Three dimensions: the wall against which the mobile manufacturers have been

3D, or the feeling of seeing three-dimensional images to be exact, has been for more years than it seems one of the tricks, or features depending on who you ask, that manufacturers have used smartphones to convince us to buy their phones mobile. Maybe a good fault she had Avatar, movie box office after sweeping the technology sector to encourage manufacture screens to simulate the effect had reaped much success at the box office. Big mistake.

It seems like yesterday when LG announced the Optimus 3D: a phone with display producing a stereoscopic sense of depth without glasses. The truth is that it has rained a bit, debuted in 2011, but three years, but seem small, it was twelve months ago when it began to bet on introducing this technology on mobile devices. At first it seemed a good idea, but now not so much some are betting on it.

Parallax barrier to the prospect with four cameras

Before I start I’ll throw a question many of you know for sure Trivial answer correctly. Which Japanese manufacturer was responsible for the display of the Nintendo 3DS? Correct, was Sharp. They became famous in their day to create a panel that created the three-dimensional sensation through a parallax barrier that poured two 2D images to each eye to our brain create the necessary 3D depth.

That was its media moment but what many do not know is that this company had the rising sun and a few working on this technology and it was not until the release of the DS when it began to give out. Why? Very simple: it was a phone that did not come out of the Japanese market and today is considered a rarity.

Looking at the photos, you have it right on your left, surely the appearance of Sharp Mova SH251iS you no attention. A mobile shell late 2002 with color display… Nothing spectacular to the naked eye. However, it was the first phone ever to introduce a display with parallax barrier technology. The problem, as I said, is not out of the borders of Japan. A year later there was a later update of the Mova family but now 3D remained deadlocked.

It was not until 2007 and the Samsung SCH B710, exclusive to the South Korean market, where we again see a phone with 3D display without glasses. This model also included a three-dimensional camera that allowed us to take advantage of the two photos two sensors and then display them creating an effect of something artificial but quite resultón depth.

Years pass and Asia who continues to lead innovation in everything related to 3D technology on mobile devices: Hitachi Woo Ketai, Motorola Ming, and Lynx Sharp Galapagos… It was not until mid-2011 when the HTC EVO 3D and LG Optimus 3D to take a step forward and decided to make this phenomenon global. Both include three-dimensional camera and video output for viewing content on compatible displays.

Maybe someone in Taiwan and South Korea both terminals were thought to be bombs in sales, we’ll never know, but the reality showed that interest in this technology in smartphones was scarce. Understandable when you consider the problems that this technology: vague, tired sight, consumes more battery power… In fact Nintendo had to backpedal even pulling a 2D version of your laptop.

LG was a failure and just before reaching a turning point we came a dull and discreet LG Optimus 3D Max left us quite cold despite its powerful name. Fortunately the Koreans were able to recover and today have terminals pointers as the LG G3, I was short karaya dimensional.

Amazon: 3D yes, but with a number of nuances

The rumors were not misguided, Amazon finally introduced a phone that indeed boasted a handful of front cameras that detect the position of our face and offer perspective 3D images without parallax barrier. We did not know is that the Fire Phone would be a kind of shopping cart pocket, but that’s another story. The change of direction in understanding the 3D mobile is understandable: after the crash of the above terminals no sense to continue offering the same. Jeff Bezos explained in the presentation yesterday how took art as reference when talking about prospects and depth.

We have not had chance to try it yet but running from what we have seen is very simple: the cameras detect our position and function of the angle the picture changes to conform and give a feeling of similar depth to which we would if we had the object in front. During the presentation we saw some examples of its use: images, virtual buildings on the maps application…

Merriam Webster defines the word gimmick as “a trick or device used to attract attention”. Yesterday for Amazon, present technology dynamics perspective in its new smartphone was its gimmick. Far from this review sounds fierce criticism of Amazon, I would like to applaud the courage of Bezos and company for wanting to do something different than what we had so far in the market. It’s different, not differential, because it really points to the technology will only be a gimmick to get attention but in day to day will eventually abandoned.

It has interesting things, like for example a reading and tracking system of eyes rather more accurate than have its competitors. It is also true that there will try it, those who came before Amazon promised wonders and today remains a function that leaves much to be desired.