A 3D laptop isn't going to appeal to many people other than dedicated gamers, for there are 3D TVs on the market for those with Godzilla and Indiana Jones coming out of the TV at them cravings. Wii provides something like it in interactive play, but it isnt't 3D. Yet.

Tis type of laptop can be portaged anywhere, despite its somewhat weighty matter. Portability isn't the only attraction in the newest technology to hit the streets, however. There is also point-and-shoot 3D photography and video. 3D is about illusion; it's about showing its viewer what he thinks he sees from two different perspectives. That's quite an undertaking for a laptop.

What 3D Is
Dimension is defined as the magnitude of something in a particular direction (especially length, width or height).

With magnitude meaning of size or of extent, both words deal with spatial properties. What all that means is the measurement of something in space.

Watching an airplane come in for a landing is watching something's dimension gain magnitude, or something is getting bigger as it comes through space toward the viewer. A microwave tower takes up space; when a driver sees in out the windshield, it looks to him like a toothpick, until he gets closer to it, then it towers over his car. You are seeing something at a distance coming at you getting larger as it approaches.

Now apply that to a movie screen. How can a figure onscreen appear bigger than it already is? That's where the illusion part comes in, because 3D can be done without glasses. The image has already been refracted by the camera filming the figure which makes the figure assume its shape and solidity. The left eye sees a form from its position on the face. The right eye sees a form from a different position on the face. They combine notes to give the brain the illusion that it's seeing a whole form, from which point the brain conjures up the figure in space in all its dimensional glory.

Are Those Awful Glasses Really Necessary?
No. 3D is about illusion. It's about putting two cameras on the form to give it depth and solidity instead of its usual 2D form. It can be filmed from no perspective at all, such as a flat surface, or it can be filmed in such a manner that the viewer's eyes convince the brain it's seeing a 3 dimensional form, having already gained perspective from the eyes' location. A common misconception about 3D is that the human eye can't gain that perspective without aid in the form of red and blue glasses.

Some video games are filmed in 3D but until 3D laptops came out, gamers were pretty much limited in their usage and had to wear the glasses. Some gamers were forced to sit still in a certain position opposite the computer to receive the 3D effect. Now that 3D laptops are available, the technology exists so there is nothing to hold back the intense gamer determined to vanquish the bad guys and the dragons.

But A 3D Laptop Isn't A TV
That would be correct, but now a 3D laptop can shoot stills and video through its webcam, with the product being 3D. When viewed on a TV, 3D is based on camera tricks giving the illusion to the eyes. A laptop has to create that illusion in and of itself and then broadcast it to the viewer. It's done with a screen overlaying the original screen or it can be done with separate cameras targeting a specific viewer or even with cylindrical lenses. So what used to be a camera trick is now done with layers of screens refracting the image so the eyes see the whole instantly. And that's the vision packages not using 3D glasses.

So that's how it works. Now what? Are you trying to tell me that all that gizmo stuff is going to fit into a laptop? Yeah, it does. It's no lightweight because most all of them come it at around seven pounds. Think about it. That kind of capability will need a powerful processor, not to mention a respectable display in screen size and graphics package. A 3D laptop will, therefore, usually have a 15 inch screen and at seven pounds, that's a hefty amount of capability.

When the first 3D laptop came out, it and its competitors included the Nvidia GeForce GTS 350M graphics package with 1GB and a 640GB hard drive. It was built around the Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and had 4 gigs of memory. Here's the kicker, though: it costs between $1,500.00 and $1,600.00. Three major brands were the first to introduce their 3D laptop, although some used glasses with their 3D vision package.

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