(keitai-l) Re: Mobile 3D Users & Future Trends

Hi,
I can certainly give you the perspective of what's happening in the West.

There is a standard API for programming 3D in Java and it's called M3G, or
the Mobile 3D Graphics API. Before that it was called JSR184 as it went
throught the Java standardisation process. Nokia, Motorola, Siemens,
SonyEricsson and several other handset manufacturers have handsets coming
out this year with it on and several major network operators have mandated
it as the 3D API for applications.

I'm the CTO at Superscape and we supplied the technology to Motorola and
Siemens for their handsets - the first coming out are the Motorola E680 and
Siemens S65 handsets and these are mass-market phones expected to sell in
the millions. 

From my experience, handsets in the West are becoming more powerful and
feature rich than many in Japan - the E680 for example has the usual camera,
email, browser etc., but is also has iPOD functionality through SD cards, FM
radio, 3D sound through stereo speakers, Java-programmable lights, a nice
QVGA touchscreen and of course advanced 3D gaming capability. We have shown
games on this device and it's better than an N-Gage and it looks good too.
The Siemens phone too is nice looking and plays some really great games - it
is also feature-packed and also shows the way in which Western manufacturers
are stepping things up in terms of design and features. I wish I could say
more about other phones coming along, but I'm under NDA with most major
manufacturers and operators, so I can't until they're announced. 

3D will be standard for gaming starting this summer, 3D acceleration is
arriving later this year and in more volume next year from ATI, nVidia,
Imagination and others, and in two years time I think most new phones will
have 3D on them.

BREW too has 3D handsets coming soon and we have the same engine running on
those handsets, so 3D is arriving in a big way in the West this year. New
handsets are more than capable of having 3D interfaces, we have protoyped a
few systems for people already, so I know it's coming. 

Have a look at these links:

3D phones:

http://www.motorola.com/mot/doc/1/1084_MotDoc.pdf
http://www.siemens-mobile.com/cds/frontdoor/0,2241,hq_en_0_27139_rArNrNrNrN,
00.html

3D Standards:
http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=184
http://www.khronos.org/

My company of course!
www.superscape.com

My opinion on Japan: There are established 3D technologies already there
which also makes it hard to change because of the legacy content, but I
think when these new handsets and games are seen in the East, Japan will
have to react to catch up. Of course Japan is a very different market to the
rest of the world, but I can't see it standing still whilst the rest of the
world shoots ahead.

regards

Paul

---------------
Paul Beardow
Chief Technology Officer
Superscape


>Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:01:39 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Jason Pollard <jasonpollard@yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: Mobile 3D Users & Future Trends
>
>Hi, and welcome.
>
>> Also, will 3D capability be a standard feature? (possibly required to
>> run new user interfaces)?? 
>
>I don't think so.  Not for a long while at least.  3D is too expensive (in
>terms of processing power, battery life, heat, keitai size and cost) for it
to
>become standard, IMHO.  There may become a standard 3D API (like a part of
>j2me) at some time. 
>
>Would love to hear any views on the future
>> trends of mobile 3D.
>> 
>Me too.  If you get a good collection of links, please post them here.
>>
>--Jason