I’m getting too old for all this.
You see, all the talk in the industry (or, at least, a goodly part of it) is of how 2011 is going to be the year of 3D in mobile; the year in which autostereoscopic handsets (such as the Sharp Galapogos range just hitting the Japanese market) are going to spread rapidly across the globe, and if the next reimagining of the iPhone doesn’t feature a 3D system, well, I’m a banana.
Now, I don’t disagree in the slightest with these myriad predictions, or in the fact that the industry appears to be moving full steam ahead in its attempts to make those predictions a reality. It’s just that: I don’t get it.
Let me be clear about this. It’s not that I simply stare with complete lack of comprehension at senior mobile executives as they expound their plans for 3D domination. It’s that, well, I don’t really get the 3D thing at all.
I don’t get why we suddenly have to have virtual swords leaping out of cinema screens, or why we need to have rugby players hurtling down a touchline which has extended into our living rooms. When offered the choice between a 2D or a 3D film, I usually opt for the former.
Look, I can sense you saying, the world has moved on since you were a teenager and you would occasionally dabble with 3D courtesy of tatty cardboard polarised glasses, only to experience of profound sense of disappointment and disillusionment. (And no, you cheeky monkeys, we’re not talking the 1950s and House of Wax here, it’s the abortive 80s revival that I caught.) It’s no longer a world of blurry reds and blues. You don’t need tatty cardboard glasses. In fact, you rarely need the glasses at all.
Well, I appreciate your concern, but – on a personal level – remain unconvinced and unconverted. I don’t get 3D in much the same way as I don’t get Kindles: I like to do my leisure reading in paper format, I like the look of books on bookshelves. So there.
The thought strikes me therefore that I may be turning into Grumpy Old Analyst, who rails against the zeitgeist and is occasionally dredged up by an industry magazine to complain bitterly that it’s all gone wrong since they introduced QWERTY keyboards on mobile.
But there may be hope for me. I have made the painful transition from keypad to touchscreen handset, and one that has an accessible app store at its disposal. There may well be a correlation between the latter and the fact that I am now downloading far more apps than was previously the case. I am now addicted to Asphalt 5, and have unlocked 15 vehicles (my current weapon of choice being a Ford Mustang GT500), 4 cities and, er, two girls.
That said, Asphalt 5 will have competition for my leisure time over the Christmas break, in the form of a brace of political biographies.
That’s right. Books. Between Hard Covers. Typed On Paper. In 2D.
Tags: 3D handsets, iPhone, mobile 3D, Samsung Galapogos, smartphones
A few thoughts:
I still write much faster and more correct on a phone with a mechanical/tactile keypad, so that aspect hasn’t been evolution, yet the display being the (more or less only, and hence completely programmable) user interface is definitely a paradigm shift, and will stay with us. Also, that phones have so many other sensors, like GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass etc, open up new opportunities for a better user experience. The fact that smartphones are now truly application-centric is also a paradigm shift.
I’ve found that Kindle (and its ilk) are really good for inspiring reading. I read much more via my Kindle (and previously Bookeen and previously Rocket eBook) than I ever did on paper, except of course when there were no e-readers around at all. An e-reader is as light as a pocket book, and easier to hold and browse, and of course even lighter compared to the amount of books you can put on it. Also, buying digital books is easier via the Kindle than buying paper books (whether via shop or e-shop). The reading experience is OK, but I don’t like E-Ink’s “flashy” page flipping, so I hope it will be replaced by a colorful, speedier, yet still very power-efficient alternative, something LCD/backlight is currently not.
Gaming is a big thing in terms of app revenue, yet most are not even 3D in the simulated sense (3D models vs 3D viewing). I still believe that mobile 3D will be appreciated by gamers, yet less by people that do just communication etc. Even so, it would be interesting to see magazine photos and videos “pop out” in 3D. At least until the novelty wears off. Augmented reality could make good use of 3D as well.
The Swedish company TAT that RIM recently acquired (and that is in my neighborhood and acquaintance) has showcased 3D user interfaces for TVs and phones. Also that could be argued a novelty, but we’ll see. It will be around, in any case.
Cheers from a very snowy Sweden,
Anders
There’s another aspect to 3D that I’d not considered until recently; the ability for mobile phones to ‘see’ in three dimensions. Not for recording video – although that’s likely to become a feature as 3D TV gains popularity – but the type of technology that makes the Xbox Kinect work. It’s a point made by Faisal Sheikh in our podcast at TheFonecast.com this week (http://thefonecast.com?item=483). The big question is, as always, what will be done with it?
I actually spoke about a similar topic in part of a talk I did last week looking at trends for 2011.
My thinking on small-screen 3D is that it will happen first with gamers (ala Nintendo 3DS), then video content (where I agree, I’m not sure anyone needs it) and then – most importantly – with interfaces. I think when we can navigate through data (especially live data from handset cameras) in a 3D paradigm, things will change significantly.
The 3D world seems like more of a novelty to me. I know that it can be useful for many things, but would it improve your shopping experience? We can’t tell yet really so lets see what happens. If it does make navigation easier, then I’m all for it.