LG Brings 3D to Smartphones

Everyone is talking about 3D movies, TV and Blu-ray players, but these are starting to get passé, so our attention is turning to 3D smartphones. What’s even more impressive is that LG is not only about to launch a 3D phone, but is about to launch a 3D phone that doesn’t require glasses. The company intended to reveal its groundbreaking device at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (14 – 17 February 2011, Barcelona, Spain), but, as so often happens when new technology is about to hit the market, news of the phone was leaked and LG no longer has the element of surprise.

The phone falls under LG’s Optimus range and is unimaginatively called LG Optimus 3D.

The leaked news (or should that be “leaked” news) appeared on ThePhoneHouse, when a Dutch retailer posted a picture of the phone on its website. The retailer realised its mistake quickly enough and removed the image but it was still too late to escape the notice of eagle-eyed smartphone fundis who couldn’t wait to start speculating, hypothesising, and pronouncing premature judgement.

One of the biggest criticisms is a valid one: how well will 3D work on a smartphone’s small screen? As a rule of thumb, 3D works best on big screens, that’s why 3D films do so well in cinemas. The excitement abates as the screens get smaller. Even really big screen TVs have been criticised for not being able to provide a full 3D experience. As we know, the biggest smartphone screens are still much, much smaller than the smallest TV screen, which leaves many people asking if there is a point to developing the technology.

On the other hand, some people are very excited about the potential 3D brings to apps. Creating smartphone apps is a very lucrative and competitive business. Throw 3D into the mix and you can bet your bottom dollar that there’ll be a stampede of computer boffins trying to lead the way, which will only be outdone by the stampede of consumers trying to secure the bragging rights that come with being the earliest adopter.

Another concern that many people must be thinking but that few people are voicing out loud is cost. 3D TVs are not cheap and neither are high-end smartphones. As LG tries to combine the two, one can only imagine the dent the Optimus 3D will put in your wallet.