Wazabee autostereoscopic overlays bring glasses-free 3D to iPhone, ultraportables

While the engineers at Cupertino may or may not be toiling away on a 3D operating system, the gurus at Spatial View definitely are... in a manner of speaking, anyway. The company, which prides itself on making products "for creating 3D effects," is bringing a new trio to MacWorld 2009. First up is the Wazabee 3DeeShell, which is detailed as "a special protective skin with an integrated removable lens that can display 3D content on the Apple iPhone." On deck is the 3DeeFlector, an "autostereoscopic overlay for the MacBook Air and other 13.3-inch notebooks," which supposedly brings eye-popping visuals (and headaches, we'd imagine) to your ultraportable without the need for humiliating glasses. Finally, the Wazabee 19-inch Gaming Display will probably go head-to-head with the IZ3D, though a frighteningly light amount of details are currently available. One's things for sure out of all this -- three-dee is the future, y'all.

Gallery: Wazabee autostereoscopic overlays bring 3D to iPhone, ultraportables

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[gonintendo @ Dec 19th 2008 10:51AM]

Since when is the macbook an ultraportable?

[Josh @ Dec 19th 2008 11:01AM]

i was thinking the same thing, i guess 13.3 is counted now?

[firesuite @ Dec 19th 2008 11:49AM]

Since when is that Panel the ogre is stepping out of 'Ultraportable'

[CraigJ @ Dec 19th 2008 12:02PM]

I see nothing that indicated the MacBook is an ultra portable.

[Chris Dunning @ Dec 19th 2008 12:22PM]

Since when is any white, laptop form factor computer a MacBook. There's no DVD drive on the right hand side, no IR port on the front of the machine, and no power button in the top right corner. Just my observations.

[dale1v @ Dec 19th 2008 1:29PM]

a-ha, but how many white, plastic laptops are *not* macbooks? You missed something- it also doesn't have any markings on the keys, so it's therefore it's not a computer. Portable DVD Player in disguise, perhaps?

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2008 1:46PM]

It does in fact say the MacBook Air, and "other 13.3 notebooks".

[telepheedian @ Dec 19th 2008 1:47PM]

It's a product render. The article said they'd be making it for the 13.3-inch Macbook Air, hence the "ultraportable" claim but I'm assuming it works with other Macbooks too, and they already had the design planned before they announced the new macbooks.

[Stereobot @ Dec 19th 2008 11:00AM]

I, for one, welcome our new 3D overlords.

[truman @ Dec 23rd 2008 3:54AM]

shut. up.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2008 11:12AM]

3D is cool but I'd enjoy it a lot more in something bigger than 19in.

[Kevin Bob @ Dec 19th 2008 6:11PM]

That's what she said wooooooooo

[protozoider @ Dec 19th 2008 11:24AM]

Liars! That image is flat and is in no way popping out of my screen on that screen. If it were 3D it would look 3D on my 2D screen, but it doesn't.

[konshuss @ Dec 19th 2008 11:28AM]

that 3d rendered ogre sojourning through an hdtv to the point he's literally coming into the room completely sells me on these decorative skins. great marketing Wazoozoo.

[Kevlar @ Dec 19th 2008 11:34AM]

Gasp!
A stunningly rendered Ogre in a lifeless barren desert wasteland appears to be emerging from a monitor!
Could this be the future of games?
Are we doomed to be assaulted by generic Ogres from barren deserts who have stepped out of our screens and into our living rooms?
Either way, any product that transforms such dull and lifeless desert/Ogre into magical fantasy adventure whereupon Ogres step out of my screens MUST BE HAD!

Seriously. 2nd. Worst. Marketing. Ever. (1st is TN Games impact vest "extreme" TV spot)

[jpk @ Dec 19th 2008 12:32PM]

Well now that the ogre's been covered, what's next on the docket? I noticed the iPhones are standing by themselves, almost as if they've been photoshopped into a position they couldn't possibly hold.

[ant @ Dec 19th 2008 1:14PM]

In Case you didn't realize, NONE of those pictures are actual Apple products. Look a little closer.

But the idea is simply a novelty, a cool one at that, but it's definitely only one of those "I'd love to see it, but hell no I'd never buy."

[helios220 @ Dec 19th 2008 12:39PM]

I worked on autostereoscopic displays as part of an IR&D effort at a defense contractor a few years back, they gave me a Sharp autosteroscopic laptop with a parallax barrier, you hit a button on the laptop and it would switch to 3D, assuming what you were looking at was capable of being in 3D. After a few months with that thing, the most consitent thing about it was it's ability to produce migraines. Overall it was cool but gimmicky, and that was with a more sophisticated parallax barrier rather than these lenticular overlays in the article

[RemDX @ Dec 19th 2008 12:49PM]

Would anyone actually drop money for one of these things? I am asking in all seriousness here.

[dale1v @ Dec 19th 2008 1:21PM]

Well if they bought a mac in the first place with the intention of playing games, they would surely be stupid enough to buy this.

[Gman @ Dec 19th 2008 1:06PM]

I always thought that small portable devices would be the first viable consumer application of 3D screens (non-glasses type). Things like cell phones and portable gaming systems are usually only viewed straight-on, and by a single person, eliminating the difficulty that these early screens have of only giving their 3D effect in a small range. I imagine that cell phones may be a way off, but a new Nintendo DS successor or a PSP2 would be an excellent application of the technology.

[RemDX @ Dec 19th 2008 1:27PM]

Why do you want 3D gaming though?
What's the rush to make games hyper-realistic at all? Games should be games dammit!
Bring back Super Mario World!!

[rde @ Dec 19th 2008 1:34PM]

I've seen some small Wazabee 3d displays at a game convention, and was not impressed at all. On there 15 inch model there was hardly any 3d effect. At the larger one (I think it was 26 or somthing) there was a 3d effect but very angle dependent. Auto steroscopic displays just are not what there suposed to be yet.

[johnsmith @ Dec 19th 2008 1:38PM]

When I was a kid about 35 yrs ago I remember going to disneyland and watching their 3d animation and being impressed by the technology then.
This, however, is nothing more than special effects and has absolutely nothing to do with true 3d. May as well just ship this crap with 3d glasses and call it a day. I always did hate wearing those things.

[Jarrod @ Dec 19th 2008 2:53PM]

3D, Blah, I only have about 20% vision in my right eye.

nothing to get excited about for me....

[Waldo @ Dec 19th 2008 10:56PM]

"which prides itself on making products "for creating 3D effects,""

3D isn't an effect, last time I checked. 3D is actual vision. However, I'm leaning to the side of caution when it comes to an overlay. How does an overlay show 3D? The technology intrigues me, but I'd really have to see it to believe it.

[scrim_reaper @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:29AM]

haha i can't remember any relatively modern apple notebooks with an enter key like the one in the picture.