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HP creating glasses-free 3D tech for smartphones, tablets

Hewlett-Packard has been hard at work creating glasses-free 3D technology for mobile devices. That's right, no silly glasses.

Publishing their findings in the science journal Nature today, HP researchers say that this type of technology could transform data visualization, medical training, and entertainment.

The effect is "much like you'd see in the movie `Star Wars' with the hologram of Princess Leia," lead author of the paper David Fattal told the Associated Press today.

Creating 3D for mobile devices is far different than for movies, however. According to Nature, this technology would look like a hologram but … Read more

Google Earth for iPhone brings a virtual map to your phone

You know all that time you spend looking up your house and your friends' houses on Google Earth? Well, now you can do it anytime, anywhere with Google Earth for iPhone. It brings the popular virtual map service to your fingertips.

To begin, Google Earth for iPhone has a very helpful tutorial for navigating the app. For example, it uses circles to show you how to move up, down, tilt, zoom, and reset the view. We tapped the My Location button and gave it access to our current location. In just a few seconds, an overview of our neighborhood appeared … Read more

Video reveals secrets of a 'Jurassic Park' Spitter

Do you remember these famous last words? "Look, stick! Stick, stupid -- fetch the stick. You don't want the stick? No wonder you're extinct. I'm going to run you over when I come back down."

In the movie "Jurassic Park," shortly before his demise, computer technician Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) mutters those lines to a peculiar-looking dinosaur. A behind-the-scenes video by the legendary Stan Winston special-effects company reveals how a small team built the Dilophosaurus (known as the Spitter in pop culture) for the dinosaur thriller.… Read more

MakerBot to sell limited-edition Adafruit Replicator 2 kit

MakerBot and open-source hardware pioneers Adafruit Industries have partnered to produce a limited edition Adafruit Replicator 2 3D Printer bundle.

For $2,295, buyers get a Replicator 2 -- one of the hottest consumer-grade 3D printers on the market today -- and three of Adafruit's most-popular kits. A Replicator 2 normally sells for $2,200.

The three kits included in the package are Adafruit's MintyBoost V3.0, an open-source hardware charger; a 512MB RAM Raspberry Pi Model B; and a Timesquare do-it-yourself watch kit with a red display matrix. … Read more

Nintendo hit with $30.2M in damages over 3D patent suit

Nintendo was found liable of infringing on glasses-free 3D technology in a lawsuit that wrapped up today.

A New York federal jury concluded that the game maker used features of a patent developed by Seijiro Tomita in its handheld 3DS gaming device, according to Reuters. The jury awarded Tomita $30.2 million in compensatory damages.

"We are thankful to the jurors for their diligence and hard work," Tomita's attorney Joe Diamante told Reuters. "It has been a honor to represent Mr. Tomita and to protect his invention."

Tomita, who is a former Sony employee, said … Read more

Future of 3D printing is bright, says SXSW panel

AUSTIN, Texas -- The future of 3D printing, a technology that's rapidly maturing and enabling a wide variety of people and companies to rapidly design and create physical products, is very bright.

That was the conclusion of a panel of experts who spoke at SXSW yesterday: while there are certainly limitations to the technology, the opportunities that 3D printing offers everyone from garage entrepreneurs to large corporations will be be plentiful, and often economically advantageous.

Today, the technology is already considered one of the hottest around, but during the talk -- which was moderated by CNET's Rich Brown … Read more

A new dimension: Samsung Galaxy S4 may have 3D camera

3D hasn't really taken off in TVs, but Samsung may be inclined to give it a try in the Galaxy S4.

The Korean electronics giant has filed for a trademark for "2D 3D Movie & Still," and it also filed for a patent related to a panoramic imaging lens and panoramic imaging system.

Samsung noted in its trademark filing that the application covers software for smartphones, software for tablets, digital cameras, USB flash drives, mobile telephones, portable media players, portable computers, rechargeable batteries, smartphones, tablets, wireless headsets, and lenses for cameras. That's a pretty extensive list.… Read more

MakerBot honcho kicks off SXSW 2013

AUSTIN, Texas--What's next for 3D printing? MakerBot founder and CEO Bre Pettis answered that question in all-capital letters during his opening keynote speech here at South by Southwest 2013.

"LASERS," read a slide with factoid about his company's latest 3D printer, the MakerBot Digitizer.

"It's kind of like Tron," Pettis explained, as a prototype of the new printer fired its laser scanners at a garden gnome.

Introduced by South by Southwest Interactive director Hugh Forrest as the "hero of South by," Pettis started this year's conference with a brief history … Read more

3D-printed implant replaces 75 percent of patient's skull

Doctors have already replaced a patient's jaw with a 3D-printed titanium implant, so why not part of a skull? Earlier this week, 75 percent of an American patient's skull was surgically replaced with a custom-made implant produced by a 3D printer from Oxford Performance Materials.

The full name of the implant is the OsteoFab Patient Specific Cranial Device. The implant is made from PEKK biomedical polymer and printed using CAD files developed to fit each person. The world of skulls is not one-size-fits-all. Much like an expensive pair of bespoke shoes, these skull implants are unique to the individual.… Read more