14 DAY TRIAL // 3D devices have been around for a while, but one of the reasons they haven’t been adopted in mass by consumers is that they require an extra accessory, glasses.
Some TV sets out there might have replaced the active sets with passive spectacles, but glasses are still needed for the full 3D experience.
But now Hammacher Schlemmer, a company that boasts it is offering “the best, the only and the unexpected for 165 year” has unveiled a glassless 3D tablet.
The slate, ostentatiously called, the No Glasses 3D tablet sports an 8-inch LCD screen capable of showing 3D content by delivering “a slightly different set of pixels to each eye.”
Apparently, the parallax barrier layer placed on top of the display is able to create depth without necessitating the use of any annoying, color-distorting lenses.
The 8-inch screen sports a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels which is decent enough to display video and pictures of an acceptable quality. There’s 16GB of storage onboard, extendable to 32GB via USB drives and SDHC memory cards.
There’s two cameras available (a 2MP one on the back and 0.3MP in front) and Bluetooth function. Android 4.1 is the default operating system here and the battery is expected to last for 5-7 hours of use. The slate is said to be able to automatically distinguish between 3D and 2D content, so users don’t have to fiddle with any settings.
If a glassless 3D tablet sounds good to you, you should know that Hammacher Schlemmer plans to ship the tablet starting December 30 for $349.95 / €256 a pop.
Don’t think the tablet outlined above is the first product claiming it can offer 3D content without the annoying glasses companion. Companies like MasterImage or NEO3DO already have products on the market that deliver the same functionality, but pricing seems to be similar to the No Glasses 3D tablet.