The boxy, black design easily slips into any bag.

The M109S looks like a full-sized projector that met a shrink-ray. The darling, fist-sized unit can pack along anywhere. Even with the modest-sized power adapter--about the same volume as the entire projector--the device can fit in the corner of a laptop bag.

858x600-pixel images look fairly good through the VGA or composite cable. However, the LED light source lacks the brightness of a traditional bulb. (But it’s rated to outlast that technology, working up to 10,000 hours.) In a lit room, we could barely make out video thrown larger than 3 feet, since the image dims with size. However, presentations with simple graphics looked better, and the screen was much more legible with the lights dimmed.

In a dark room, the M109S gives a better, clearer range of colors, although it still can lack sharpness. Even with 4- or 5-feet images, it carries enough brightness.