3D televisions in homes no longer seems to be a futuristic vision as the runaway success of the multi-million dollar Avatar in theatres and the barrage of 3D technology at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 proves. Major companies have all sought to showcase their own products on the 3D platform hoping to attract consumers and capture a lion’s share of the market. To help you decide the best among them, we took a sneak peek into what companies offer, how they are priced and how soon could they reach a showroom near you.

SAMSUNG

The company has clearly sounded the battle horn with its announcement that it will release the 3D enabled C7000, C8000 and C9000 series of LED TVs this month in the US. It also plans to be the first to introduce 3DTVs in the UK and certain Europen countries. The 46 and 55 inch TV sets will be the first to hit shelves and the biggest 65 inch TV set will be available from July onwards. While the C7000 series will be priced between US$2,200-3,300 and the C8000 series will be priced between US$2,800-5,000, the C9000 will burn a US$6,000 to 7,000 dollar hole in the consumer’s pocket. The company has also not ignored its plasma line of TVs with six 3D enabled models of the Ultra-Slim Plasma TV in the offing. But the icing on the cake is the fact that besides its 3D HDTV being capable of displaying content from a 3D enabled Blu-ray player, the TV will also have an embedded 3D processor which can render 2D content to 3D in real-time. The quality of this feature, however, is yet to be judged.

SONY

Sony’s 3D TVs might only be available from June onwards, but it has already revealed its pricing and dates of release in Japan. LX900, HX900 and HX800 are the models that will be released with the HX 800 and HX900 being priced at 22-28 million yen and 390,000-470,000 yen respectively. Although the LX series includes two free pairs of shutter glasses along with an in-built IR emitter and face recognition and Wireless network connection, a new pair of glasses would cost US$ 133. But the prices of the glasses are due to fall once third party manufacturers enter the market.

LG

LG plans to become a major 3D player with plans to sell 400,000 3D TVs this year.The full line-up will be released later this year although it does have plans to start selling the 3D enabled LX9500 series along with 3D glasses.The 1800p capable Infinia LX9900 LED 3DTV which will require 3D shutter glasses will hit stores in UK this May. A Blu-ray player with 3D capabilites called BD580 will also start sales in the same month.

PANASONIC

Panasonic plans to partner with BestBuy, a US retailer, to sell the first Full-HD 3D (FHD3D) Home Theatre System in the world. The unit will comprise of a 50-inch 1080p resolution Panasonic VT25 Plasma 3DTV , a Blu-ray player and a pair of active shutter glasses.The unit is priced at around USD 3000 with just the VT25 Plasma 3DTV costing about USD 2500.

TOSHIBA

A little late to bank on 3D technology,the company is still in the process of manufacturing its own range of 3D TVs. It has however announced that it expects to enter the UK market in the fourth financial quarter of this year.

PHILIPS

Philips will release its 3D capable 9000 series, for which active shutter glasses will be a requirement along with a wireless adapter. With its range including the smallest 3D TV at 32 inches, screen sizes will go up to 46 inches.

CONCLUSIONS

2012 will surely be the year that 3D TV enters the homes of people around the world. With most companies announcing massive sales targets, the size of the 3D market worldwide is yet to be gauged. Relying on the rising interest in 3D technology owing to Avatar and this year’s Olympics 2012 set to broadcast in 3D, companies certainly are wishing for consumers to rush to stores for 3D TVs. By using manufacturing technology that is still in use as opposed to a a completely new one, companies will also be successful in keeping down prices. However, consumers with the latest HDTV might not be so eager to shift to 3D TVs. The risk of a constant change in technology might also keep consumers away from rushing to buy the product and some may find it sensible to wait for an improved version.

No one can deny that 3D television sets are definitely going to grace our living rooms at some point or the other.

Author bio: Michelle Jones is a technology evangelist and shares her views on the latest trends on android phones, reviews of gadgets and cheap smartphones. You can get in touch with her at Technology.am

If you are looking for a fun tech gift to give to the photographer in your life, consider the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 10 MP Digital Camera. A new product from Fujifilm, this 3D digital camera is fun, easy to use and brings the current 3D craze into your own home!

First things first, if you do not own a 3D television or computer, you will not be able to view your 3D photographs or movies in large view. You will, however, be able to view your 3D photos and movies on your camera’s 3.5 inch LCD screen (without 3D glasses). If you do own a 3D television or computer, I highly recommend this camera for family photo and video shooting and screening.  This digital camera has the capability of shooting 3D photographic images as well as 3DHD movies. You can also turn off the 3D feature and shoot conventional 2D photos and videos. You can even shoot a 3D shot and a 2D shot at the same time!

With a 3x optical zoom lens, this digital camera is fully capable of capturing wide and telephoto shots. 3D images are best shot at close range with about nine feet being the furthest away a subject should be for best 3D appearance.  Available shooting modes include natural light (with and without flash), portrait, landscape, sport, night (with or without tripod), sunset, snow, beach, underwater (housing unit sold separately), party and anti-blur. There is also a self-timer mode. The white balance feature is also very smart at detecting light. Overall, the photo quality of this point and shoot camera is amazing.

The only con to this camera is that it can be difficult to view your photos and videos on the LCD screen if you are in bright sunlight. Other than that, this is a very entertaining photography toy! It isn’t cheap, however. The average cost for the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W3 is around $400.00.

=== About the Author ===
Lauren Phillips has been a professional event photographer for 16 years and also owns the site Photography Degrees. She likes to write articles about everything photography.

HTC EVO 3D is the company’s first 3D smartphone. This handset was announced and showcased at the CTIA show. HTC EVO 3D runs on the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System and it allows you to record 2D videos in Full HD (1080p) and 3D videos in HD (720p), thanks to its 5 megapixel dual cameras. HTC and Qualcomm finally launched this amazing smartphone, at an event in New Delhi, India.

We are proud to collaborate with Qualcomm to present another technological breakthrough device from HTC, the EVO 3D-the first smartphone available in the Indian market offering a superior 3D viewing experience without glasses. We are confident that the HTC EVO 3D will set a benchmark for 3D viewing and our consumers will make best use of this offering,said Mr Faisal Siddiqui, Country Head, HTC-India.

At HTC, we believe in offering a wide portfolio of beautifully designed, powerful and highly customizable devices for our customers, and the HTC EVO 3D does just that,said Mr Lennard Hoornik, President of HTC South Asia Pacific. As HTC continues to push the limits of innovation, we are looking forward to deliver more and more innovative products such as the HTC EVO 3D to our customers.

HTC EVO 3D comes with a 4.3 inch 3D QHD display, 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System, 5 megapixel dual cameras, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, 2D video recording at 1080p, 3D video recording at 720p, HDMI, DLNA, Stereo Bluetooth and so on.

Other features include a 3.5mm stereo headset jack, 3G/4G capability, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 4GB Internal memory, 1GB RAM, microSD card slot, 32GB expandable memory, 8GB microSD card included, 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability, Integrated GPS and a 1730 mAh Lithium-ion battery.

The HTC EVO 3D comes with a price-tag of Rs.35,990 in India. On the other hand, the LG Optimus 3D, which comes with almost same specs, is available for Rs.37,000. Which handset you are willing to buy? Let us know in the comments below.

HTC is coming out with the first 3D phone called HTC EVO 3D which can take 3D pictures and shoot 3D videos using two 5MP lens on the back of the device. The device can also be used to view 3D videos without using glasses.

HTC EVO 3D has a 4.3 inch qHD display and is powered by a 1.2Ghz dual core Qualcomm processor. The   phone also has a 768MB. I didn’t get a chance to touch the phone but was able to view a demo of the phone in action at the Sprint booth at CTIA 2011.

Take a look at some of the pictures and video of the HTC EVO 3D after the break. You can read up the HTC EVO 3D specs and pricing too to know more about the device.

Rumors suggest that Sprint and HTC are going to launch the successor to the EVO 4G’ at the on-going CTIA, to be known as the EVO 3D.

Now, the folks over at PocketNow have managed to get their hands on some leaked documents, which reveal the specs of the EVO 3D. The handset will be sporting a 4.3-inch qHD (960×540) display with 3D capabilities.

The EVO 3D will be powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU (MSM8660) and pack 768MB of RAM. The back of the handset will sport dual 5MP cameras with Flash. These cameras will be able to record videos in either 720p 3D format or at 1080p in 2D.

The front of the phone will also house a 1.3MP camera for video-calling. The EVO 3D will run on Android OS with HTC’s Sense UI on top of it. However, the Android version which the handset will release with is unknown.

PocketNow also managed to confirm the specs of another EVO branded device coming to Sprint the EVO View 4G. The EVO View 4G is the Sprint version of the recently announced HTC Flyer.

The 7-inch tablet has a resolution of 1024×600, and is powered by a 1.5GHz single core Snapdragon CPU. The EVO View 4G will run Android 2.4, with HTC Sense UI which will be optimized for tablet use.

LG and AT&T have just announced their latest addition to their line-up of Android handsets the LG Thrill 4G. The handset is basically the AT&T version of the LG Optimus 3D.

The Thrill 4G is powered by a 1GHz dual-core OMAP processor and dual-channel 1GB RAM. The handset features a 4.3-inch glasses free 3D LCD display with WVGA (800×480) resolution. The 3D display can also be toggled to work in 2D only mode.

Preliminary benchmarks suggest that the OMAP processor in the Thrill 4G is powerful than the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset found in the Motorola ATRIX 4G.

The back of the handset sports dual 5MP camera so that the handset can take 3D pictures and record HD videos in 3D as well. LG will also offer users with 3D content via their own LG 3D Space’ service.

“LG is very excited to offer the LG Thrill 4G to the next generation of thrill seekers. We have taken mobile phone technology to the next level with another first to market feature, this time being 3D capabilities,” said Tim O’Brien, vice president of marketing for LG Mobile Phones.   “This device elevates everyday tasks and entertainment to a new dimension of smartphone performance, giving LG Thrill 4G an edge over other devices in the emerging superphone category.”

The usual Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth, DLNA, microSD card slot, FM radio and HDMI-Out. The handset will launch with Android 2.2 Froyo, but LG has promised to release the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the handset soon after.

Sadly, LG and AT&T have not mentioned anything about the availability and the pricing of the Thrill 4G, except for saying that the phone will be available in the coming months.

Couple of days ago I attended an event hosted by Intel showcasing their second generation core processors and electronics equipped by it. Besides that, major stress was on the fact that upcoming consumer electronics will be quipped by technologies like 3D. This took me to back to the Nvidia event I attended a couple of months ago. There again the entire event was focused on 3D enabled consumer electronics. With so many manufacturers concentrating on 3D technology leads to only one question. Is 3D really the next tech revolution? Stay with me, I’ll put down few points.

If you followed the CES 2011, you would’ve noticed the dominance of 3D technology there as well. So what makes 3D such an interesting technology for manufacturers and consumers? Is knowing the dept of an object to the other that important? It sure gives a real life experience but I would argue that you’ll see this technology reaching budgeted consumers anytime soon. The reason being content. Manufacturers blindly adopt technologies from research labs and implement them on their upcoming products to lure consumers. The strategy being, assume the consumer is an rich tech savvy idiot.

All I see hardware manufacturers do is introduce the hardware and leave the content to others. Of course, it isn’t their job to do so but if you want something to catch on you need applications that can make use of it. Rich Tech Savvy people would buy 3D enabled electronics (Displays/mobiles) but unless and until you have some content on it you aren’t making any use of the hardware. Rest of the world would buy it only when there is any content available to watch. This was the only reason HDTV took so long to catch on. Although the technology was available even back in late 90′s it wasn’t until couple of years ago that Full HD content started taking advantage of the hardware.

Although I am sure 3D won’t take that long to catch up since we already have high priced 3D video/still cameras available in the market and now that YouTube will also be supporting 3D it won’t take long before people start uploading user generated content. That again questions the availability of non-user generated content. In my opinion manufactures should partner with content generators generate professional 3D content along with the hardware.

So if you ask me if 3D is overrated? I would say  for now or even for next 2-3 years, it is overrated. If you disagree with me lets discuss via comments.

3D technology is all the rage these days. It’s become a synonym for both sales pushand cooleverywhere. German indie developer bitComposer Games has announced its new (and first of its kind) 3D Point and Click game The Rockin’ Dead that will use anaglyph 3D (in other words, using those old-school plastic glasses with red and blue colored lenses) to tell the tale of a metal band singer who ends up in the bizarre world of the dead.

Set in a hilariously exaggerated B-movie atmosphere, the tale is that of Alyssa, member of the very pretty to look at (but unfortunately unsuccessful) band Deadly Lullabyeswho wakes up after a disastrous accident in the tour bus. Apparently her band members are gone, and there are spooky skeletons that rock out at the drop of a chord, and Elvis Presley lookalikes that gyrate almost all the time.

The key features, as elucidated by the site are:-

• First point’n'click adventure in 3D Optic (3D glasses included). 2D setting also available.
• Bizarre, hilariously exaggerated background story with numerous recurring images in top B movie style
• 93 detailed locations in dark and different settings
• Over 20 funny NPCs, professionally narrated, who skillfully capture the humor of the dialogues
• More than 120 objects in the inventory that can be combined and therefore require the players’ skill and logical thinking
• Thrilling and unusual riddles round off the delightfully crazy overall picture

This definitely seems like an indie game worth trying. Also, since I am very lazy, I could use those anaglyph glasses in a game of Minecraft…

Back when I was in school, we had a skeleton in our laboratory which we would use during our Biology classes. Of course, I didn’t explore any more than bones, but it looks like I will be exploring much more than that now, thanks to Google’s Body Browser.

Google’s "Body Browser" is a Google Labs feature which allows users to browse a human body and get familiar with the human anatomy. The Body Browser is a detailed 3D model of a human body and allows you to peel back anatomical layers and zoom in and navigate through the different parts.

The Body Browser showcases the new 3D features in Google Chrome and allows you to easily rotate the 3D figure by clicking and dragging it. In addition to that it also allows you to drill down deep into the human body.

Body Browser is a amazing way to showcase what a web browser can do, and you should definitely try it out. Interested? Head over to http://bodybrowser.googlelabs.com to experience it for yourself.

The highly anticipated update of Google Maps version 5 – has finally hit the Android Market. The new update brings with it tons of new features like 3D maps, new multi-touch gestures and offline maps. Here is the small change-log posted by Google in the Android Market :

• Explore the map in 3D. Two finger drag down/up to tilt; twist to rotate on supported devices.
• Use compass mode to rotate the map to where you’re facing. Center the map with My Location then tap again.
• Improved map caching and offline Navigation rerouting if you lose your connection.

However, not all Android handsets will support the new features offered by Google Maps 5.

Here is the list of handsets that fully support Google Maps 5 :

• Galaxy S
• Droid
• Droid X
• Droid 2
• Droid Incredible
• EVO 4G
• Nexus S
• T-Mobile G2/ HTC Desire Z
• HTC Desire HD

The upcoming high-end Android handsets will also be able to make use of all the features of Google Maps 5. Other handsets like Nexus One, HTC Desire won’t be able to enjoy the new multi-touch gesture feature offered by Google Maps 5 due to hardware restriction.

Here is the official blogpost from Google about Google Maps 5.