3D Technology: six of the best

From TVs to camcorders, 3D technology is coming down in price and growing in prominence 

 

 

Samsung's 3D TV is being bundled with a Blu-ray player for less than £900

Asus 3D Laptop

As if to demonstrate how ubiquitous 3D technology is becoming, Asus’s laptop will soon be followed by a 3D Sony Vaio, too. So if you really can’t bear to be without video gaming on the train, you better put your glasses on. Best Buy; £1,699 

Samsung TV and Blu-ray combination package

It makes sense to think about buying a TV and a new Blu-ray player together, both financially and technologically. This superb set-up is a £899.98 and includes a pair of glasses for viewing, too. With integrated Freeview HD, it is also able to make the most of the majority of TV programmes and films you’ll actually be watching, which are likely to continue to be in 2D for several years to come. In that sense, it’s the best of both worlds at a cracking price. Comet; £899.98

Sony PlayStation 3

The PlayStation is best known for being a video games console, but it’s increasingly becoming all the home entertainment system you need. There’s access to the BBC iPlayer, 3D Blu-ray playing and of course the minor matter of some top video games. It’s not the best Blu-ray player on the market, but it might just be the best value for money. Various; £249.99
Philips PFL8605 TV
Philips’ 40” TV is stylish but also an impressive set to watch. The company’s ‘Ambilight’ projects a glow around the frame’s edge that produces an experience that is initially distracting but becomes a genuinely enhancing part of viewing. It needs a 3D upgrade kit, but for now that is true of a number of other sets as well. Once the technology is more comprehensively built in, 3D will take off even faster. At the moment, this set is a good all-rounder – it’s well worth shopping around online for the best price, too. Various; £1299

Panasonic 3D Camcorder

This is the first mainstream, consumer 3D camcorder, and it’s a remarkable piece of kit. It makes a real difference to record occasions you know you’ll want to remember forever in 3D, but be warned – it only works on objects the right distance away. Panasonic is, however, at the cutting edge of the technology. John Lewis; £1,495

Sony NX813 55”

The new range of Sony Bravia TVs offer exceptional performance on the picture front, but they’re also impressive to look at, and beyond that “Monolithic Design”, they also come with a wealth of additional features that make them particualrly attractive. Sony’s “Bravia Internet Video” service, for instance, offers an increasing range of on-demand entertainment over the internet – this is an area that all major manufacturers are rushing into, but Sony major clout. Again, however, a 3D transmitter is required. £2,999
 

 

Razer Mouse Bungee promises to let your corded mice roam freely

 

Mouse bungees may not be the most popular gaming accessories around, but we're sure there's at some dedicated gamers reading this that wouldn't think of using a corded mouse without one, and Razer is now hoping to increase that user base with a mouse bungee of its own. Developed in partnership with Mouse Bungee -- the company itself -- the contraption simply promises to keep your mouse's cord off your desk and not impede on your freedom of movement in any way thanks to suitably springy suspension mechanism and a sturdy, non-slip base. No word on pricing just yet, but you can look for it to be available sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Full press release is after the break.

Recompute cardboard PC in the flesh: it's real, it boots, it's made of cardboard

We took delivery of a Recompute recently. This doesn't sound like a stunning statement: we get fancy new tech to play with all of the time, some of it stamped with the "green" moniker for better or worse. But the Recompute is just so far fetched: an entire desktop PC... built with cardboard! Sure, the internals are standard off-the-shelf PC components, but from the outside Recompute looks like nothing we've ever seen, and that's really saying something for a desktop industry that's tried just about every look twice. Check out our impressions of the green machine after the break.

For those of you unfamiliar with headless desktop computers, we'll walk you through the process real quick:

1. You take the PC out of the box.
2. You find the power cable.
3. You plug one end of the power cable into the wall and the other end into your PC.
4. You plug a "monitor" (that's like an iMac but without the built-in computer) into the PC.
5. You turn on the power supply.
6. You push the boot button.

Alright, it's familiar territory, to be sure, but again Recompute surprised us in being completely unsurprising while looking so totally other.

Unfortunately, we uncovered our only -- and non-trivial -- problem with this computer while following step three of our above instructions. While pushing the plug into the Recompute's power supply we heard the distinct crackle of tearing velcro or loosening adhesive. Somehow the simple act of plugging the computer in seemed to be ripping the computer apart internally. In fact, we noticed that the other plugs coming off the motherboard -- USB, DVI, etc. -- were separating from the metal grid of labels that are attached to a different external layer of cardboard.

Fragility and sound fitting seem like natural issues for a computer built out of cardboard, which is why we would've thought they would've been the first things Recompute would've solved when building this thing. Perhaps we're just abnormally strong, but we find the way the motherboard assembly (which is nicely bolted to some structural material inside) and the power supply seem to be separate from this rear panel of cardboard is just a little disconcerting. Of course, it's nice that you can actually flip open the whole real panel and get at the internals, but it's still a bad first impression.

Otherwise we actually find there to be something reassuring by the cardboard build -- we wouldn't do a drop test or anything, but thanks to the sort of padded structure, it seems pretty likely that the machine could live through decent smack against concrete. Also, while there's the typical fan noise from the computer's power supply, the sound seems slightly deadened (or at least lowered in pitch) by the enclosure, and happily the air flowing out stays nice and cool.

We can't comment authoritatively on the "green" aspects of the computer: Recompute claims to be addressing the entire life cycle of the machine, and we don't have any reason to refute those claims. There's certainly a bit of a premium cost here for what you're getting: you can get a Linux-based 2.2GHz Athlon X2 for $500 (about double what you might pay for a regular version of these specs), or a 2.8GHz Athlon II Quad Core-based Windows 7 system for $1,000 (again, about double), or you can go for the $200 DIY kit with a 400W power supply. Still, you can't argue with the aesthetic statement and the "greener than thou" cachet.

Rising browser powers: Chrome, iOS

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In September, IE dipped back below 60 percent share and Chrome gained 0.5 percentage points of usage.

(Credit: Net Applications)

Browser usage statistics for September provide a look at who's gaining clout on the Web: Google's Chrome, twin mobile powerhouses Apple iOS and Google Android, and Microsoft's IE9.
Google's Chrome browser continued its steady rise in usage on NetApplications' network of thousands of Web sites, which get tens of millions of visits monthly, increasing from 7.5 percent in August to 8 percent in September, the analytics firm said.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer remains the top-ranked browser, but its share dipped back below 60 percent, sinking from 60.4 percent to 59.7 percent. Second-place Firefox was essentially flat at 23 percent. Apple's Safari rose a tenth of a point to 5.3 percent. Opera kept its 2.4 percent share.
Chrome is a rising force, a fact that's very useful for Google's ambitions. Not only does it help spread the Google brand, but it also serves as a vehicle to disseminate Google technologies. For example, on Thursday, Google said it will add support for its new WebP image format to Chrome in an effort to speed browser graphics. And it's working to improve the browser: Chrome 7 is getting Google Instant search abilities, some hardware acceleration, and WebGL 3D graphics support by default.
Net Applications' September statistics gave a look at how widely used IE9 is now that it's in beta: with a share of 0.25 percent for the last two weeks of September, that's a respectable 1 of every 400 Web pages.
Microsoft, after a long dormant period, is back in fighting shape for the browser wars with IE9, which in beta form features more extensive hardware acceleration than Chrome. IE9 is notable for its support of Web standards, including a host of newer standards that Web developers are eager to implement.
But standards support isn't an easy matter for Microsoft. For years, Microsoft's IE, not Web standards, was the technology for which developers coded their Web sites. To deal with this legacy of non-standard Web pages, IE uses a "compatibility mode" by which it renders pages using its older rendering rules.
The Net Applications statistics show just how often IE must call upon the compatibility mode. For the IE9 beta, this compatibility mode is used for about one of each eight pages. Clearly it will be a long time before the Web is fully modernized for the post-IE era.
Some of the most interesting trends in the browser market are with mobile devices, a much less mature market than browsing on personal computers.
Mobile browsing is exploding in usage with a new generation of devices coming to market. In October 2009, it accounted for 1.1 percent of all browsing, but by September 2010, that figure grew to 2.8 percent, Net Applications said.
A new class of smartphones and mobile devices is dominating that usage.
Apple's iOS devices--the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad--account for 1.2 percent of browser usage. That's up from 0.4 percent in October 2009.
Google's Android operating system, which is chiefly used in mobile phones but is beginning to arrive in tablets that compete with the iPad, lags well behind but is growing. Its share of browsing rose from 0.02 percent in October 2009 to 0.24 percent in September 2010.
The statistics don't reflect a large element of mobile Net usage through applications, however. Although iOS and Android browsers outclass the mobile browsers that came before, they're still slower than on PCs and hard to use with small screens in many cases. Many companies therefore choose to make their Net-connected services accessible through applications rather than just Web sites.

Aiming at Android, Microsoft sues Motorola

Microsoft today sued Motorola, alleging several of the cell phone maker's Android devices infringe on Redmond's patents.

Microsoft both sued Motorola in U.S. District Court in Washington and brought a complaint before the International Trade Commission. Microsoft alleges Motorola infringes on nine Microsoft patents related to key smartphone experiences such as syncing e-mail, calendar, and contacts, and notifying applications about changes in signal strength and battery power, Microsoft said. The complaint cites Motorola's Droid 2 phone as an example.

"We have a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year in bringing innovative software products and services to market," Microsoft deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez said in a statement.

The suit comes as Microsoft is trying to line up phone makers to use its Windows Phone 7 operating system. Although Google-developed Android can be used free of charge, Microsoft has been trying to make the case that phone makers should consider the potential intellectual-property issues and related costs before going with Android.

Earlier this year, Apple sued HTC--which makes both Windows Phone and Android phones--over patent issues. Apple expanded its suit in June, adding two additional patents. Then HTC responded with a countersuit, alleging Apple infringes five of its patents. Microsoft provides those using Windows Mobile and Windows Phone operating systems with patent protections, something that Google has yet to commit to.

Motorola was once a significant licensee of Windows Mobile, but in recent years has shifted largely to Android.

Motorola had no immediate comment on Microsoft's suit. A Google representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a blog posting, Gutierrez defended Microsoft's need to take legal action.

"The rules of the road are long-established in the software industry, and fundamental to the industry's growth and economic impact is respect for others' intellectual property rights," he said. "Our action today merely seeks to ensure respect for our intellectual property rights infringed by Android devices; and judging by the recent actions by Apple and Oracle, we are not alone in this respect."

A copy of Microsoft's District Court suit is embedded below:

Micrsoft Motorola Patent Suit

Early this year, photographer Luke Geissbuhler and his family set out to send a camera to space. The aim was to attach an HD video camera to a weather balloon and send it up into the upper stratosphere.
Geissbuhler spent eight months fine-tuning a miniature spacecraft that could withstand the extreme conditions of the edge of space. He also had to get approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
In order to be able to retrieve the footage, the device would have to survive extreme weather conditions, sub-zero temperatures and a potential water landing.
At the heart of the device was the Go Pro Hero HD camera, encased in a Styrofoam box that provided insulation and buoyancy. The box also contained an iPhone so that they could track it wherever it landed via GPS. There was also a chemical hand-warmer to ensure that the cold did not stop the batteries from working, and a hand-written note offering a reward if found. A parachute was attached to the outside of the box to ease the fall back to Earth.
On a calm day in August this year, Geissbuhler launched the device (attached to a helium-filled weather balloon) in Newburgh, New York. It took seventy minutes to reach 100,000 ft -- around 19 miles above Earth. At that point the weather balloon had stretched to measure 19 ft in diameter -- thanks to the low atmospheric pressure -- before bursting.
Once the balloon had burst it plummeted to earth, reaching speeds of 150 MPH on the way down. Thanks to favourable winds, the capsule landed just 30 miles north of the launch site and was recovered.
The resulting video features some stunning footage of the ascent and the curvature of the Earth:



He is not the first amateur to generate footage of this sort. Yorkshire-based Robert Harrison created a similar device in March this year. Last year Oliver Yeh wanted to see Boston from above, so he attached a camera to a helium balloon and filmed some footage.

Developer creates Asteroids in HTML5

A developer named Kevin Roast has created a slick demo of the arcade classic Asteroids using the Canvas element inside HTML5.
Use the arrow keys and the space bar to control your ship. Also highly recommended: Press “R” to switch to the retro-styled graphics. The complex polygons of the modern graphics are harder to see (sorry, Kevin).
Canvas is the part of HTML5 that lets developers create 2-D animations -- you can draw polygons on the screen, then manipulate them with JavaScript, or the mouse and keyboard (usually both). It’s one of the technologies that intrepid web authors are using to replace Flash for simple animations and games like this one. Granted, Canvas has a long way to go before it can replicate what’s possible today in a Flash game, but we’re seeing the baby steps happen. And as browsers get faster, the baby’s stride grows.
Originally developed by Apple, Canvas is now part of the HTML5 draft specification and is supported by most major browsers. IE8 is lacking native support (it works with this add-on) but IE9 will fix that when it reaches the beta stage later this month.
Kevin’s demo has been around for a couple of months, but we’re revisiting it because the author has taken the original code and created a brand new Canvas benchmark tool to test how quickly and smoothly your browser can render HTML5 animations. Run his new test code and you’ll see a game simulation with more asteroids than your browser can handle.
Also, when playing the actual game, you can re-create this effect by pressing the “A” key as you fly around. This adds new asteroids to the playing field, so you can test your browser and your skills.