Computer projectors are getting lighter and more sophisticated, so the idea of a wireless projector seems a logical progression. It conjures up ideas of a projector you can place anywhere in a room without worrying about a cable connection to your notebook. In some ways this is true, but it's not quite as versatile as you might think.

This projector comes with a pair of 802.11b wireless network cards in PCMCIA card format. One fits in the top of the projector and the other in your notebook or, with the appropriate adapter, your desktop. You can then transfer JPEG files wirelessly and display them.

What you can't do is to direct the video output from your PC to the projector - there would be bandwidth limitations and there's no facility, anyway. So you can display PowerPoint slides, but only as stills, after converting them to JPEGs using the utility provided. You can send files from any device with an 802.11b connection, so you could imagine ethereal battles around the boardroom table, with executives trying to turn the projector to their own ends.

Otherwise, the PT-L712NTE is a conventional projector, though a pretty good one. It has dual VGA inputs and a separate S-video one, with stereo audio in and out. All these are hidden under a fold-down flap on the side and another flap hides a credit-card size remote control. Buttons on the projector's top surface control power standby, input channel and set-up.

The projected menu used for set-up is easy to navigate with a five-direction, top-hat style button that provides good control. There's an auto set-up function, too, which sets most parameters, but doesn't do a perfect job on the focus. A rotary control on the side of the lens governs zoom level, offering a 30 per cent range to fit the picture to the screen.

The PT-L712NTE has a 1600 ANSI lumen output which throws a bright, well-defined image and can focus down to a mere 1.1m from the front of the lens. Colours are intense, even on non-ideal surfaces, such as coloured walls. The projector gets warm, though, so it's important to give it plenty of ventilation and not to obstruct the fan at the rear.

Which just leaves the price. Panasonic doesn't seem to be aware that data projectors are dropping to more sensible levels and still pitches the PT-L712NTE at nearly four grand plus VAT. This is simply too high when measured against projectors of similar specification from other sources. The wireless option alone isn't worth the price difference.

A wireless PC projector could be a very useful solution in a room where various people need to come and display still images with the minimum of fuss. The wireless facilities are limited, with no live video feed, but in every other way there's little doubt the PT-L712NTE is a desirable piece of kit... as long as somebody else is paying.