After changing the face of TV, gaming machines and laptops, 3D technology is seeping into smartphones. Experts cite lack of content ecosystem and market obligations. By Karan Bhardwaj
After changing the world of TV, gaming machines and laptops, smartphones happen to be the latest territory for 3D to foray into. Though giants like lG, HTC, Samsung and Motorola have already taken baby steps in the last two years, the fresh impetus comes from companies like Google and Amazon. It is almost confirmed that Amazon’s latest phone, to be unveiled on June 18, will deliver 3D effects with the use of four front-mounted IR cameras. Google revealed that it is working on a tablet computer with 3D and motion-sensing capabilities in an initiative called Project Tango. With both the devices ready to hit markets, is 3D the next big thing in smartphonesIJ
lONG WAY TO GO
“With smartphones already a norm today, there’s a need to innovate new ideas and push the existing standards. Companies are taking bold steps but they will have to get aggressive. 3D in smartphones is like foetus and is not even born. It is one territory which is untapped by the mobile manufacturers, so there’s a long way to go,” says tech expert Ankit Tuteja. 3D tech provides a unique opportunity for both content consumption and creation and brings with it its own challenges. “I believe the lack of an accompanying ecosystem especially in the Indian scenario might prove to be a hindrance. There has also been slow consumer adoption for stereoscopic 3D technology which is why the implementation on smartphones to ensure a compelling experience will be crucial to determine its fate,” points out Dhruv Bhutani from FoneArena.
One of the major challenges is the availability of the content ecosystem. Though Amazon is hopeful that third-party developers would jump onto this system and come up with suitable apps, there is a clear dearth of support. Analyst Avi Greengart noted that the only mobile device with a 3D display that has achieved any level of success is the Nintendo 3DS because there is a great deal of custom, 3D content for that platform.
READY TO EXPERIENCE
Amazon is taking an interesting approach towards 3D by employing multiple cameras to create a 3D map of users of sorts. It is reported that the company is using Omron’s Okao Vision face sensing technology to track the user’s head. “The Okao software pack can also recognise faces and facial attributes to estimate a person’s gender, age and ethnicity,” reads a report. likewise, the goal of Project Tango is to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion.
MARKET OBlIGATIONS
HTC experimented with 3D cameras previously but there’s no existing smartphone capable of natively playing back 3D content. Amazon with its content play and subsidised hardware might be able to catalyse the market in this direction but it remains to be seen if the base hardware is competitive enough. “The company is expected to subsidise the hardware in the US. I expect retail pricing to be similar to current flagship devices. Since Amazon’s content ecosystem is in US and Europe so far, I don’t think the device will be launched in India anytime soon. We’ve also got our own market-related challenges including mobile broadband speeds and penetration which might pose a problem for streaming 3D content,” points out Bhutani.