Toshiba’s new 3D display technology may let mobile users switch between 2D and 3D

According to a report published in the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is busily working on a project involving not one, but two smartphones, which would compliment its Kindle Fire tablet range should they be released. The rumor of an Amazon smartphone has been doing the rounds for a while, but this time, we’ve been given a hint of Amazon’s secret headline feature - it’s apparently going to give one a 3D display.
The Journal’s sources say the device will be a top-of-the-range phone, and the screen will boast glasses-free 3D capabilities, plus a high-tech eye-tracking feature. This will supposedly give the images a holographic look, and see them, “float” above the screen for a complete 360 degree 3D view. The eye-tracking tech could also enable menus to be navigated using eye movements, which could sound familiar, as a similar feature was linked to the Samsung Galaxy S4.
It’s not only the eye-tracking which has an air of familiarity to it either, as the 3D screen and its holographic look sounds like HP’s futuristic 3D display, recently revealed to be an R&D project at the firm. HP’s system produces an image which appears on top of the screen, and would be viewable from all angles. However, it was described as a proof-of-concept, and nowhere near ready for commercial use. Amazon makes some interesting hardware, but it’s not the first name that comes to mind when one thinks about the development of cutting-edge tech. If it is working on a 3D screen, we’d expect it to be more Nintendo 3DS than R2-D2 projector.
But why would Amazon be working on a 3D phone? Yes it would make it unusual, but that doesn’t mean anyone really wants it. Both LG and HTC have given 3D phones a go in the past, with the Optimus 3D and the HTC Evo 3D respectively, but that was two years ago - and no-one has been crying out for a sequel.
According to the report, Amazon wants to get at least one of its phones on the market this year, but neither have been given the green light yet, so this could be one of many experimental devices never destined to see Amazon’s virtual store shelves. Previously, Amazon’s smartphone has been linked with features such as a 4.7-inch touchscreen, and the recent announcement Amazon would be expanding its Android application store to many new territories, signaled it may be gearing up for the release of a low-cost smartphone. Whether it will have a 3D screen or not, remains to be seen.

Did you think 3D screens on smartphones were a thing of the past? Yep, so did we, but Hewlett Packard thinks differently, as it has revealed an alternative take on the technology which it hopes will transform the market and make it a success. Deep inside one of its R&D labs, HP is hard at work on this new type of the next-next generation small 3D screen, which will operate without the need for special glasses. Instead, the 3D effect will be generated by the screen itself. By using “nano-patterned grooves” etched into the display’s surface, light is projected in many different directions all at once to provide the illusion we’re seeing a 3D object.
It’s an evolution of the technology used on the Nintendo 3DS’s screen, but instead of only being viewable by the person sitting directly in front of the device, HP’s system sends light and color out in 14 directions - the 3DS splits light into just two directions - so multiple viewers will be able to see the 3D image. Not only that, but the image will be viewable from different angles and directions, and will sit, “above” the screen, giving it an almost holographic style. The technology is built-in to a regular LCD screen, which should mean its relatively economical and simple to produce, and the early versions being tested now measure half a millimeter thick.
The picture generated will be less Avatar and more Star Wars, as according to David Fattal, the author of the research paper on the technology, the image created by the screen can be likened to the famous scene in latter movie, where R2-D2 projects an image of Princess Leia for Luke and Obi-wan. He admits it won’t have quite the same degree of, “pop” as in the film, but the overall effect is similar.
However, HP’s clever screens are still a long way off becoming mainstream, and there are a few problems with creating suitable content for the screen to display. For example, as images can be viewed at all angles, any live action video would need to have been shot with 64 cameras, making it something of a logistical nightmare. For this reason, early content will be digitally created, and Fattal speculates it’ll be used for displaying 3D models, viewing two different content sources at the same time, or using 3D maps.
HP’s tech is still only in the very early stages and is described as a proof of concept, so don’t expect this to be a headline feature on a smartphone released any time soon. Still, if it’s anything like described, it has the potential to make handheld 3D devices actually worth considering.

As 2011 comes to a close, the drums for CES and MWC are beginning to beat more loudly. Korean site Etnews reports that Samsung may introduce its Galaxy S III phone at Mobile World Congress in February. Strangely, the site also claims that it will have 3D technology built into the screen, which is odd considering that the LG Thrill (Optimus 3D) and HTC Evo 3D both failed to capture any attention with their glasses-free 3D screens. 
Other rumors point to a highly capable device. Phandroid recaps the rumored specs, which include a Super AMOLED Plus HD screen, a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with Samsung's TouchWiz interface overlayed on top of it. We imagine that the phone will come in many variations as well, much like the Galaxy S II, which was hand-tailored for every carrier in the United States, with each model looking slightly different. 
So, are any of these rumors credible? We really don't know. Samsung isn't talking and MWC doesn't start until Feb. 27 2012. More importantly, do any of you want a 3D phone? We're pretty done with 3D.