Science & Technology World

Acer on Thursday announced a notebook with 3-D viewing technology
aimed at gamers and entertainment buffs. The Aspire 5783 DG has a
15.6- inch backlit Acer CineCrystal HD display integrated with a
TriDef 3- D screen. It comes with 3- D software and glasses. CLOSE X
Loading Image... The Acer AS5738 DG 3- D laptop (click image to
enlarge) It also has an integrated multi-in-one media reader and an
HDMI port. The 5783 DG's Tech Specs At the heart of the notebook is
an Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) Core Duo T6600 processor with 2 MB of
L2 cache. The notebook also has a Mobile Intel PM45 Express chipset
and 4 GB of DDR2 1 ,066 MHz memory. For graphics, it incorporates
the ATI (Nasdaq: ATYT) Mobility Radeon HD 4570. This has 512 MB
of dedicated DDR3 VRAM and up to1 ,792 MB of shared system memory.
Storage consists of a 320 GB 5 ,400 RPM SATA hard drive. The Aspire
583 DG also has an 8 x DVD-Super multi double-layer drive and four
USB 2.0 ports. For sound, the notebook has Dolby Home Theater Audio
Enhancement and built-in stereo speakers. It provides 5.1- chanel
surround output. The Aspire 5783 DG has integrated 802.11 a/b/g/ n
wireless support and Gigabit Ethernet. It incorporates a built-in
Acer Crystal Eye webcam that can capture still photos and video. The
notebook has a multi-gesture touchpad. The notebook comes with 64- bit
Windows 7 Home Premium preinstalled. It has a six-cell lithium ion
battery and weighs 6.16 pounds. It measures 15.1 by 9.9 by 1.03
inches and uses Acer's Gemstone design. Three-dimensional
capabilities are provided by the TriDef 3- D solution, which consists
of the 3- D screen, software and special glasses. The TriDef Media
Player lets users play back videos and photos in 3- D, and the TriDef
Ignition tool enables 2- D to 3- D conversion for games and
applications supporting Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) DirectX9 and
above. The TriDef Media Player includes 2- D to 3- D conversion
technologies that let users watch standard definition 2- D DVDs in
3- D at run time, according to DDD , the developers of the Tri-Def
technology. DirectX is a collection of application programming
interfaces for handling multimedia tasks, especially game programming
and video, on Microsoft platforms. The first product in the Aspire
5738 DG line, the AS5738 DG-6165 , will be available at retailers in
the United States this week. Pricing starts at US$ 779.99. TriDef and
3- D Technology DDD, a 3 D software and content creator, first
publicly displayed its TriDef technology in 2006 at the Adult
Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. The company's patented technologies
enable features like 3- D viewing without glasses, the integration
of computer graphics applications with 3 D displays; 2- D to 3- D
conversion; and 3- D transmission over existing networks. Several
electronics manufacturers use TriDef in their products. Sanyo
demonstrated LCD screens with TriDef at the 2004 CEBIT sow
Targeting the Gamers The Aspire 5738 DG notebook is aimed at gamers as
well as business users. "This holiday season, we are seeing 3- D
content become more prevalent in popular films and games," said Ray
Sawall, senior manager of product marketing for Acer America. "The
new Acer Aspire 5738 DG notebook enables consumers to enjoy exciting
new 3- D entertainment on a mobile PC that can also replicate a 3- D
experience from standard 2- D content." Targeting both markets might
work, Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC , told TechNewsWorld. "I can
see the appeal to business users," she said. " We've all been stuck on
public transport or sitting in planes, or stuck at airports doing our
work, but sometimes we just need junk food for the mind, and that's
where the games capability comes in." At this point, the Aspire 5738
DG is not a threat to video game console makers, she said. "It'll
sell in parallel with video game consoles," DiDio explained. "But in
18 months or so, when quad- or six-core processors become more
standard in notebooks and we see more filter down to ATI and Nvidia
graphics cards, these notebooks might pose a threat." With
competition so keen in the computer market, manufacturers are
grasping at anything they can to make their products stand out. "
Hardware vendors are really stepping up the game," DiDio said. Dell
(Nasdaq: DELL) , for example, lets users overclock its latest gaming
notebook, and it's letting customers choose not only the colors for
their computers but also logos, such as those of their favorite
baseball teams. "The competition is fierce at every price point, and
it's going to remain that way," DiDio said. 3- D or Not 3- D? Whether
or not 3- D technology will help Acer's products stand out remains to
be seen. Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp unveiled its Actius
RD3 D in 2004. That computer weighed 12 pounds and cost about $3
,000. Sharp's 3 D computer has not been heard of since, according to
DiDio. "It sank without a trace," she said. Its fate may be a warning
for Acer. 3- D is really a gimmick right now, Carl Howe, director of
anywhere research at the Yankee Group , told TechNewsWorld. "While a
3- D display sounds cool, 3- D is irrelevant for most office work,"
Howe pointed out.