3D Linux Laptop Available

Anonymous Writer writes "EmperorLinux is distributing the Sharp Actius RD3D autostereo laptop with Linux pre-installed, dubbing it the 'Molecule'. Almost all the hardware features can be utilised under Linux; the autostereo 3D display (most importantly), CD-RW/DVD-RW combo drive, Ethernet port, audio hardware, PC Card slot, 4 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire port, Sony Memory Stick slot, Compact Flash slot, SD slot, and internal floppy dive. The only built-in feature unsupported is the internal 56 Kbps modem, however a supported 56 kbps PC Card modem is available as well as a WiFi PC Card."

Comments

Has anyone seen one of these...

[BodyCount07]

3-D displays first hand? Care to give a quick honest review?

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[Anonymous Coward]

Like an unsharpened pencil. . .

. . . pointless.

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[n__0]

They're like anything only as good as the programs that utilise them. The ones I've seen didnt give much sense of depth from what I remember. Because it only ever gives one perspective the 3d nature of what I saw cant offer much more than simulated 3d on normal displays, moving your head still doesnt do anything, other than stopping the 3d working.

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[Anthracene]

I saw a demo of a molecular visualization program running on one of these at the American Chemical Society convention a couple months ago.

In general, I'd say the quality is quite good. The image I saw had about 6 or 8 inches of apparent "depth" between what appeared to be closest to me and what was furthest away. It was reasonably clear, although not quite as clear as the flat image. You seem to lose some resolution (horizontal resolution, at least) when it goes into 3D mode.

Of course, one of the big deals about it is that it doesn't require glasses, so nothing to lose, no flickering, etc. This does mean that there is a fairly small "sweet spot" that your head has to be in in order to see the 3D display. If you're positioned outside of this the display looks like a mess. I don't think more than one person can really see the image at a time when it's in 3D mode (there's a big button above the keyboard for switching between 2D/3D).

I'm not sure what the API is like for getting a program working with the 3D functions. It was being demoed by a software company, and the guy there gave me the impression that some amount of modification to their app had been necessary (ie that most 3D apps wouldn't work correctly without being adapted) but that it hadn't been too difficult. 'Course you've generally got to take tech info from salesfolk with a grain of salt.

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[Anonymous Coward]

I have seen the auto-stereoscopic displays by sharp on a holography conference in San Jose, CA (2004). Basically: it works.

These devices use a thin grating over the screen to ensure that each eye sees only the pixels of one view. The viewing angle is constrained, but that is not an issue for laptops (there is probably only one person watching anyways).

If you have ever seen an IMAX 3D movie, it is a bit like that. There was a video clip where objects seemed to hover in front of the screen, and they had a funky stereoscopic UI (windows in the backgroud would seem to be further away from the viewer).

Obviously the main problem is resolution: they have to throw away half the pixels to provide two views...

I expect that many 3D applications would work out of the box. Standard hardware (NVIDIA quadbuffer cards) can already render stereoscopic scenes transparently (this is why you can hook up a pair of good old vr glasses to an NVIDIA card, and run any opengl app in stereo mode).

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[ccnull]

I reviewed this (Windows version) earlier this year for Mobile PC... link

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[Anonymous Coward]

Moving your head does do something you donut.

Each eye is getting a slightly different view because they are in different positions, so moving your head along the horizonal axis does indeed change the view - that is what is special about this; the eyes get a different view based on location!

It's a bit like looking at a stereogram, but without the funny swirly pictures or crossed eyes.

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think so, down at the San Diego Supercomputing Center.

If it's the same technology then it's roughly the same as a large higher-res realtime version of those little animated toys that show different pictures depending on which angle you looking from.

It was lower-res than a regular monitor and had the feel of toyishness, but it was nicely 3-D (they had some molecule image displayed)

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[stripe]

The 3D displays work. I have a DTI2018XLQ at home. It works by creating sepearate "zones". You place your head so that each eye is in a different zone. What happens is that each eye sees a diffrent image. I have only used the monitor for 2 games (MC2 & NWN) as I am not into FPS games. http://www.dti3d.com/Products/dti_2018xlq.htm

Re:Has anyone seen one of these...

[wehe]

I would be interested in a first hand report, too. But with Linux installed, to include it into the TuxMobil Linux laptop and notebook overview.

Linux?

[Anonymous Coward]

"The autostereo 3D display (most importantly), CD-RW/DVD-RW combo drive, Ethernet port, audio hardware, PC Card slot, 4 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire port, Sony Memory Stick slot, Compact Flash slot, SD slot, and internal floppy dive"

Yeah but... does it run Linux? Oh wait...

Re:Linux?

[Anonymous Coward]

No. It does not.

Re:Linux?

[lucas teh geek]

no matter how many times people make that joke it just never gets funny

Price

[Anonymous Coward]

$3600 is too much for that =8-)

Re:Price

[jcostantino]

Especially when you consider that it's $2999 w/o Linux.

Re:Price

[Rosonowski]

Hmm... 600 dollar difference.

SCO, perhaps?

Re:Price

[dasmegabyte]

If I needed an automatic 3d laptop, I'd have to say that's a damned good price. Companies regularly charge $10k plus for 3d screens alone...this is the whole lappy for a third of that.

However, I don't need an automatic 3d laptop, and my Powerbook is too expensive at half that. So, it's all in perception.

Incidentally, after seeing some of the Liebermann laptops, this isn't even all that expensive.

Re:Price

[Anonymous Coward]

$3600 - $699 = $2901

Re:Price

[Caeda]

Might have something to do with the price of the accessories too. 50$ for a logitec optical mouse? Um. Sure. I payed 10 a month ago, but 50 sounds... yeah. Great.

frosty pist

[Anonymous Coward]

pist frost

3D???

[cavebear42]

It says 3D but it still has a flat, 2D LCD screen. I wish people would quit throwing that word around until we have a true 3D display.

Re:3D???

[CarrionBird]

Uhhh....

You may want to check the link, the screen allows actual stereo images without glasses.

Unless you're waiting for that holographic display...

Re:3D???

[nuOpus]

It says 3D because it gives the perception of a 3D display. And yes, you can display 3D images on a flat LCD. It works by using "channels" which divert light to the other side at an angle so your eye percieves it as a different image.

You remember those 3D things you got when you were a kid? where you look at it from one side it has an image ... and if looked at on the other the picture is different yet? Giving you the appearance it was moving if you twitched it? Same concept? Only the light is emitted from the left and hitting the right side. The light emitted from the right is hitting your left side.

Both of your eyes recieve two different images and they are done in sync giving the impression of 3D so you can see depth.

Re:3D???

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, that was his point.

Re:3D???

[cavebear42]

The 3D things I got when I was a kid were GI Joes and such. The little holographic light shifting thingies are cool (in the sense that cool means gives you a headache) but are very much 2D. 3D means that there are 3 plains of reality. 2 with a cool way of reflecting the light simply isn't.

Re:3D???

[mikael]

I wish people would quit throwing that word around until we have a true 3D display.

Absolutely. I can't wait to have a laptop that can project an animated 3D holographic shark that jumps out whenever I view a movie trailer.

Re:3D???

[NanoGator]

"It says 3D but it still has a flat, 2D LCD screen. I wish people would quit throwing that word around until we have a true 3D display."

It is true 3D. It produces exactly what your eyes percieve as 3D imagery. The term you're really looking for is 'volumetric'. When somebody offers a volumetric display, then you got what you're hoping for.

(Note: This is one of the least impressive nitpicks I've seen in a long time. It is three dimensional if it does video. x, y, t. If it was what he was looking for, it'd be x, y, z, t. 4D. :P)

Re:3D???

[nuOpus]

Point is ... the screen gives you the perception of depth. If the screen can fool your brain into thinking that there is an image in the foreground and others farther in the distance ... than the IMAGE is 3D no matter how you slice it and by difinition. It doesnt matter if you can't stick your hand though there and touch the background image. They never said 3D virtuality ... its 3D imagery .. and by that definition it is 3D.

Re:3D???

[I(rispee_I(reme]

First, I am confused. GI Joes came with two different varieties of flashy things that you might be referring to:

1) Polarized plastic with an two images drawn in alternating lines behind it, so that when tilted, animation is viewed. I believe the action figure Crystal Ball used one of these as a weapon. These are not 3d.

2) Actual holographs printed on the stickers that came with vehicles, etc. These are 3d, in the sense that you can, to a degree limited by perspective, see behind objects depicted in these holographs; there is actual depth.

I am reminded of the scene in The Little Prince where the character from outer space looks at a drawing of a box and states that it is a picture of a sheep. When the narrator corrects him, the alien says, "Well, there's a sheep sleeping in the box."

Probably mangled the quote, but you get the drift. Holograms allow you to see their contents from many perspectives within 3d space. And as long as that definitition is met, then they qualify as 3d.
Even if the viewing medium is 2d.

Re:3D???

[Anonymous Coward]

you can only count the t as a dimintion if you can ant any one instant view muliple instances simoutaioniously. If you are, in fact, human, this is not possible.

Re:3D???

[MC_Cancer_Pants]

stereo images? I thought this was an Auto(car) Stereo system powered by linux... with a 3D display, for some reason.

Re:3D???

[linuxhansl]

Correct it's not 3D.
If it was true 3D you could walk around the scene and view it from different sides, or at least change your angles.

Computer graphics people sometimes call this 2 1/2D.
It's also obvious from an information theory viewpoint. The information you need for this 2 1/2D image is only twice then need form simple 2D (one image for each eye). A true 3D representation would require much more information.

Re:3D???

[cavebear42]

I was not referring to either "flashy thing" I was referring to a 3 dimensional object, an action figure. something which lives in a 3 dimensional world.

there is no "actual depth" (beyond a half millimeter or so) of a sticker. The image printed on the sticker surely has no depth.

What I am saying, rather poorly it seems, is that any object which is printed, is not 3D. There is _no_ way to project a 3D object onto a 2D surface. It is possible to create a perception of 3D if the eyes were completely separated in what they view. This gets rather close in polarized 3D Imax but even in this case we have _not_ created a 3D screen.

As I was saying, this term has been thrown around so much people seem to have forgotten what it means.

Re:3D???

[Anonymous Coward]

Due to a childhood accident, I only have one eye.

I'm curious as to what all you normally-sighted people would see if the images shown to your left eye and right eye were not similar.

Would you fall over and start barfing?

Re:3D???

[nuOpus]

I think everyone knows what it means. The 3RD dimension is depth. As long as your brain THINKS there is depth it is 3 dimentional. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck .. it is a duck. If you see depth (which is the 3rd dimension) you are seeing 3D.

The term 3D does not reference any type of technology or process therein. 3D is perceived vision. If I see depth ... the 3rd diminsion is there.

Re:3D???

[nuOpus]

I think I see your argument though. It is not meant to simulate a 3D world as a space thing. It is mean to give the PERCEPTION of 3D .. whether this is 5 inches or 5 miles .. it is still depth.

Soo ... think about this, is it that EVERYONE forgot what it means? Or was it you that has forgotten what it means?

Re:3D???

[sugar and acid]

It is not true 3d as there is no depth of field effect. Yes there is a 3d effect from the left right info, but your eyes are focused on the flat screen even when you are concentrating on a near or far object. This is the main cause of the sick feeling and headache that this type of display can cause, as the focus of your eyes is not corresponding to what you are actually looking at.

Re:3D???

[cavebear42]

It turns out that your perception of something has nothing to do with wether or not it is there. If you take a little LSD and see a battleship sailing down broadway, it does not mean that the ship is there.

My point was that it is not "a 3D screen." The fact remains one day we will compleate the existance of decent 3D displays and then everyone will realize that we have called 2D "3D" for many years and think about how silly that was. If you look today at this type of screen and then remember that we called the Diamond Monster add-on card 3D graphics, you will start to get a feeling of what I mean.

This horse is now dead, i will stop beating it.

yaw

[Anonymous Coward]

whoop-ade-do-da

Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[x.Draino.x]

So who's going to be the first to the market with a 3D-Enhanced porn site?

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[L. VeGas]

They've had triple D's on porn sites for a long time already.

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[Anonymous Coward]

So who's going to be the first to the market with a 3D-Enhanced porn site?

Your mom

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[strictnein]

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting.. (Score:-1, Offtopic)

So who's going to be the first to the market with a 3D-Enhanced porn site?

Your mom

This is not offtopic! Flamebait, maybe. Troll, yes. But not offtopic. He was answering a question that was posed in relation to the exciting super duper 3D laptops.

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[Anonymous Coward]

No kidding. Moderators these days... I personally thought it was funny, but that's because I'm a fan of "your mom" jokes.

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[callipygian-showsyst]

Well, here's a 3D Live Webcam site! All you'd have to do is ask the guy on the other end to take his shirt off!

Re:Porn just got a lot more interesting..

[FrenZon]

So who's going to be the first to the market with a 3D-Enhanced porn site?

3D porn sites have been around for quite a while, to sell to the speccy nerds with red/cyan or lcd shutterglasses.

Here's a five-year long stereo3d discussion on the matter.

Integrated wifi would be good

[FrO]

you know, seeing integrated wifi that works with linux would be a real plus on a laptop like this. Especially if it were a non-centrino wifi card built in.

I have a Gateway 450SX non-centrino, and it runs linux really well. Everything works perfectly (except for the 56K modem, of course), but sadly I don't have internal wireless. My external WaveLAN card works great under any distro though. Rock stable laptop, not terribly expensive and everything runs great under any distro (I've tried Fedora Core 1, Gentoo and Debian).

Re:Integrated wifi would be good

[mahdi13]

What do you mean non-centrino? They have had working drivers for months now

Sure, they project is still in beta but they do work very well with the Intel Pro/Wireless 2100
The ipw2200 (wireless g) project is showing great progress after only a month

Yay for the display

[stratjakt]

What kind of chipset is running it though? I don't see a fancy 3D display being much use if it's some piece of crap via chipset or an older radeon mobility.

Actually, I don't see it being of much use period.. A standalone display or something, perhaps, but what's the market for a 3D laptop? And why do I only hear of laptops and not a regular monitor I can hook up to my PC, you know, the one with the badass 3D card in it that could do something cool with such a display.

Actually it couldnt, there's no real stereoscopic support in ATi's cards, unless they snuck it in in the last month or so.. Owners of the lcd glasses have been fussing about this for quite some time on rage3d.com..

Which answers my first question, it must be an nVidia, or Matrox Parhelia or something in the laptop... Or some kludged ATi driver set..

Re:Yay for the display

[Mz6]

"Which answers my first question, it must be an nVidia, or Matrox Parhelia or something in the laptop... Or some kludged ATi driver set."

You're right...(from the parts listing):

-- 15.0" Active XGA TFT runs X@1024x768x24bpp w/ NVIDIA GeForce4 graphics.

Re:Yay for the display

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a GeForce 4 440 Go to be precise. You can grab the specs from this page or look at the PDF directly.

Blast from the Past

[RobertB-DC]

Since $3,000+ is a bit outside my range (my range being closer my $35 PII Linux box), I naturally checked out the Emperor Linux Jobs Page to see if I could suppliment my income. What a blast from the pre-bust past, mixed with a bit of post-bust reality:

Work at EmperorLinux: the most fun you can have with ...

EmperorLinux is not actively hiring.

However, we are always on the lookout for fun and knowledgeable people who like things Linux. If you like to:
ride your bike to work,
hike in the mountains,
recompile your kernel weekly,
drink Mountain Dew with extra sugar,
play in the dirt with your hands,
make fun and informative web pages,
use the "taste test" when debugging circuits,
run with scissors barefoot in the rain,
or anything similarly off-center,

send us an interesting mail telling us why you think we would like you.

I've done nearly all of those things, if you can substitute "hand-code Z80 machine code" for "recompile your kernel". But I think I'll stick with my boring but very stable job coding VB in the tax accounting business. I'll have time to lick random circuitry when I retire.

Re:Blast from the Past

[marol]

You code Z80 weekly?

Re:Blast from the Past

[RobertB-DC]

You code Z80 weekly?

Yes, very weakly. [rimshot]

Since the description said "if you like to...", I figured I could include my mid-'80s TRS-80 coding skillz as the old-school equivalent of compiling your Linux kernel.

BTW, I'm not talking about using EDTASM (editor/assembler)... my first Z80 coding was in binary. You'd have an opcode like 101xxx11, where xxx depends on which register you're referencing, and I'd plug in the bits, convert to decimal, and POKE the routine into memory. Saving before running was essential, but painful -- all I had was cassette tape storage.

And I walked to school, too! In the snow! Uphill! Both ways!!!

Re:Blast from the Past

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmmm, the sucky VB programmers. If we had this crappy language killed at birth, we wont be having this attitude problem from programmers that have no real skill in programming.

Re:Blast from the Past

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn, with all those computers on retrobox.com they should make a beowolf cluster of them. Would probably make one hella fast one, too.

Re:Blast from the Past

[marol]

I guess machine code can be rather complicated. What's more of a hassle though is coding at a low level, namely writing machine instructions using micro-ops, and then writing programs using said machine instructions. All in binary of course, although after a while you learn to think in terms of hex which makes it a lot easier to plot down on paper. Some of the things I've been enjoying during the spring. The snow had already melted though and my road is downhill (although windy) on the way back ;)

Re:Blast from the Past

[stevey]

I did the same thing with my Spectrum (48k). The orange manual which came with it listed opcodes and their HEX/decimal values.

Without the means to buy an assembler, I'd write out my programs on paper, leving gaps to work out offsets for jumps afterwards.

Once I had it all coded up I'd POKE it into memory to run.

Debugging usually meant starting from scratch, or using small trampolines - as altering instructions was hard because all the offsets nearby had to be adjusted if the new code was bigger than the old.

Happy days ..

Re:Blast from the Past

[Otter]

I've done nearly all of those things, if you can substitute "hand-code Z80 machine code" for "recompile your kernel".

No. You're obviously some geezer who might have some experience with punch cards and COBOL but knows nothing about pointless fiddling with Lunix. Go run with scissors in the rain some more and then send your resume to EDS. Maybe they'll give you an employee discount on an old PRIME.

Re:Blast from the Past

[Arker]

I did the same thing with my old Sinclair too. It was the 2068, Timex built for the US market and similar but not identical to your Spectrum if memory serves. It's really amazing to think of how much we used to do with a CPU running at single-digit megaherz rating and RAM banks that topped out well before reaching three digits. Fact is, I did things with that equipment and the software that came with it that are virtually impossible with todays machines.

Re:Blast from the Past

[FauxPasIII]

> What a blast from the pre-bust past, mixed with a bit of post-bust reality

-nod- And for the most part, it's straight-up. The atmosphere there is very easygoing. I worked there for quite a while, and still do part time. As compared to the hoops I jump through reporting time at my other job, the official time reporting instructions at emperor are "email me a float on the tenth of the month"

3D? Great!

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

My laptop is 2D. I hate the way it's so flat. It's horrible to type on because the keys have no travel. It's easy to bend and tear by accident. Sometimes it's really hard to see because when you look at it edge on it has no thickness. It disappears in piles of paper. A 3D laptop would be much better!

Re:3D? Great!

[switcha]

And you should try to get a cd in the slot loading drive on the side. Talk about threading the needle!

Re:3D? Great!

[BinLadenMyHero]

That reminded me of Flatland :)

Re:3D? Great!

[archen]

I used to have the same problem with a 2D Linux laptop until I installed Gentoo. I had so much time on my hands waiting for KDE to compile that I learned origami and now it's not flat anymore - it's sort of... crane shaped.

Re:3D? Great!

[metamatic]

That's nothing, I could only afford a 1D laptop. I have to read Slashdot a line of pixels at a time.

3D?

[dickeya]

Do we get free 3D glasses?

Re:3D?

[dshea]

You don't need 3D glasses; that's the point. There are essentially two displays on the one screen, and when you switch into "3D" mode, you can see a 3D image without glasses. It can be a bit difficult to see--you have to position your head just right in relation to the screen--but it's a pretty cool effect. It's about the same as watching a 3D movie but without the hardware. dshea@emperorlinux.com

Re:3D?

[dickeya]

You miss my point I still want free 3D glasses.

cha-ching!

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, and I thought Dell was overpriced!

/quits browser

SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP

[gpinzone]

No mention of Linux pre-installed on the Sharp website.

Holy ripoff

[fatwreckfan]

Under "Recommended Accessories" they have a Logitech wheel mouse for $50. Insanity, considering the same mouse can be bought at any computer store for like $20CDN.

Re:Holy ripoff

[Anonymous Coward]

I got that exact same model for myself for $18.

Re:Holy ripoff

[Anonymous Coward]

so unfortunately, what this means is that those of us who want one of these running linux will no doubt buy them with windows preinstalled and then do our own linux installs, and so Bill G still gets his tribute from his subjects, borne to him by his hardware-building minions.

What the people need to know is - can we buy these with no o.s at all and do it our own damn selves? In fact, isn't that the whole point of GNU/Linux, when you think about it?

GPL doesn't mean you can't charge a fortune for it. It does however mean that you do not have to pay a fortune for it, if you're prepared to make the effort.

$3800 US?

[phaetonic]

Why not spend ten minutes earching for a dell laptop review with fedora core 2 some recent 2.6 kernel release that works just as well and buy it for half the price. Is the 3D nonsense this comes with really worth the added price?

Re:$3800 US?

[Iconoplast]

If you need the hardware for scientific visualization or whatever, then yes it is worth the added price. If all you want is a laptop to toy around on, it's probably not worth it to you. It's all about the right tool for the job.

For the purposes of displaying images like this, no Dell laptop works just as well, because no Dell laptop has this feature.

56k modem?

[Anonymous Coward]

People still use those?

Re:56k modem?

[mrjb]

and what about the floppy dive? Better hope that laptop comes with a wetsuit...

Shit, are those American dollars?

[Anonymous Coward]

The Molecule by EmperorLinux - $3600.00

Optical Mouse - $50.00
3Com wifi b/g - $150.00
USB Key 256MB - $120.00

(If I've offended any Canadians with my use of "American", I don't care.)

Re:Shit, are those American dollars?

[Anonymous Coward]

(If I've offended any Canadians with my use of "American", I don't care.)

I don't get it. Why would Canadians be offended by the word "American"? Seriously.

Re:Shit, are those American dollars?

[Lost Engineer]

I've seen this in some places, namely South America. Seeing as how we're all part of the New World and whatnot I suppose we all qualify as American. Since Canada is part of America (a good part IMO) and their currency is dollars as well I suppose they too have "American dollars". I can't see anyone being offended by the reference to the universal currency of the Underground as American dollars. Ahh them benjamins.

Re:Shit, are those American dollars?

[Anonymous Coward]

Canadians get seriously pissed off if you say you live in "America"

Re:Shit, are those American dollars?

[Anonymous Coward]

Since Canada is part of America (a good part IMO) and their currency is dollars as well I suppose they too have "American dollars".

Hmm, if someone thinks Canadian dollars are the same as American dollars, the only person they've offended is themselves with their lack of intelligence. What a weird way to scam oneself...

Re:Shit, are those American dollars?

[Cyberdork]

Canada is (if I'm not totally mistaken) a part of North America, and thus part of America. The Canadian currency must then also be an American currency. American Dollars would then be dollars used in America, wether it be in the US of A, Canada or any other American country.

Wow

[stratjakt]

Almost all the hardware features can be utilised under Linux

I bet the zealots have no problem overlooking the word "almost", but I'd expect to utilize all of the hardware features of a $3600 laptop.

What doesn't work in linux?

Re:Wow

[tricops]

"the only built-in feature unsupported is the internal 56 Kbps modem,"
That's right in the blurb....

Re:Wow

[drinkypoo]

RTFS(tory): The only built-in feature unsupported is the internal 56 Kbps modem

Now I can understand being too lazy to read the article, but the relevant information was actually in the story submission.

You, sir, win THE PRIZE.

Re:Wow

[irokitt]

Well, the modem doesn't work. If you need dial-up, the company selling these babies should provide a PC Card solution. For me, however, the important thing is whether or not the RJ-45 port works, so I can run Ethernet connectivity.

Re:Wow

[Tin Foil Hat]

Near as I can tell, it's just the 56K software modem that doesn't work.

The added value comes in the various tweaks they've made to their Linux OS. It also looks like you have to be a customer to get a copy of it, so you can't cheap out and buy a laptop for half the price of theirs.

Is it worth the extra 600 bucks? I think if I were going to pay 3 grand for a laptop, I might consider it. Linux can be difficult to get to work correctly on laptops, but $600 is nothing to sniff at.

Re:Wow

[dshea]

Well, you can "cheap out" and buy the laptop on your own then send it in for a Depot Install, but the prices come out to about the same as if you bought the laptop from us. The price includes not only the laptop and distro tweaks: it also includes a year of email and phone support. So not only do we help you get Linux, we help you keep it running.

Re:Wow

[Iconoplast]

You're not just paying for having Linux installed. You're paying for support - an actual human on the phone if the machine craps out, or someone to personally reply to your mail. It's also the research that went into making all the hardware work, tracking down drivers, etc.

What a lot of people don't understand here is that big companies, educational institutions, and research groups just don't care about the price. To them, the support, assurance that everything works, and time savings are worth the extra cost. What's $600 compared to the hourly rate of a guy in IT spending an entire week outfitting machines with Linux and verifying that they completely work? People who get their kicks sitting at home and banging on the machine until it works simply aren't the target market for a product like this.

Re:Wow

[Anonymous Coward]

What a lot of people don't understand here is that big companies, educational institutions, and research groups just don't care about the price.

Except that (I was under the impression that) one of the primary reason to use linux is the saved cost in install and support (thanks to communities, free systems), or isn't it ? What's the point of switching from Windows if you end up paying the same (or more) for linux ?

Re:Wow

[Iconoplast]

That option is still available to you. You could purchase this machine from Sharp, download your favorite Linux distribution, and then spend a while tracking down all the proper drivers and config file tweaks. In the end, you have saved money but have spent your time. It's a matter of which you have more of and which you are more willing to spend.

But if you're a big company, you probably don't care about a couple hundred bucks. The time and the guarantee of someone being on the phone is more important. Having some of your employees hunt around on mailing lists or usenet is a less effective use of resources than calling up your supplier and making use of that support contract.

Re:Wow

[phiz187]

RTFS(tory): The only built-in feature unsupported is the internal 56 Kbps modem Now I can understand being too lazy to read the article, but the relevant information was actually in the story submission. You, sir, win THE PRIZE.

I can't believe no-one commented on the the humor of the fact that some company was able to hack the bleeding edge 3D visualzation (autostereo) hardware, yet a winmodem still kicked their asses.

-PHiZ

Re:Wow

[fwitness]

Yeah, that little snippet gave me concerns too.

Especially since we just had a discussion about Linux on the desktop, and the problem of vendor support.

It's discouraging to see someone actually selling a Linux laptop that doesn't even support all of it's own hardware. Yes, it's a minor 56k modem, and it does 3D, but can't we step back a second? Ship a 2D laptop that can run any flavor of Linux, then work on getting the way cool features to work.

This is also similar to cell phone companies striving for 3D gaming on phones whilst I still can't get a clear signal on my cell phone in common areas. "Form following function" is the design principle to emulate. Perhaps we should change that to "Features following fixing the function."

Or, as I call it, "F**k with it after it's finished."

Big fun

[msh104]

this is all great fun, but why not first make some decent 2d linux laptops? it is very hard find yourself a laptop with linux installed and also with good specs (wireless, lan, long living batery, all the things you expect from a laptop). now I can say I don't give a damn about 3d and stuff. I just want to send my mail, read documents, share files, browse internet etc... are all those other features really needed? why can't I but a normal laptop and can I buy a 3d laptop? why?

Re:Big fun

[sugar and acid]

This isn't a laptop built for normal business or student customers. This is a laptop made for engineering and science applications where people have been used to dropping 10 or so grand 10 years ago for the same functionality in a workstation. For instance here is a nutty situation, crystal eyes pioneered LCD shutter glasses. OK, now you can buy good lcd shutter glasses for about $100 dollars, but if you want to buy crystal eyes its about $1000. Now the build quality of the crystal eyes are better, and the lcd shutter in them is larger, but this is definately not worth 10 times as much, they are just the standard that everybody buys.

Ow my Eye!

[TBone]

Gives a whole new meaning to "pop-up" doesn't it?

Memory Stick

[FrostedWheat]

Sony Memory Stick slot

This would be a good reason *NOT* to buy it.

Re:Memory Stick

[JeanBaptiste]

just curious why you dont like sony memory sticks

i use them in my digital camera and they seem to work great

please enlighten

thank you

Re:Memory Stick

[sharkey]

Well, you can use it to store a spare stick of gum...

Re:Memory Stick

[Anonymous Coward]

He has Memory Stick Envy. It's just like penis envy but instead it's with a memory stick.

Re:Memory Stick

[FrostedWheat]

More than twice as expensive, limited sizes and it's proprietary nature. And Sony's pointless insistance that all it's products support it, despite there being three better alternatives.

Take a look at the accessories at the bottom. . .

[Rogue Leader]

Notice the 256MB Lexar USB keychain drive; For $120.00. Same item is selling for under $50 on Newegg. Yeah, EmperorLinux seems like the kind of site I'd like to do business with. I wonder if they ever sold toilet seats to the Pentagon.

What the rest of us want to know...

[freeze128]

Does it have drivers for Windows?

How about Sound/modem Drivers for DOS (you heard me!)?

coco

[Anonymous Coward]

My Ten year old COCO Can run rings round that laptop. and Is alot more stable.

A bit expensive, but it has potential

[InternationalCow]

At $3600, it will be something of a luxury laptop and a gizmo, considering the number of Linux users who are in disciplines that deal with 3D imaging. Except, perhaps, game and movie designers I think. Most molecular imaging people that I know use SUN, SGI or HP hardware still. I don't think that stuff like RasMol or Cn3D (for protein structure viewing) currently supports it. Knowing the Linux community, it pobably soon will be. Then, this machine can potentially be a great tool for scientists. You can go and view all of your proteins in 3D which will help immensely with the interpretation of mutations for instance, while avoiding the need for proprietary hardware and OSes. Then we can break free of friggin' MS. You won't believe how many times I cannot fill out a grant application because it's a .exe.. A vital app such as 3d molecular imaging should be a good place to start.

Re:A bit expensive, but it has potential

[cavemanf16]

Well I've seen the molecular imaging apps running on a fellow slashdotter's Apple G5 system about 6 months ago. (He's a bioinformatics PhD, but I'll keep is uid confidential for now) It was really sharp, and ran perfectly fine. Since Mac OS X uses a base similar to Linux, I don't see why you couldn't view these same molecular structures on Linux already. I would think at worst it'd be a matter of porting the source code for the display program which would take *some* time, but probably wouldn't be that difficult given that it already runs in a Mac OS X environment.

Still, $3600 is steep, but I'll be waiting for one of these systems to show up on ebay in 6-12 months. ;)

How 3D works (without the Glasses)

[startleman]

. . . is explained here.

Re:How 3D works (without the Glasses)

[Anonymous Coward]

The text says "click here" but you can't actually click!

IT'S A TRAP!!

autostereo display

[minus_273]

if you were wondering how it might work, here is a link on auto stereo displays

Holy crap!

[HaloZero]

3D?! Wow! Never before have I seen a laptop that has width, length, AND depth. COOL!
BR *gently pushes corner of ThinkPad* O_O! DUDE! It looks like mine is compatible!

weks!

[Anonymous Coward]

weks sez he luvs u all.....
so dont be hatign on teh weks....
n dont kick teh weks.....
or weks wil be angry wid u.........
ok??? gud!!

\@O@/

I see it as a step forward for Linux

[FerretFrottage]

I too go why 3D for that much money, but then again look at the benefits to the Linux community.

--Linux has been getting mainstream press thanks to SCO, and all the Window viruses; people have heard of it.

--Now you're in come public place with your nice ~$4000 laptop and someone sees the cool 3D effect (hopefully non-porn related).

"Cool, I wish my laptop could do that" (even though the person doesn't know why they wish their lappy could do it) "What version of Windows is that?"

"It's not Windows, it's Linux"

It may just be a small attention getter, but a lot of small attention getters can add up to a big boost of Linux awareness among the [general] public.

Re:I see it as a step forward for Linux

[YrWrstNtmr]

It may just be a small attention getter, but a lot of small attention getters can add up to a big boost of Linux awareness among the [general] public.

And launching a Linux laptop into the ultrageeky, ultraexpensive realm.

A real attention getter would be a $600 Linux laptop, with a current chipset (more MHz!), that did all the standard home user stuff, easily.

Re:I see it as a step forward for Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh... You do know this laptop is normally sold with WindowXP, right? So... 99% of the people that buy one of these will be running WindowsXP with a 3D display. Get it?

-1 Overrated.

3D was so yesterday

[Psymunn]

2D, 3D, man that's so yesterday?
My laptop (supplemented with my flux capacitor powered N-Vidia card) has 4 dimensions. Thanks to this wonderful feature I can see it Crashing while it's booting up.

Re:3D was so yesterday

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree with out any of the standards like WiFi and good battery life, a laptop is useless. Linux or no Linux.

Re:3D was so yesterday

[lightknight]

Funny you should mention that: I've researched in that area.

You think 3D is difficult, 4D (3D + time) is like walking on broken glass. Surprisingly, ideas tend to come rather easily with 4D (as opposed to 3D). And it's effects are most satisfying (3D file objects, complete with delta records and a commit buffer: easy protection against viruses, worms, trojans, stupidity and they look cool to boot!).

-Ryan

Re:3D was so yesterday

[MrNemesis]

Pfah! You're using your 4D laptop all wrong.

*My* 4D laptop anticipates a crash, and goes on to install the bugfixed version from the future. The best part of it is, if I'm late for a piece of work, I can tell my laptop to go back and give me more time to do it.

I'm currently running kernel 3.8.92 and playing Duke Nukem Forever ;^)

Re:3D was so yesterday

[Rupan]

That's funny. My laptop doesn't have a 4D-powered NVIDIA chip in it, but it used to do that all the time when I had Windows on it. Go figure.

Not in the summary

[Anonymous Coward]

* 15.0" Active XGA TFT runs X@1024x768x24bpp w/ NVIDIA GeForce4 graphics. * 2800 MHz P4-M, 512 KB L2 cache * Weight: 10.1 Lbs * Power: 1 hr on Li-Ion battery

Re:Take a look at the accessories at the bottom. .

[dickeya]

I think I saw a $200 hammer somewhere on their site......... I'll take two.

1 Hour Battery Life

[Anonymous Coward]

3 kilobucks for a laptop with 1 HOUR battery life? No thanks.

Re:1 Hour Battery Life

[cbreaker]

Give any notebook a few months, and you'll get an hour out of the battery on those too, no matter how many hours they say they will run at.

Sure, maybe without a screen on, they all last the claimed 4 hours..

What Good is a 3D Laptop?

[Anonymous Coward]

Obvious Answer: pr0n!

"Almost"

[Czernobog]

is not good enough and as such the product does not exist for the possible Linux buyer.

3D in front of the screen only ?

[freeduke]

I read about this technology when it was launched in Japan, but I have concerns about the viewing angle that allows to watch the screen in real 3D. In fact this technology is based on the same as the small cards made of plastic and paper, that allow you to see a kind of animated 3D caracters. And here, even with explanations on sharp site, I would say that there should be some problems when you are not exactly in front of your screen... If someone has got an answer about this accuracy. Moreover, this technology is not used for professional 3D computer visualization.

Re:3D in front of the screen only ?

[emorphien]

It's called a lenticular image, if I'm understanding you correctly. That grooved piece of plastic on the surface is a lenticle (a type of lens basically) and it allows vertical (or horizontal but in this case vertical) strips to carry different information. You could turn the laptop 90 degrees and just see a mess.

Re:3D in front of the screen only ?

[Anonymous Coward]

A few years back, even 2D LCDs had such a restricted viewing angle.

Re:3D in front of the screen only ?

[freeduke]

Of course, but this did not depend on limitations due to LCD technology, while, it is the case here. Dissociation of the 2 pictures is done on the same screen, depending on the viewing angle for each eye. This is a real technology limitation because with this, nothing can prevent you from mixing the 2 pictures. Other solutions involve a physical separation of the 2 eyes, with 3D lenses that have a filter that select the eye intended to see each picture out of an animation, or tiny video projectors that display each eye's point of view from a 3D scene on the retina. Those are really realistic, even if the use of lenses introduce blinking pictures, because it implies a division of the frame rate by a factor of 2. So I am waiting for the tiny video projectors.

Re:3D in front of the screen only ?

[Jumperwillow]

Funny, When I turn my laptop 90 degrees, I don't see a mess, I see the person behind it...

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[Anonymous Coward]

That's because its not Sharp thats selling these to you. And EmperorLinux even offers to install a dual boot of Windows XP at your request. Still not worth the $3600 IMHO but hey that's just me.

terrible!

[tekunokurato]

10.1 pounds? an hour of battery life? Jesus, why bother? That's absolutely terrible.

Re:terrible!

[Iconoplast]

Everything in a laptop is a tradeoff game. Want fancier graphics/more powerful CPU/wireless/faster hard drive? You're gonna pay for it in weight and power consumption. Want to lighten the machine a bit? You're gonna pay for that in display size and power consumption. This thing essentially has two video displays crammed on top of each other to provide the 3D effect, which really kills the battery life. But if the display is the most important aspect to you, you're probably going to toss it on a desk and plug it into the wall.

Yes it's a niche product, but not every piece of hardware can be good for every possible situation. If you want something with excellent battery life and is very lightweight, the Sharp MM20 or IBM X series are both good. The Dell X300 is pretty nice too.

Emperor Linux

[mcelrath]

Keep in mind that Emperor Linux purchases name-brand laptops with windows and removes the windows. You're paying for windows you're not using . For a list of companies that sell linux laptops and do not do this check here. -- Bob

Re:Emperor Linux

[dshea]

The companies on this list sell either used laptops or non-brandname laptops. As noted on the site, this isn't much of an issue as far as components, but it is for support. There will be no hardware or warranty support with these machines.

No attempt at deception is being made here. The laptops come with windows, and most people want them that way. If you don't want windows, we'll remove it for you. No lies, no smoke and mirrors. You simply aren't going to find a laptop from Sharp, IBM or Dell that doesn't come with a Windows license.

Re:Emperor Linux

[NeoSkandranon]

Why is your sig about a 6th grade algebra mistake?

Re:Emperor Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

You simply aren't going to find a laptop from Sharp, IBM or Dell that doesn't come with a Windows license.

define laptop

Re:Emperor Linux

[layer3switch]

It's ironic OEM will distribute products to reseller with the OS license as mandatory, but resellers can't remove OS license from OEM product and return it back to OEM as defective part.

ps: shouldn't that be 2=0 or 1=i? then again, both are just wrong.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[VivianC]

No mention of Linux pre-installed on the Sharp website.

That, and it's $600 cheaper with XP instaled. So much for the Microsoft tax.

How does this 3D compare to others

[elgatozorbas]

All ok and well that you don't need glasses, but I can imagine glasses are a bit more forgiving with respect to thje viewer's position. Do they give any info on that?

Re:How does this 3D compare to others

[Anonymous Coward]

Red/green lenses suck. The effect is not immediate and easily lost. Polarized lenses would be perfect but cannot be used (so far) without special expensive displays. Shutter lenses give a perfect 3D image but each eye only sees at half the normal frame rate which sucks and they sometimes induce epileptic seizures.

Re:How does this 3D compare to others

[dshea]

My personal experience with the RD3D is that, yes, it is very particular about your position. You need to position your head in the center of the display area and particular distance away from the monitor in order to see anything. There's a little colored bar at the bottom of the screen that turns red as you get closer to help you find this spot.

Glasses may allow a bit more leeway in this respect, but if not using the happy headache-inducing shutters mentioned in another comment, the display method would need to be similar (i.e., two interlaced images at different angles), and you'd still need to carry around extra hardware. The RD3D is proabably the simplest way to get a 3D display to the average user.

Re:How does this 3D compare to others

[Anonymous Writer]

Polarized lenses would be perfect but cannot be used (so far) without special expensive displays.

This (.pdf) doesn't look like it would be too expensive.

This is great!

[callipygian-showsyst]

We've been supplying 3D products, like our 3D WebCam for years now, but potential customers are put off by the viewing methods that require glasses.

I'm really hoping that autostereo displays will catch on, not just for gaming, but for natural appearance 3D photography.

Once you've seen how nice a 3D photo can appear (the best way is to view Realist 3D Slides on a polarized screen), you'll never want to go pack to "flat" photography again.

Re:This is great!

[maskedbishounen]

Just what I've always wanted.. a webcam of a guy reading /.!

If exploited properly, this could be as big as blogging. ;)

My Substitute

[blunte]

I'd have to take a substitution on the circuit licking myself.

I've sent suspected-bad UARTs to their fiery deaths with the aid of a tough little punch board and a variable power supply...

Did you know you can actually cause a small jet of flames to shoot out of the center of a heat-induced crack in a UART chip? It's most impressive, if only for 1.5 seconds.

And I'm sure you know that all UARTs go to heaven. For ours, heaven was the gpysum ceiling tiles in the lab. They punch down nicely, and they'll stay there for years if your professors are short and rarely look straight up.

OpenGL rendered in 3D?

[Tekmage]

So, the Linux drivers exist, and I know they have hardware-accelerated OpenGL support built in... Does anyone know if this machine+display combo will work "out of the box" without any tweaks to applications?

An option or two applied to XF86Config is OK by me, but per-application mods would be a little excessive... Anyone tried UT2K4 on one yet?

Re:OpenGL rendered in 3D?

[Anonymous Coward]

OpenGL has to render two frames for each 3D frame you see this way, one left and one right. there are some development kits / 3D widgets that do this already (libqglviewer). You get half the framerate unless you've got doubled-up hardware (yeah right).

You still need app changes.

Viewable Angle

[tyler_larson]

The viewable angle on these computers in 3-D mode has got to be awful. 10 degrees off and you lose your picture entirely, since they use "an optical parallax barrier" to control which eye sees which pixel.

I think my neck would start to hurt after more than 10 minutes of game play from trying to hold still.

The only important question has to be....

[tolan-b]

what about Quake?

software?

[willCode4Beer.com]

I'm still waiting for a review of someone who's actually used one of these.

So, what linux software do we have that will take advantage of this? Are there Mesa or Glide extensions?

I'd love to try one of these but, if none of my apps use it then whats the point?

So, basically...

[shihonage]

... it's an LCD screen with zero-degree viewing angle. All those years of progress... erased.

The sucky part...

[tha_mink]

Almost all the hardware features can be utilised under Linux;

I love linux. I do. But I hate reading about a linux company putting out a linux machine with the sentence "Almost all the hardware features can be utilised under Linux;" What's with the "almost"? Why can't ALL of the hardware features be "utilised" under linux. C'mon this isn't BeOS we're talking about.

Re:The sucky part...

[prestomation]

The only part that isn't compatible is the 56k modem, and i doubt many of us here would use it anyway.

Re:The sucky part...

[tha_mink]

The only part that isn't compatible is the 56k modem, and i doubt many of us here would use it anyway.

I use the modem on my windows laptop all the time. In fact, I would bet I use the modem more than the NIC since I really only use the machine when I am mobile and not around a broadband connection.

Re:Take a look at the accessories at the bottom. .

[Trepalium]

And $50 Logitech mouse, that you can buy direct from Logitech for half that, and probably even less at any retail store without even needing a sale. Or the $150 3COM 802.11b/g PC card that you can pick up for 60% less anywhere else. Or even their 60GB hard drive upgrade for $500, that I can get for less than half price in Canadian funds, ignoring the exchange rate, here and it's a faster drive, too!

For anyone who's buying from them, stay away from the accessories. Mice are universal, PS/2 or USB. Laptop hard drives are universal, and the only thing you might need to worry about is height (9.5mm or smaller?). Laptop memory may not be completely universal, but it's pretty easy to find compatible stuff. All or virtually all external USB storage devices are compatible with Linux.

Fantastic Progress for Linux

[base_chakra]

First anti-aliased fonts, now this!

if this runs linux then...

[naph]

...why does it have a "SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP" logo on the page????

right there in YELLOW of all colors! sheesh!

Re:if this runs linux then...

[bairy]

A lot of computer vendor companies have that. I think it's partly a marketing thing. Stick something that your average joe has heard of on the front page and it might sell better. Stick "Mandrake linux" (or whoever on it) and joe won't have a clue what it is.

It is bizarre though as companies could offer pc's 70+ cheaper if they bundled linux and a manual.

Yes, but...

[ChibiOne]

... does it run Linu...
Oh, it does! ^_^; Nevermind then!

What the f***

[Tharald]

Sorry, but I would like to state my opinion: what the f**k? this is news? When I installed Mandrake 9.2 and later 10.0 on my 1 year old toshiba satellite, everything worked ok (3d graphics, firewire, but not the SD cardreader...) I dont really see the news in this article. But thats OK, but what really pisses me off is that anyone still uses the memory stick thingy. I dont ever want to have that proprietary shit be part of what I buy again. I have a Zaurus with SD card reader and CF card reader. Two nice standards, universally accepted. Then I have a Sony Clie with only a Memory stick reader. What the **** is that? what am I supposed to use the slot for? This is one of the most important issues I have against Sony, and one of the reasons I am switching to the new Zaurus 6000.

I think the Idea of a nice Linux notebook is cool, but could people please help me boycot the Memory stick thing. I want general standards, and the world has settled on SD and CF...

Re:What the f***

[The MESMERIC]

is memory stick like a USB pen drive? or is it something else?

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[bit01]

Classic. They are paying the M$ tax.

EmperorLinux had to uninstall M$Windows before installing Linux because the 3D laptop is not available unbundled with an M$Windows license.

---

It's wrong that an intellectual property creator should not be rewarded for their work.
It's equally wrong that an IP creator should be rewarded too many times for the one piece of work, for exactly the same reasons.
Reform IP law and stop the M$/RIAA abuse.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[MonkeyCookie]

That, and it's $600 cheaper with XP instaled. So much for the Microsoft tax.

They have to pay SCO their $699. :)

This makes this laptop even a better deal, because you're getting linux for $99 cheaper!

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[Iconoplast]

We don't HAVE to uninstall Windows. Customers who want to dual boot are more than welcome to. Customers who only want Linux can have that, but are advised that they will still have a Windows license. Simply put, at our volumes it is impossible to get machines from a big-name vendor without Windows. Hell, at most people's volumes this is impossible. Microsoft has very strong contracts with laptop suppliers.

But like I said, customers who want Linux only are advised they will still be paying for Windows because we have to. Almost none of them care, because they understand the situation.

Not a graphics laptop...

[DanielJH]

Lets see 1024x768? No mention of a graphics chip. That should consern you. I have demoed simular screens. They are great conversation pieces, but I don't know of anyone who wants to look at one for any length of time. The image quality is generially bad compaired to Stereo Graphics or Nuvision.

BTW: If you are looking for a linux graphics workstation in a laptop...take a look at Dell M60 with the Nvidia quadro 700 Go. My company has purchaced several of these work horses and the only compaint we have is the wide screen when used with a projector. 1920x1200 is a great work environment however.

Re:Not a graphics laptop...

[Iconoplast]

There's nothing to be concerned about. lspci says:

nVidia Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 440 Go 64M] (rev a3)

As for maximum resolution, it's so low because basically it's using half the available pixels to go to the left eye and the other half to go to the right. Naturally, that is going to decrease the maximum resolution. The Dell D800 has a similar ridiculous max resolution.

About the modem...

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a couple of fairly expensive modems that won't work under Damn Small Linux, unless you remaster, to add wvdial. One is a pcmcia modem that was nearly $230.00, and the other an ISA modem that was $80.00.
I suppose they started with a base notebook computer that had a winmodem built in, not removeable, so they were stuck with it.

I can't wait to type ls on one of these!!!

[cks3]

bash in 3-D...NICE!

not off topic

[apachetoolbox]

I wouldn't buy hardware that only runs on windows, so why is it ok to buy hardware that would only run linux?

Although I'm sure it would run fine in windows as well.

Re:not off topic

[jtev]

Yes, it's ok to buy hardware that only runs on Linux if you're only planing on running Linux, if you're only planing on running MS Windows *shudders* it's ok to buy hardware that only runs on MS Windows. If you decide to migrate after deciding you're Only going to run that OS god help you.

3DNow? i got that now!

[apachetoolbox]

:D

obligitory (or is it?)

[Chuck Bucket]

when they outlaw 3d laptops, only outlaws will have 3d laptops.

just the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline.

CB

RTFA: Not 3D graphics... stereoscopic 3D.

[Anonymous Coward]

The Sharp laptop has stereoscopic 3D support without the need for special glasses. Your year old Toshiba laptop does not do that, does it? Support for the stereoscopic viewmode LCD in a Linux distribution is why this posting was news.

Wow!

[Anonymous Coward]

Almost all the hardware can be used? What a triumph for Linux! Next stop, world desktop domination! /rolleyes

Gee Whiz

[Anonymous Coward]

Gee Whiz: viewing a Linux desktop's shitty graphics in three dimensions.

What a thrill.

EmperorLinux Rocks

[meonkeys]

I just bought the Meteor (Sharp Actius MM20) from EmperorLinux. I highly recommend the laptop and the company. I was able to unpack the box and turn it on the moment it arrived, ready to go! The support is quite helpful as well.

Re:Take a look at the accessories at the bottom. .

[t1m0r4n]

For anyone who's buying from them, stay away from the accessories.

For some strange reason, I don't agree with that. If you are looking to go the cheap route for a linux laptop, you are better off installing it yourself. But, if you want simplicity, the extra money is nothing. In addition, spending a bit more is nice to support a company that is trying to be good.

But because I am a raging hypocrite, in a few weeks I'm buying an Apple notebook. :P My first time without a linux laptop since buying a brand spanking new 25 MHz 486 with 4 meg of ram just for linux (and four newer models since then).

There IS a true 3D display...

[Anonymous Writer]

Here is a spatial 3D display that isn't a flat screen.

Re:There IS a true 3D display...

[cavebear42]

Thank you for maiking my point clear. If I could mod in stories I wrote in, I would mod u up.

Re:There IS a true 3D display...

[Anonymous Writer]

Yeah, but your original post is modded a -1 Troll, so nobody can see that I was actually responding to your comment!

Re:There IS a true 3D display...

[cavebear42]

That's funny. At one point in time, it was +3 informative. I really didn't mean to troll but don't really care that people think it was.

linux foooools! '' ALMOST all the hardware!

[Anonymous Coward]

'almost all the hardware can be used under Linux' ... damn, now thats just good advertising!

and you damn linux fanboys just can't see why so many people are happy to keep using windows.

buy my car, almost all the tires turn!

buy my house, almost all the roof is water-tight!

Killer app

[fpedraza]

3D porn!

What's the point?

[Boson245]

Immediately I had a few thoughts without RTFA. With an afterthought 3d algorithm the proportions won't be accurate. I could see real use for this with topology or for an avid gamer, but if the programs aren't able to pass spatial information for the screen why bother? I can appreciate a proof of technology and anything linux must be great..right, but this just seems a little too early.

Old 2D Laptop

[fok]

I'm selling my old 2D laptop to buy a new 3D laptop.
Here's the pictures:

Front view, chassis closed:

_________________

Side view, chassis closed:

_________


Anyone interested?

suse 9.0 3d-desktop

[phreakv6]

have you tried this http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3/stat/4/idpl/117649 2/com/3ddesktop-0.2.5-1suse90.i686.rpm.html gives a pretty good 3d feel with a good graphics card

Re:suse 9.0 3d-desktop

[Anonymous Coward]

The screenshots look kind of like that new 3d desktop from Sun though not near as polished. But it looks cool. I am going to try it.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[Harry8]

Almost none of them care, because they understand the situation.
I very much doubt it. Almost all of them are resigned to the fact that nothing much can be done about it right now.
Maybe.
Don't care? Hmmm... I've not met too many people who 'don't care' about having to buy something expensive that they will never use.
More specifically people who use linux, often don't like windows or Microsoft, so donating what $500 to this company for no good reason..?
Don't kid yourself.
If you doubt it, offer 2 or 3 random customers a $500 discount for the laptop without the windows licence. See how many don't care either way.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[bit01]

Thanks for the correction. The main point stands however; the M$ tax is still included in the price of the laptop, whether they're using M$Windows or not, thus making true price competition on the OS impossible.

Microsoft has very strong contracts

True. They have been the subject of anti-trust court cases.

Almost none of them care, because they understand the situation

Yes, customers are resigned to it. That doesn't mean it's right.

---

It's wrong that an intellectual property creator should not be rewarded for their work.
It's equally wrong that an IP creator should be rewarded too many times for the one piece of work, for exactly the same reasons.
Reform IP law and stop the M$/RIAA abuse.

Re:Killer app - Gamez

[veldstra]

THe killer app would indeed be porn, but don't forget games. They already made the home pc evolve into something you wouldn't dare to dream 10 years ago, and games are still pushing the leading edge in graphics. I can't wait to have such a screen, if there's a bunch of games for it.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[Iconoplast]

More specifically people who use linux, often don't like windows or Microsoft, so donating what $500 to this company for no good reason..? Don't kid yourself. If you doubt it, offer 2 or 3 random customers a $500 discount for the laptop without the windows licence. See how many don't care either way.

I'm not sure where you're getting your figures from, but I'm betting they're wrong. Let's say I'm Sharp or Dell, and I'm pushing 10,000 laptops a month onto the streets in the US. I don't know whether that figure is high or low, but it sounds good to me. Do you honestly think Microsoft is going to charge me $500 to install Windows onto each laptop, when I could just walk over to CompUSA and purchase the full copy of Windows XP for $200?

I don't know the exact figure, but this Windows tax is smaller than people make it out to be. They are not donating $500 to Microsoft.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[Harry8]

Yeah, I'm pulling $500 out of my, ahem, hat. This was indicated by the "what" directly before the $500 and was an attempt to indicate a rough guess.

Though USD$200 has a way of becoming AUD$500 :)

However the number is just a number. I would guess many linux users would say that Windows is too expensive and prefer not to purchase it at anything more that $0.50

Pick any numbers you like, the point stands.
To say that customers don't care about not having the choice to not purchase an operating system they clearly don't prefer, is wrong. Of course they care. They may simply be resigned to it, but I doubt you'll find too many who 'want' to purchase a copy of windows they won't use.

Re:SHARP recommends Microsoft® Windows®

[VivianC]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I didn't fully understand the situation. Best of luck. Knowing that hardware on certain machines is supported in Linux is very helpful but, for me, it isn't worth the extra $600 for the install. My budget is too small.

2D isn't all that good

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

My last 2D laptop was a Klein Bottle. Try reading /. when the text keeps flipping backwards when you scroll down too far.