Should start selling by the end of the month

Jun 17, 2010 12:38 GMT  ·  By

Until late last year, some may not have believed it if analysts suddenly stated that 3D would grow in popularity over the next months. Time has passed, however, and, sure enough, the 3D phenomenon is on the verge of becoming the next craze. Multiple films have been and are rendered in 3D, and 3D TV broadcasts are already airing. As such, it is hardly surprising to hear that a PC or display maker has developed a device that supports this mode.

It can easily be assumed that most, if not all, PC makers intend to release a 3D laptop eventually, if they haven't already. The one to break the silence this time is Lenovo, whose IdeaPad Y560d may actually change the pace at which the industry has been advancing. So far, the NVIDIA 3D Vision has been the main technology used on 3D notebooks and desktops, but Lenovo seeks to distance itself from the fold.

To achieve this goal, the PC supplier opted for TriDef's 3D technology, also present in the Acer Aspire 5738DG. This solution is composed of special software and polarized glasses which can synchronize the two sets of images displayed on the specially-coated screen. Basically, the technology is meant to convert 2D content into 3D. As for actual specifications, the laptop is centered around an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, paired with the ATI Radeon HD 5720 GPU and backed up by up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM.

Lenovo plans to provide the option of the RapidDrive technology, which combines an HDD and an SSD, to improve boot times. The only drawback so far known is that the machine won't support 3D Blu-ray content. As for pricing and availability, the IdeaPad Y560d is expected to start shipping by the end of the month and will have a starting tag of $1,200.