Acer launches Windows 7 laptop with 3D screen

Software and glasses give movies and games depth

By Agam Shah
Published: 12:03 GMT, 21 October 09

Acer will release a new laptop to coincide with Thursday's Windows 7 launch that can display movies and games in 3D while allowing everyday applications to appear in their usual 2D format.

The Aspire 5738DG has a 15.6-inch 3D screen, as well as software and special glasses from a company called TriDef to enable the 3D experience. The laptop, a powerful desktop replacement, delivers images "that literally pop from the screen," according to Acer.

The TriDef system displays 3D content such as movies and games, and can also take standard 2D content and make it appear 3D, Acer said. TriDef also sells software called TriDef 3D Experience through its website, which makes programs like Google Earth appear in 3D.

SanDisk and Toshiba look to develop 3D memory | IBM busts the remote 3D graphics barrier | IBM makes 3D chips for efficiency | Rambus claims 3D graphics breakthrough

To make watching 3D movies more compelling, Acer has built Dolby surround sound into the laptop. Users can also run common applications like spreadsheets and email programs in 2D.

Since its introduction at movie theaters decades ago, 3D has made its way into TVs, webcams, binoculars and other products. Nvidia offers a product for PCs called 3D Vision, a hardware and software package that brings 3D images to desktops.

Acer's laptop weighs a hefty 6.16 pounds (2.79 kilograms) and runs on a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor, with 2MB of performance boosting cache memory. The TriDef 3D screen has a special coating that reduces the need for a separate graphics card to process 3D content.

Instead, the Acer laptop has integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 graphics with support for 512MB of dedicated video memory. It runs on Microsoft's new Windows 7 Home Premium OS, which is launching Thursday. It comes with 802.11b/g/n WiFi networking and supports up to 4GB of RAM and 320GB of hard drive storage.

The laptop will be available through retail stores on Thursday, Acer said. It didn't announce any plans for international availability.

What are your views on this subject? Use the form below to post a comment on this article up to 500 characters.

Characters remaining: 500

Related Personal Tech news

Intel creates cyborg mind control chip

Brain waves to control computer functions

20 November 2009

Microsoft promises better performance from Internet Explorer 9

Next generation IE to render JavaScript faster

Apple laptops less reliable than Asus, Sony and Toshiba

Almost one fifth of Macs fail inside three years

NASA and Microsoft build Mars map website

Explore the red planet online

Related Personal Tech reviews

HP Touchsmart TX2

Olive Opus No.4

Sony Alpha A330

Email this article to a friend or colleague:

PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story, and in case of transmission error. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.

Techworld White Papers

Database security: Preventing enterprise data leaks at the source

IDC discusses the growing internal threats to business information, the impact of government regulations on the protection of data, and how enterprises must adopt database security best practices...

Download Whitepaper

Service-oriented security

SOA has become an integral part of enterprise software by providing a framework to efficiently develop software as services that is easily sharable, reusable, and integrated. No where is the need more apparent than in the Identity Management space. Welcome to the age of Service-Oriented Security (SOS).

Download Whitepaper

Data protection prospective vendor checklist

Organisations need a way to map business needs against all these challenges in procuring a technical solution. To help, SANS has developed the following Prospective Vendor Checklist.

Download Whitepaper

Unlock the power of the mainframe

This whitepaper presents the notion of CICS as an integration hub based on a component-based, service-oriented architecture supporting Web services. Highlights will review the challenges and contrasted support for Web services natively in CICS.

Download Whitepaper

Techworld UK - Technology - Business

COLT White Paper

Are all VoIP services the same?

Questions to ask your service provider to ensure you get the VoIP service you need
With careful choice of partner, your business can have all the advantages of VoIP access - reduced costs, flexibility and simplicity - without the drawbacks.
This white paper is your guide to ensure you get right the VoIP service and details the pitfalls which businesses would do well to avoid.

Download white paper
BMC

Ride the express lane in the journey to speed ITIL adoption

Explore the challenges in making the journey to ITIL and the criteria for selecting consulting services
By following ITIL practices, your IT organisation will become more closely integrated with the business. We recommend making the journey to ITIL in a sequence of six incremental steps, the phases of which are driven through execution of a strategic transformational roadmap.

Download white paper

Webcast: IT Financial Management: Cost Optimisation for Efficiency and Agility.
On Demand Webcast
Join this webcast to learn about the techniques and technologies that can help you prove the value of IT to the business by understanding the true cost of today's IT services and those that will be necessary to deliver future success.

Register Today

Site Map

IDG Network

* *