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Sharp to Sell 3D laptop for $3299

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the looking-for-the-sailboat dept.

prostoalex writes "The laptop that allows the user to view the 3D images without the special glasses is finally being sold by Sharp. The price tag is $3299. Actius 3DRD runs Pentium 4 2.8 GHz with 512 MB DDR SDRAM and is also capable of displaying two images in parallax."

9 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Well, that's nifty and all.... by TheWhaleShark · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Well, that's nifty, viewing 3D without glasses and all...

    But you could just save $3299 and simply use some cellophane: http://individual.utoronto.ca/iizuka/research/cell ophane.htm

    --
    "It never got weird enough for me." - HST (RIP)
  2. What sort of visual range does this thing have? by JayBlalock · · Score: 2, Interesting
    It seems like, for the parallax to work like they're descibing, there'd be a very narrow space you'd be able to stick your eyes to have the effect work. Also, I can't imagine how working with this thing for long wouldn't lead to eye-strain headaches - that's been true of virtually every similar "fake" 3D system.

    Anyone have an article with more info on it?

    --
    Bush: He's Liberal in all the wrong ways.
  3. Sounds nice, but... by cgranade · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sounds nice, but I think that I'll wait until more content and programs are developed which take advantage of 3-D space. Besides, after shelling out $1900 for a new laptop with the same specs almost, I don't see $3300 for this sucker. Interesting, and I wish it luck, but it isn't for me yet.

    --

    #define DRM chmod 000

  4. WTF?! by Entropy248 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Guys, how hard did you have to look to find an article without pictures?! I remember reading the original stories on /. and wanting to see pictures then too! I mean, how odd is it that an article about display technology doesn't have pictures? Wasn't that everyone's first thought? I wanna see if it's any good so that I can buy one. It's like buying a guitar without ever hearing what it sounds like. Or, like buying a CD without ever hearing the band... Ummm. Never mind that last, but you understand.

    --
    Webmaster Wanted - Entropic Reactions
  5. is this a hardware thing? by demonbug · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I was wondering whether this 3D thing is hardware-based or software-based or a bit of both. One article doesn't say anything about it and the other was /.ed already.

    I seem to remember playing a game called Magic Carpet (I think from Bullfrog) years ago that had "actual" 3D images - the kind where you kind of cross your eyes to get the depth right. You know, like pictures of sailboats that you have to stare at for a while before you see anything.

    So, what exactly is new about this, and why would I want it?

  6. Issues for vision impaired? by niola · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While this idea sounds cool, I wonder if it will be one of those technologies that I cannot use. I am legally blind in my left eye and often these 3D technologies rely on the fact that vision in both of the users eyes is relatively equal in order to create the illusion. This reminds me of those stereoscope drawings from a few years back. I was never able to get them to work for me because of my imparied vision.

  7. I've seen this before by grooveFX · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The company that designed this is Dynamic Digital Depth. I used to work for a company ScreenZone that had plasmas displays showing movie trailers in malls. DDD demo'ed their 3D display in our office (we were going to use it in our plasmas). It's actually a really cool technology. Although the image does not "pop" out at you like the effect with 3D glasses, you can see depth and the image changes based on your position to the screen. Can't wait to pick this laptop up!

  8. How these displays work: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Remember using those old "analogue" thermometers back on the day to measure your temperature? Those termometers always had to be rotated just the right way so that you could see the fine red line inside: Essentially these thermometers had
    "one-dimensional" lenses that magnified the strip along a line along the length of the thermometer.

    Now imagine putting these types of long/thin lenses vertically across a notebook monitor with pixels behind them- As you move your head horizonatlly, these lenses let you see only certain rows of pixels, because moving your head is the same as rotating the thermometer.

    If you look at the monitor exactly dead-center, half of the pixels will make it to your left eye, and half to the right eye. You can now control what these eyes see separately and give the illusion of 3D depth.

  9. Sharp has also got a mobile phone with 3D by kroyd · · Score: 2, Interesting
    (In Japan that is)

    There is an interview about the latest 3D phone here: page(EN)

    Also check out this page, which has a drawing explaining how this works: page(JP) (I guess - it is in Japanese :)

    As Sharp also has the Zaurus I'm waiting for a mobile phone with a 3D screen, running linux, and with a full keyboard - perhaps something similar to the C-760, only narrower. Oh, and dual 2mp cameras for taking 3D pictures.. (Sharp already has a 2mp mobile, so why not two of them.)

    It might not fly in the US (lots of features = expensive), but I bet it would sell in Europe.. My mobile (a nokia 9210) is still retailing for 1000$ + without a subscription here.