Hasta La Gadget!

Many of us are perfectly content viewing only 2D content on our mobile devices, but if you’ve been dying to add a bit more depth to your smartphone’s display, Global Wave may have just what you’re looking for. At the 3D and Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo, the Japanese company demoed its Pic3D sheet, which converts your Windows-based desktop or laptop, or iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into a 3D display. The sheet uses a lenticular lens system instead of a parallax barrier for a smoother, more consistent image, yielding a reported 90-percent transmission level and 120-degree field of view. The company’s Windows and iOS apps output video in a side-by-side format, simulating a 3D image. The software also allows you to view side-by-side content from the web, submitting the YouTube URL of a compatible video, for example — perhaps not the most elegant solution, but a good start, if it works. Prices range from ¥2,000 (about $25) for an iPhone or iPod touch sheet, all the way up to ¥15,000 (about $186) for a 23-inch desktop version. We’ll be on the lookout for Pic3D at the Tokyo Game Show in September, but in the meantime, you can get Diginfo TV‘s take in their video after the break.

Continue reading Pic3D sheet brings glasses-free 3D to iPhone for $25

Pic3D sheet brings glasses-free 3D to iPhone for $25 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG is talking up its forthcoming DM50D 3D monitor — not a lot, mind you, but just enough to get us interested. The company offered up a largely spec-free press release on the forthcoming set, heralding the adoption of passive 3D glasses, “Flicker Free” capabilities borrowed from its Cinema 3D TV line, and double the brightness of conventional 3D sets. The display has a built-in DTV turner, HDMI capabilities for connecting with 3D-capable consoles and the like, and the ability to view images and videos directly from a USB flash drive. It’ll be hitting Europe in July, with more of the world getting a crack at it later. Peep the 2D release after the break.

Continue reading LG’s DM50D HDTV / monitor promotes a passive 3D lifestyle

LG’s DM50D HDTV / monitor promotes a passive 3D lifestyle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A no-name PMP selling for $179 at Brando — purveyor of all things inexpensive, electronic and often USB-powered — may not ordinarily make the grade for us, but this so-called Gadmei P83 device has one somewhat notable trick up its sleeve. It packs an 8-inch, 1,280 x 768 display that’s able to do glasses-free 3D video. Of course, you’re left to yourself to actually hunt down or provide your own compatible video files, and the PMP itself is decidedly ordinary otherwise: 4GB of storage, an SD card slot for expansion, and the usual media playback capabilities and nothing more (no one’s going to confuse this for a tablet). Still curious? Head on past the break for a video that offers a slightly more accurate depiction of the device than the image above.

Continue reading Gadmei P83 PMP does glasses-free 3D for $179

Gadmei P83 PMP does glasses-free 3D for $179 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where would we be without the world’s graduate art projects? In the case of Markus Kayser’s Solar Sinter, we might never have seen the day when a solar-powered 3D printer would turn Saharan sand into a perfectly suitable glass bowl. Well, lucky for us (we suppose) we live in a world overflowing with MA students, and awash in their often confusing, sometimes inspiring projects. Solar Sinter, now on display at the Royal College of Art, falls into the latter category, taking the Earth’s natural elements, and turning them into functioning pieces of a burgeoning technology. Solar Sinter uses the sun’s rays in place of a laser and sand in place of resin, in a process that is perhaps more visually stunning than the results. See for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading Solar Sinter solar-powered 3D printer turns sand into glass, renews our faith in higher education (video)

Solar Sinter solar-powered 3D printer turns sand into glass, renews our faith in higher education (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 00:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s official: everyone has a 3D HDTV. No, not every consumer — not even close — but with Westinghouse’s official entry into the 3D market earlier this week, nearly every television manufacturer, both large and small, has brought at least one 3D product to market. We took a look at the 47-inch Westinghouse W47S2TCD at the CEA LineShows in NYC today, and were actually somewhat impressed with its performance, especially from a distance of more than six feet. Passive displays still don’t offer the same level of quality as 3D sets that use active glasses, but they’re often more affordable, and adequate for most consumers. Our biggest issue with this display is with backlight bleed just above the Westinghouse logo, which is especially noticeable with darker content or when navigating through system menus.

The TV carries a MSRP of $1,200, but Westinghouse says to expect a street price of “well below” $1,000, which should help it compete with other budget sets. It uses passive technology and ships with four pairs of glasses, though the manufacturer claims that you should be able to use other polarized glasses, including those RealD specs you’ll forget to return after dropping $19 on your next 3D IMAX movie. Jump past the break for a hands-on video from the show floor.

Continue reading Westinghouse first 3D HDTV hands-on (video)

Westinghouse first 3D HDTV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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