LG and Samsung believe 3D has a future with mobile devices

You didn't think that 3D phones are going to remain a thing of the past, did you? Well, to tell you the truth, for a moment there that thought crossed our minds as well, but according to officials from Samsung and LG, we're yet to see the best of the 3D technology on our mobile devices.

Up until now, we've only seen a couple of globally-launched 3D phones and a tablet by LG and HTC, with other players still evaluating the market for such devices. Interestingly, a report by Jessica Dolcourt for CNET now reveals that Samsung is also looking into having 3D on its phones... at some point.

Nick DiCarlo, Samsung's Vice President of Product Planning, has said that 3D might as well have a pretty neat part to play in the future of mobile entertainment in the very near future. However, we'd like to note that the information about exactly how the company may go about implementing the feature in order to enhance entertainment is still sketchy at best. For example, there's something mentioned about being able to stream 3D video to multiple screens at the same time, but exactly what would be the benefit of this remains unclear to us. As it has become somewhat of a habit for manufacturers who incorporate new technologies, DiCarlo has said that a major role in this whole thing will have to be played by "smart developers pushing the envelop". Yeah, that's right - leave it all to the developers!

Meanwhile, Henry Nho, a Mobile Platform Architect at LG, is a firm believer that there's a bright future ahead of 3D in mobile devices. It would have been strange if he wasn't a believer, though, considering that LG announced a brand new 3D phone this year at MWC - the Optimus 3D Max, which is a sequel to last year's Optimus 3D - the first globally-launched handset with a glasses-free 3D display and dual-lens camera. This new attempt at a 3D phone by LG does make sense, since due to technology advancements, it doesn't require the device to be so thick and heavy like before.

According to Nho, the mobile processors of the near future will allow us to capture both 2D and 3D image and video material at the same time, allowing us to later view whichever version we'd like. 3D on phones should also see a boost due to improved media sharing capabilities. For example, it won't be needed to connect the handset to your HDTV via an HDMI cable, but rather, you'll be streaming your content wirelessly via Wi-Fi.

Finally, 3D is believed to be set for a comeback also because of a new technology called "lenticular lens", which should make the whole experience better, due to better depth and brightness, without an increase in power consumption. However, this technology is currently expected to show up in phones in the next two or three years.

source: CNET