14 DAY TRIAL // Every manufacturer out there seems to be investing heavily in 3D these days and, although I for one ain't that impressed with the way that 3D is shaping up these days, ViewSonic at least tried to do things a little bit differently with their 3DV5 pocket sized camcorder that doesn't require those cumbersome glasses for 3D playback.
This is made possible by the use of a 2.4 inch autosterescopic screen, not so different from the one used in Nintendo's upcoming 3DS portable console, the 3DV5 also coming with an HDMI output so you can watch the recorded content on your 3D enabled HDTV if you feel the need for a larger screen.
But this is not all, since the recorded video can also be uploaded to YouTube 3D, ViewSonic delivering a pair of 'anaglyph' glasses together with its camcorder that can be used even with standard 2D computer monitors.
However, moving past all this 3D business, the £150 (about $238 US) asked for the 3DV5 won't get you that much as far as pocket camcorders go, ViewSonic's model being limited to 720p recordings and coming in with a measly 10MB internal storage space, so you are pretty much constrained to buy a SD storage card.
"Everyone has watched 3D movies at the cinema, and lots of people are considering purchasing a 3D compatible display, whether a TV, monitor or projector.
However, there is a lack of available 3D content, and people want to create 3D content that they will be able to watch for years to come," says James Coulson, European product marketing manager, ViewSonic.
"The ViewSonic 3DV5 makes it easy for anyone to create future-proof, high quality 3D home movies and also shoot in standard 2D.
As well as being easy to use, the camcorder is also excellent value for money, and will make a great gift this Christmas," concluded the company's rep.
I pretty much call this wishful thinking on ViewSonic's part, but if you so badly need to make part of this whole 3D bandwagon business then the 3DV5 could actually deserve a second look.