The Sharp Actius RD3D was a
3D laptop computer
A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...
manufactured by the
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese electronics company. It is headquartered in Sakai, Osaka, and was founded by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1912 in Honjo, Tokyo, and established as the Hayakawa Metal Works Institute in Abeno-ku, Osaka, in 1924. Since 2016, it is majority o ...
in 2004. The company marketed it as the first "autostereo" PC, offering 3D images without glasses.
Features
It had a built-in 3D
graphics
Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of the data, as in design and manufa ...
button that would create a 3D image by using a "
parallax barrier
A parallax barrier is a device placed in front of an image source, such as a liquid crystal display, to allow it to show a 3D display, stereoscopic or multiscopy, multiscopic image without the need for the viewer to wear Stereoscopy#3D glasses, 3 ...
", which beamed two different images to each eye, confusing the brain into thinking that the user was looking at a 3D image, all without the use of 3D glasses.
Problems
Common problems with the Sharp Actius RD3D were:
*The 3D graphics could reportedly not be seen if the user slightly shifted position while looking at the computer.
*The computer's performance reportedly slowed when it was put into 3D mode.
*It was also very big (12 pounds), bulky, and extremely expensive, selling for $2,999.
*The battery life was also inferior, reportedly lasting for a mere 2 hours.
The product was featured in the "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time" list published by PC World magazine in 2006.
External links
Sharp Actius RD review - CNET
References
Actius RD3D
Stereoscopy
Computer-related introductions in 2004
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