In December 2011 we pitched the MicroVision SHOWWX Classic laser pico projector as holiday sharing without the “everyone crowd the iPhone” huddle. About $140, ~4 oz, always in focus, WVGA 848×480, laser colors up to a claimed 200-inch wall dream, roughly two hours of movie juice. For less than a night of drinking, you could turn a hotel wall into a questionable theater. In 2026, pocket projectors still exist—they just stopped pretending 10 lumens and WVGA were cinema.
The SHOWWX magic trick was laser scanning: infinite focus vibes, skinny chassis, plug-and-play from phones and media players of the era. Specs from ProjectorCentral still read like a museum plaque—~10 ANSI lumens, discontinued by late 2011 after a 2010 launch. MicroVision later pivoted hard into automotive lidar. Your pocket laser show became a footnote; the “put a movie on any wall” craving never left the building.
What early laser picos taught us
- Always-in-focus is addictive: fumbling a focus ring at a party is a vibe killer.
- Size wins adoption: if it doesn’t fit a jacket pocket, it’s a “maybe next trip” brick.
- Brightness is destiny: 10 lumens is romantic in a dark room and tragic at brunch.
- Resolution ages like milk: WVGA looked fine in 2011; 1080p is table stakes now.
SHOWWX status in 2026: discontinued, category evolved
Don’t buy a SHOWWX unless you collect “early MEMS laser” archaeology. Modern portable projectors lean on brighter DLP/LED engines, autofocus + keystone brains, wireless casting stacks, and batteries that still claim ~2–2.5 hours—oddly familiar stamina, wildly better picture. The form factor arms race now includes foldable stands so you’re not stacking hotel Bibles under the lens.
From WVGA laser pico to tri-fold Full HD
We just covered the Aurzen ZIP Pro: native 1080p, ~200 ANSI lumens, Z-fold self-stand, ToF autofocus, USB-C video in, wireless casting alphabet soup, ~$579.99 preorder with estimated shipping around Oct 30, 2026. Still happiest in the dark—honesty required—but it’s the spiritual upgrade path from “share holiday photos on the wall” without the WVGA time machine.
For archive flavor from the even earlier pico wave, revisit Optoma’s PK-101 pocket projector—$430, ~60-inch claims, 4 oz of 2008 optimism when iPods still needed a dock for everything.
Buying a pocket projector in 2026
Prioritize ANSI lumens (and dark-room honesty), native resolution, throw convenience (auto focus / keystone / built-in stand), battery runtime, and input reality (mirroring vs DRM-heavy apps). Soft CTA: if you want the fold-stand flex, watch ZIP Pro’s preorder window on Aurzen—no verified Amazon ASIN at draft time, so go official. Skip eBay SHOWWX nostalgia unless you enjoy 10-lumen time capsules.
Bottom line: our 2011 pico post nailed the use case. 2026 just finally brought enough brightness and pixels that the hotel wall doesn’t look like a potato livestream.