Xpand Unveils Personalized 3D Glasses With Smartphone App

http://www.today3d.com/2011/01/xpand-unveils-personalized-3d-glasses.html

 

Jan 5, 2011

 

Tweak your 3D viewing experience with Xpand's Youniversal 3D glasses and accompanying iPhone or Android app.

 

LAS VEGAS—Besides the obvious fashion ramifications, one of the limitations of current-gen 3D glasses is that they're not customizable. Everyone wears the same glasses no matter how big your head, the quality of your eyesight, or what type of content you're watching.

 

Xpand aims to change that with a new line of 3D electronic eyewear dubbed Youniversal. Just like the company's first-gen glasses, they're universal, meaning they're cross-device and cross-brand compatible—so they'll work with any 3D-ready device that uses active-shutter glasses.

 

Youniversal is different, though: the lightweight, semi-attractive glasses are available in different sizes, including small for children, but they use software to help customize your 3D experience. An accompanying app for your Android or Apple smartphone lets you adjust for factors such as your eyeglass prescription, varying lighting conditions, your distance from the screen, and the level of 3D you want to experience—ranging from mild, barely-pops-from-the-screen to aggressive punch-you-in-the-face 3D.

 

I wasn't able to try the new glasses at the press event here at CES, but hopefully they'll help alleviate the inevitable nausea that follows anytime I pop on a pair of 3D specs. PCMag will test the Youniversal glasses and smartphone app when they're available in April. Pricing was not announced, but the company says they'll cost more than the $129 Universal 3D glasses, which will remain on the market as an entry-level option