Honestly, putting a projector into a pocket camera seemed like a goofy idea to us, too. But when we laid our hands on the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj during a press preview and saw how simple and fun—yes, fun—it was to use, we were hooked. Had to have one.

Though it's hard to come up with any real professional photography applications for the S1000pj, it could be the sort of technological breakthrough that's only fully appreciated further down the line, or maybe not.

Either way, the S1000pj is a hoot to use. Just press a button on this 12.1-megapixel camera and you can project your images or videos to as large as 40 inches from a distance of up to 6.5 feet. Projector resolution is just 640 x 480 and brightness is only 10 lumens—a typical compact presentation projector can produce 50 lumens of brightness—so don't expect great quality from a camera this small and cheap.

The S1000pj does have a few tricks up its sleeve, including a kind of cool slideshow function that shows off your projected images with music and slick transitions. As a pocket camera it's not bad either, with a 5x optical (28-140mm) lens, a 2.7-inch LCD, and a built-in image stabilization system that Nikon calls "5-way VR." (Sounds a little kinky, actually.)

But we're not suggesting you check out this camera for those fairly common photo features. It's the built-in mini-projector that makes the S1000pj the ultimate impulse item for tech junkies and the perfect camera to pull out at your next pro photography keg party.

Cost: $430 Further information: www.nikonusa.com