The 3D Invasion

I've been watching TV lately. To be more precise, I've been peeking into, or should that be immersing myself, in the latest 3D revolution. This all came about a few weeks ago, when I trekked to the Imax Cinema, to enjoy the very entertaining Alice in Wonderland. It wasn't so much the story itself that enthralled me (as it's so far removed from the original, it should really have been titled Alice in Wonderland 2!) but the now quite astounding 3 dimensional effect. This shouldn't really shock me, because being a human, I see things in 3 dimensions every day.  But it did. To the point whereby I was even muttering to my companion "did you see that?!" as a wisp of smoke literally wafted under my nose.

So, being the curious, and reasonably geeky creature that I am, I started looking at 3D TV's. I wondered how on earth it would be possible to recreate the 3D effect on a much smaller screen, in the home, without the need for the dreaded add-ons...the 3D glasses.

In order to benefit from the 3D technology, viewers will need a Blu-ray player, as no 3D TV is currently broadcast, as well as a pair of “Active Shutter” 3D glasses with a battery and an infrared sensor on the bridge, which picks up signals from the television. A pair of the glasses, plus the necessary cable to connect the television set, costs an extra £200. And, just to add even more confusion to this emerging technology, the glasses from one manufacturer, such as Samsung, are not compatible with Panasonic.  Unless you turn them upside down. In which case you simply look even sillier! So, at the moment, until there are 3D TV's available that don't require the additional eye wear (this is possible now, just not available yet!) I think I'll play the waiting game.

Moving away from TV, and back into my comfort zone, is something that may well be a true trail blazer in the latest technology race. Multidimensional widgets! "What are these?" I hear you cry.  The official definition is below;

"A multidimensional widget is a three-dimensional object with application surfaces, and each application surface is associated with a widget function. Multidimensional widgets can be modified by adding functions or grouping with other widgets."

WOW!  These sound amazing. But who will provide us with such jewels of delight to sit in our laptops/iPads/iPhones and iMacs?  Apple Inc will. Multidimensional widgets were patented by them late last year.  I can't wait to see them in the 3D flesh!