iPad 3D: tablet makers look to a 3D future

Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 at 6:52 am

The iPad is going 3D. And you can take that to the bank.

It's just a matter of time - and it could happen sooner than you might think. As an army of rival tablets bear down on Apple's golden child, 3D is increasingly looking like its best next step.

The internet began buzzing with speculation about the iPad 3 even before Apple closed the doors on the iPad 2 press launch. With Jobs & Co understandably keeping mum on what's to come, the rumour mill has run amok ever since. So we'd thought we'd add some conjecture of our own.

THIRD DIMENSION: Is Apple planning to introduce 3D with the iPad 3? From a naming point of view it would make a lot of sense

Read on and we'll argue why the time is right to make the iPad 3D, how the display tech might work, and recap what's Apple's principal rivals are already doing in 3D space.

Next generation 3D display

Speculation about the iPad 3 principally focuses on its display - and with good reason. It's the most obvious upgrade Apple can make to its tablet.

Currently, the iPad 2 has a 1024x768 resolution screen. But Apple can do better.

The Retina Display used by the iPhone 4 has no obvious dot structure and offers crystal clear text. That's because its pixels are just 78 micrometres wide.

This so-called Retina Display has given Apple a visible advantage in the mobile phone market and it could well do the same in the increasingly congested tablet arena. Bringing Retina Display technology to the iPad would quadruple its resolution. Hints of a 1536 x 2048 pixel standard are already beginning to emerge, with Apple's Newstand app supporting both 1024 x768 and 1536 x 2048 resolutions.

But even a Retina Display isn't a big enough deal to keep the iPad 3 ahead of the competition. It's common knowledge that world's biggest screen manufacturers are fast-tracking autostereoscopic 3D technologies. They see 3D as a driver both for hardware sales and content, but all know full well that consumers would rather not wear 3D goggles if they don't have to.

Unfortunately producing large screen auto-3D is difficult. Every plane of depth you create robs the screen of resolution. To bring out a large no-glasses display you have to use a next generation 4K2K panel - that's 8 million pixels give or take. Today's 1920 x 1080 Full HD screens are 2 million pixels. So to produce a no-glasses 3D panel requires four times the resolution as a flat picture - which is exactly the same PPI bump that Apple's 78 micrometers pixel technology allows. Could this technique be used give the iPad no-glasses 3D? The numbers seem to add up.

Adding fuel to the three dimensional fire was a demonstration by panel maker CPT (Chunghwa Picture Tubes) at the recent Display Taiwan show (which ran June 14 - 16).

On its booth CPT was showing a 3D touchscreen display shoehorned into an iPad case. The display was not autostereoscopic; you had to wear passive 3D glasses to see the demo still images. CPT was saying nothing about the exhibit, but given how cool the end result looked we like to think it's a clear indicator of things to come.

So what are Apple's rivals doing?

LG has already shown its first 3D tablet. The Optimus Pad has an 8.9 inch 15:9 display, with 1280 x 768 resolution. Unlike the Optimus smartphone, it's not autostereoscopic - it requires you to wear 3D spex. Still, the advantages of its 3D functionality are clear. The Optimus pad, which runs the Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, has dual 5MP cameras for 3D photography and camcorder stereoscopy. 3D footage can be viewed on the tablet or squirted out to a 3D TV.

Meanwhile, over at Computex, Asus has just unveiled the Eee Pad MeMo 3D. This Honeycomb alternative sports a 7-inch parallax barrier no-glasses 3D display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. As a point of difference it bundles a stylus, so you can use it as a digital notepad. However, Asus is banking on 3D games, movies and photos to be a big draw.

ABOVE: The Eee Pad MeMo

HTC has already gone glasses-free 3D with the HTC Evo 3D smartphone. Next step: a 3D HTC tablet? Not really a big leap of the imagination is it?

The home entertainment angle

The pressure to take tablets into the third dimension will be compounded as the slate market shifts on its orbit and becomes part of the living room entertainment experience.

All the major 3D TV vendors are planning home entertainment tablets, positioning them as secondary, personal TV devices. Soon content will flow seamlessly from one to another - and with all decent tellies soon offering 3D compatibility does it really make sense to keep tablets two dimensional?

The expert's view

Sky's Chief Engineer and 3D evangelist Chris Johns has no doubt about the potential, and user appeal, of auto-3D. "I don't think the technology is there for bigger sets," he told us when we ambushed him at a DTG tech briefing, "but I can't see it being very long before the major tablet manufacturers are delivering some form of 3D offering that you can download to."

The man from Sky believes that auto-3D is destined to become the de facto way of watching 3D on smaller screens.

"When I first saw the Nintendo 3DS screen I was wowed," he admits. In fact, Johns was so impressed by Nintendo's parallax barrier screen that he offered Ninty codec support, plus 3D content if needed.

"It'll be interesting to see how Apple reacts to the increasing number of mobile products which are adopting auto-3D," he told us pointedly.

Indeed it will.

Tutorial: How to use your iPad as a secondary screen for your Mac

Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing on Sunday, June 5th, 2011 at 4:00 am

Did you know that your iOS device can become the perfect complement for your Mac desktop or notebook? Here we'll show you how.

For starters, your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, can be used as an additional screen. You won't get the same performance as you would with a physically connected monitor, but why not park your iTunes window on the iPad screen so that you've always got it accessible?

Or if you're researching online and making notes, use your main display for Safari and pop your word processor on the iPad to jot things down.

You can also use the iPad or iPhone as a controller for your Mac. First though, why not take advantage of all that storage?

Out of the box, you can't use your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch as plug-andplay external storage in the way you could with older iPods. But with a Mac app called Phone Disk, your iOS device will mount on your desktop when you connect it with a USB lead. Go to the Phone Disk website and click the Download link to try it out. Note that the full, single-user version costs £13.

Work through the installer and restart when it's done, and double-click the Phone Disk app in your Applications folder (for ease of use, go to System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items and add it to the list so that it loads automatically).

Now, every time you connect your iOS device to your Mac, it'll appear on your desktop, where you can drag files to it, like you would with a USB flash drive.

A word of warning: keep off the stuff that's already there, and drag your device to the Trash before unplugging it.

How to use your iPhone or iPad as a second screen

01. Get the Air Display app

There are various iPad apps for using the device as a second screen, but our favourite is Air Display (£5.99). Buy yourself a copy. While it's downloading, move back to your Mac and open up a web browser window - you'll need an accompanying bit of software on your Mac.

02. Download Mac software

Visit Avatron. Choose the edition of the software for your version of OS X and click it. Once it's downloaded, the installer file should appear on your screen. Double-click it and work through the steps to load the drivers. You'll need to restart when it's finished.

03. Connect the two

With your Mac restarted, make sure it's on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPad. On the iPad, open Air Display. Back on the Mac, you'll see a new icon in the menu bar. Click it and select Open Air Display Preferences… Check it's set to On and click the Device drop-down.

04. Et voila

Click your iPad in the menu and you'll see both screens briefly go blue, before your desktop background appears on your iPad screen. Now think about where you're going to put your iPad in relation to your Mac. Put it in position and click Show All on your Mac screen.

05. Arrange the screens

In the System Preferences window that appears, click Displays. You'll see a window open on each screen - note that you can colour-calibrate your iPad's screen here, should you wish. On the Mac, click Arrangement. The iPad is the one without a white bar - drag to position.

06. Enjoy the space

Now drag your windows onto the iPad to use it as a second screen. Why not pop your iTunes or Mail windows there? Using Air Display, you can play Flash video on your iPad! Tap to move the mouse, or use two fingers to scroll. Note: sound will play through your Mac.

How to control your Mac from your device

As well as providing you with extra Mac storage and an additional display, your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch can be used as a controller for your Mac. On the iOS App Store, grab yourself a copy of Mobile Mouse Pro. There are separate versions for iPhone (£1.19) and iPad (£1.79).

You'll need the server software on your Mac too. Install it and make sure all your kit is connected to the same wireless network. Ensure the Mac app is running by looking for its icon in the menu bar - it should load automatically when you start up.

The Mobile Mouse system should work without you needing to go near any settings, but if you do need to fiddle with any, or want to password-protect your setup to stop pranksters messing with your Mac, select Server Settings in the Mobile Mouse menu.

On your portable device, open the app, tap the Settings cogs in the top corner and it'll look for nearby Macs - you should see yours listed (you can also alter the way the controller behaves in the Options tab).

Once connected, your device becomes a multi-touch trackpad and keyboard with which you can control your Mac. The iPad version even incorporates your Mac's Dock.