iPhone & iPod Get Big Projector Boost With BenQ's Joybee GP2

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The next time someone says that it’s not cool to watch movies on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you now have something ready to prove them wrong thanks to the recent appearance of the BenQ Joybee GP2 projector. And while it will give your iOS gear a little extra punch as a media player, it’s not going to come without a pretty hefty cost.

BenQ’s Joybee GP2 mini projector offers up a dock connector slot right on the top so you can easily plug your iPhone or iPod directly into it to serve as a media player. But don’t worry if you have an iPad, as the device also offers up a mini USB connector, so most anything with a USB port should be acceptable here–BenQ even lists several devices you can use in the screenshot I took above. It’s a short throw projector, meaning you won’t need a whole lot of space to put up those fantastic images at sizes up to 44 inches, which isn’t that big, but isn’t half bad for a projector clearly geared to be portable. You’ll also get a pair of two watt speakers for sound, and the projector itself uses 3LED illumination, coupled with DLP projection, to show 100 ANSI lumen brightness images at 720p resolution, which is really not half bad. You’ll even be able to display media from nothing more than a USB stick or an SD memory card.

Admittedly, it does sound pretty awesome to be able to stage a little film festival most anywhere you go, but you can rest assured that this kind of all-around performance in an ultraportable device is going to cost, and the folks out at BenQ say the Joybee GP2 will retail for $549. Those interested in catching a glimpse of it early on should make their way to CES 2012, as BenQ looks to display one out there.

It’s not a bad idea, though just how many people will drop the equivalent of a pretty good television on an iPhone projector will remain to be seen. Still though, should be more than a few people interested in this, especially with specs like that. So I’ll put the question to you guys–how many of you would want a Joybee GP2 projector backing up your iOS device of choice? Or do you guys think this is a pretty big waste of money that can be approximated by much cheaper hardware? No matter what you think, we always like hearing from you, so head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!