hardware features

[O2] A good walkthrough of the K11 menu options & movie playback using K11   

[O3]  Unboxing of K11

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Official documentation on Acer K11 such as:

• 1. Acer K11-Brochure.pdf
• 2. Acer K11-Installation.pdf
• 3. Acer K11-Multimedia Manual_eng.pdf
• 4. Acer K11-UserGuide.pdf

is compiled in a single zip file: AcerK11-Projector_Docs.zip (4.6mb)

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In conclusion, for just USD329, a 200 lumens capable Acer K11 mobile projector is the best in terms of price-capabilities in its class and as of June 2011, there isn't any other mobile projector that is better (in terms of price-capabilities) than K11.

Feel free to let us know if you know of any that beats K11 in terms of price-capabilities, specifically a USD329 (Amazon price) projector that is capable of 200 lumens projection.

If you also owned this projector and used it in a corporate or classroom environment, would be great if you could share your experiences with us (both +ve and -ve). If you are thinking of whether to buy this projector, also feel free to ask any question.

Overall, am happy with my Acer K11 LED Projector.