Adding another dimension

The zombies slowly marched towards me, walking out of the screen, over the keyboard… No, this is no horror flick, but a snapshot of the new Acer Aspire 5738D notebook; arguably India’s first laptop with three-dimensional capabilities.

There was a nagging question though; is a 3D laptop anything more than a gimmick? I was skeptical at first. But as soon as I wore the polarising glasses and switched on content that comes bundled with Acer Tri-Def Software on the laptop, I started having second thoughts. The 3D effects in the short films were as good as any I had seen in IMAX theatres. In fact, the 3D stills were even better.

But, how good is the 3D on other content. I pushed in an old Merchant-Ivory DVD and tried to watch it using the Tri-Def software. The conversion was decent, considering Shakespeare Wallah wasn’t made for three-dimension. The software even allows you to increase depth of the 3D effect, though this did produce some jarring images at the extremes.

An old Quake III CD too brought out a bit of the 3D fantasy. But I would not recommend the laptop for people wearing spectacles like me—perching the polarising glasses on top of you specs can be a bit tricky. The Tri-Def software can also be used to convert 2D images into 3D.

So how does the technology work? “The 3D effect is created by simulating depth by separating a certain image/video into left and right (much like audio left and right). This works on a three pillar system of 3D film coating on the screen, bespoke software and polarizing glasses,” explains Acer India’s Chief Marketing Officer S Rajendran.

The great visuals is also due to the 15” 16:9 Acer CineCrystal™ (HD 1366x768) LED display, which works like a regular screen when the 3D is not activated. This is also what makes 5738D a pretty neat, though a bit bulky, laptop. Forget the 3D and it has all features of a good laptop—the option to choose Pentium dual core or Core2Duo platforms, Windows 7, up to 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory upgradeable to 8 GB, and 160 to 640 GB of space - for prices starting at a very competitive Rs 43,500. However, all this adds up to around 2.8 kg, and I suggest you think of this as a desktop replacement which also plays content in 3D.

But who would actually want a 3D laptop? Rajendran thinks the laptop will be a hit among the entertainment oriented consumers who would love watch their movies in 3D as well as the hardcore gamers. At the price it is selling in India, it seems Acer 3d venture is sure to run into some fans.

Will they, won’t they

Cutting edge technology that could make its debut in 2010

The ultimate tablet

While the tech world was all abuzz about what the Apple tablet will look like, popular tech blog Gizmodo set the cat among the pigeons by coming out with a preview of Microsoft’s answer to Steve Job’s next big thing. The Courier is more than a tablet, it’s a booklet which takes to drag and drop to its ultimate frontier. While the preview video is more like a scene from Akira Kurosawa’s Dream, it remains to be seen how much of these features actually make to the final product. Till then, Gizmodo says “the dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multi-touch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers.” Last heard, Apple was rethinking its tablet strategy.

Connected, always

Talking about booklets, 2010 is sure to let you get your hands on the Nokia Booklet 3G. The Finnish mobile giant is certainly going beyond its service area with a “mini laptop PC” based on Windows and supported by an Intel Atom processor. The company is promising 12 hours of juice despite the 10.1-inch HD display. First looks suggest the booklet will be housed in a smart aluminium shell measuring just 2cm thin and weighing around one kilogram. But all this is netbook stuff, so Nokia has decided to incorporate 3G and HSPA for rapid mobile broadband anywhere-access. Plus, it supports hot-swappable SIM card functionality. The booklet will also provide access to Nokia’s now popular Ovi Store.

Speed, the next generation

IN AN increasingly mobile world, nothing has more bling factor that connectivity and speed. While we are still striving to cut the bureaucratic hurdles to go 3G, the rest of the world is moving closer to 4G. The fourth generation of cellular wireless standards aims to provide ultra-broadband (gigabit-speed) Internet access to mobile as well as stationary users. So how fast is it? A 4G cellular system must have target peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access. In English this means you will be able to download a DVD movie in about a minute.

Load the magazines

SO, IS ebook the future of print media? Thanks t some cutting-edge research we could be in for a bit more colour. The latest digital magazine concept doing the rounds of cyberspace gives us the impression that Kindle was just the beginning. The Mag+ prototype from Bonnier R&D “aims to capture the essence of magazine reading… an engaging and unique reading experience in which high-quality writing and stunning imagery build up immersive stories”. They have a cover story if the preview is anything to go by.

Hydrogen for power

TIRED of running out of juice on you phone? Planning to attach a solar panel to you cell phone to charge on the go? Well, how about a hydrogen powered phone. The hybrid concept seems to be making big strides in the mobile phone space with a bunch of French researchers claiming to have succeeded in commercially developing a hydrogen fuel cell for use as a backup power source for mobile phones. If all goes as planned, the phone will first draw on the conventional battery for its power and then tap into the fuel cell if needed. Each cartridge gives the equivalent of three to five recharges of the traditional battery. STMicroelectronics plans to make the concept sell from early 2010, and they might not be the only ones.

And the small one

There’s not much to write about the new Acer Aspire One D250 netbook, not because this little work-as-you-move netbook is no good, but because it still as good as the old Aspire One. This one is slimmer though—with thickness of one inch and a 10.1’ LED LCD screen—and cheaper at about Rs 21,000. This David still packs a punch with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM memory and 160GB hard drive.

However, the keyboard is not for flat-fingered users like me who will end up typing M along with N, and R along with E every time—maybe it is time for some lessons from the neighbourhood piano teacher. There are no dedicated keys here and most keyboard characters are multi-tasking—I think it’s the price you have to pay for going size zero.

The webcam though with the same feature as that of the Acer Aspire 5738Z, just doesn’t do the same trick in low light. Though it carries an Energy Star tag, the battery won’t last you more than a couple of hours. And I still don’t know how this can be a primary computer for anyone without a DVD drive. But for those looking for a second, smaller laptop to take to the coffeshop, or read RSS feeds in the loo, look no further.