Acer Introducing 3-D Laptops...........

3D Laptop

Close on the heels of the first Android laptop, Acer has announced a full-size laptop that displays 3-D content. Just put on a pair of those strange wraparound glasses, a pair of which is packed with the computer.

It is a novelty, and one that we expect will run out of gas sooner or later. But innovation is the name of the game here, and the $780 Acer 5738DG hits that mark with its TriDef 3D package, which includes the specially coated 15-inch screen and software. The TriDef app also enables 2-D to 3-D conversion in games and applications supporting DirectX 9 and above. And, yes, it comes with Windows 7.

The thinnest one

Sony claims its latest VAIO X is the world's lightest and thinnest laptop. At 655 gm and just about a half-inch thin, it is anyway setting a new benchmark in notebook technology. Despite its slender looks, the durable carbon fiber body ensures the X Series absorbs the bumps and knocks of daily use and travel.

For reinforced durability, the X features a solid state drive with no moving parts, seamless aluminum keyboard panel for structural rigidity and an 11.1" scratch-resistant widescreen display.

It has a multi-touch pad which can help zoom in and out, flip through pictures, rotate items and scroll vertically and horizontally without even touching a mouse. The X series is loaded with Windows 7 but comes at a fat price of Rs 64,990 plus.

Perfect photo scanner

Epson's latest Perfection V600 Photo Scanner has been designed for the demanding photo enthusiasts. It features a class-leading optical resolution of 6400 x 9600 dpi that provides unbeatable image quality as well as Epson's proprietary Digital ICE (Image Correction Engine) Technology that uses both hardware and software processes to remove dust and scratch marks from film and photo scans. Equipped with ReadyScan LED Technology, the scanner's LED lamp requires no warm up time. The V600 is priced at an affordable Rs 16,999 for the features it sports.

Light without power

Appliance maker Jaipan has something for power-cut hit rural, and urban, India - a bulb with a power backup. Jaipan's Magic Bulb can illuminate without power for about five hours using backup power saved in its battery. The bulb consumes only 1.6 watt and gives out illumination of 9 watt. The Magic Bulb is priced Rs 350.

At Acer's Global Press Conference in London today, currently enjoying a thrilling presentation about how Acer is now closer to overtaking Dell as the No.2 PC vendor and HP as the No.1 laptop manufacturer, how it has a full-range of mobility products and how it's making great strides in innovation. "Innovation is no longer a fantasy," it says "but in the interaction between the individual and the machine". What does this mean? It means 3D and Multi-Touch enabled laptops, duh!
Both are in fact based on the same basic chassis, the 15.6in Aspire 5738, with the 3D version being the 5738DG and Multi-Touch version the 5738PG. If you've read any recent reviews of Acer's laptops you will be familiar with this design, since it looks little different from the company's current 15.6in laptop. While details on hardware are thin on the ground, a 1,366 x 768 resolution display and Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs are givens, with other details likely to vary from model to model.
Starting with the 3D enabled 5738DG, it doesn't - as I'd assumed when I heard Acer was launching a 3D laptop - use nVidia's 3D Vision technology. Instead it's a three pillar system that relies upon a 3D film coating on the display, polarizing glasses and bespoke software to display videos, games and photos in 3D. While my opportunity to try out this 3D tech was admittedly brief, on this evidence it seems implausible anyone will be rushing out to buy a 3D laptop. On such a small screen the benefits are arguable and the ideal viewing position is even more restricted than usual, while the quality of 3D effects aren't especially immersing, either.
As for the multi-touch enabled 5738PG, it utilizes a newly developed Touch Portal to give you access to all the usual photos, videos, music, DVD and the Windows 7 touch applications. It takes a slightly awkward widget like approach, with applications displayed in a virtual living room to be dragged onto a screen. Acer is hardly alone in announcing multi-touch laptops, but right now "because we can" is coming before "because we should" - a fact easily applied to the 3D laptop as well. Finally we have arguably the most interesting/useful addition to Acer's laptop range, the convertible Aspire 1820P [below]. A part of its Timeline series of CULV laptops, this 11.6in tablet will come with a dual-core processor and all the usual networking options (802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Gigabit Ethernet) but no optical drive. They'll be a non-tablet version, too, though Acer hasn't been forthcoming with pricing or availability for either.