Samsung is developing a new generation of smart phones, which display and capture images and video in 3D. And the best part? No need for those clunky 3D glasses. There are already a couple of mobile devices on the market, which have 3D capabilities, including the LG Optimus 3D and HTC EVO 3D smart phones.

The Galaxy 3D, however, is rumored to be faster and more powerful than any 3D phone currently on the market. Samsung is in a great position to enter the 3D smart phone market, as they have access to more mature software and 3D content than LG and HTC, who have struggled to find suitable 3D content.

New Wave or Old Gimmick?


3D technology has recently made a comeback. It was quite popular in the late 1980s, particularly in the horror and thriller genres, as images popping out of the screen can add to the adrenaline rush. However, the technology was much less advanced, and people had to wear flimsy blue and red glasses in order to view the 3D technology. Even with the glasses, the 3D images were a bit out of focus, and often surrounded by blue and red remnants of shapes.

The technology was largely abandoned, except for the occasional television gimmick, or amusement park show. In the past couple of years, however, 3D images and video have come back strong. The technology has improved quite a lot since it was first introduced. The images are more convincing, and don't require viewers to wear highly unfashionable equipment. People came out by the tens of thousands to see the technologically advanced images in the 2009 movie Avatar in 3D. Clearly there is still an appeal to the public for advances in 3D technology, but only time will tell whether or not this interest will last.

Being able to view and record images and video in 3D on a hand held device, is quite impressive, and will no doubt be a hit for many technology buffs. Whether or not the average smart phone user will be willing to pay a higher price for the technology is yet to be seen. There is not much current competition on the market for 3D capable smart phones, and this product release will be a good test for the consumer demand of this technology.

The Details

The Galaxy 3D will run the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, and is largely an upgraded model of Samsung's Galaxy S II phone. The 3D images will be displayed on a 4.3 inch LCD screen, for optimal viewing. The smart phone will run on the powerful 1.2 GHz Samsung Exynos processor, and is equipped with twin 8 megapixel cameras on the back.

The two cameras are able to record 3D content, with clear high definition resolution. The phone is expected to have a lot of RAM in order to support the recording and playback of high quality 3D video. An HDMI-out port will allow video content to be easily transferred to an HD TV, for a larger viewing audience. No official word is available at this time regarding the release date of the Samsung Galaxy 3D, but it is expected to come out towards the end of 2011.