Cool projector alert: Toshiba’s shiny black TDP-ET20U projector, which I blogged about in February after a visit to the company’s Irvine headquarters, is finally available to consumers in the United States. Well, it will be available in stores beginning in September. Click each image for a larger picture.
Why it stands out? The 10.6-pound projector has a built-in DVD player, projects a 100-inch screen from 3.9 feet away plus it has a beautiful black-piano finish so it doesn’t look ugly sitting on the coffee table. Since Toshiba’s assuming families will put this on the coffee table, it designed all the cables to plug into the front of the projector. That way, people sit behind the projector and don’t trip on cables (just don’t walk in front of it!)
Toshiba is calling it the technology “Extreme Short Projection,” because you don’t need to be in a large room to get the big screen.
Other features: 5.1-channel Dolby Pro Logic surround sound, 1,100 lumens, 2000:1 high contrast ratio and widescreen format. It also has RGB and HDMI ports to plug into a TV, HDTV or computer. Price: $1,399 and soon to be available at ToshibaDirect.com and retail stores in September 2006.
Here's a list of TV/mobile companies helping consumers one tweet at a time. 
