Billed by Sharp as the world's first 3D laptop, the Mebius PC-RD3D laptop computer is planned for release on October 27 in Japan (with a US release shortly thereafter).

　　Has Sharp found a shortcut in the never-ending race to create depth and texture in PC games? According to Sharp, the Mebius PC-RD3D creates the appearance of 3D by manipulating liquid crystals to project an image at varying angles, "bending" it so it can be picked up separately by the right and left eyes. This creates an interplay between foreground and background and therein an increased sense of depth along the Z axis.

　　Sharp suggests that this would offer certain advantages to users in several fields like science, architecture, and, of course, graphics-centric PC gaming.

　　Also, the laptop has a switch that toggles the screen's display between 3D and 2D modes, the latter intended for productivity applications common to many users. The Mebius PC-RD3D reportedly features a 15-inch display, Windows XP, a 60GB hard drive, and an Intel Pentium 4 processor. It is expected to sell for around 350,000 yen, or almost $3,000. There are several other models in Sharp's Mebius line that do not have this 3D feature.

　　Currently, the Mebius PC-RD3D has but a small stable of sample 3D applications highlighting the technology, including static images of fruit and flowers, and animations for a dinosaur, according to the Associated Press. Sharp hopes that the limited release of the laptop will help spur the development of other applications that take advantage of the feature.

　　Initially targeting 3D content developers, Sharp plans to sell little more than 1,000 Mebius PC-RD3Ds per month before making cheaper, more consumer-friendly models available by year's end.

　　Currently, Sharp holds a large market share of the liquid crystal display (LCD) television market. Last year, Sharp launched cell phones with 3D displays designed for use with Japan's NTT DoCoMo mobile phone service. That business model influenced Sharp to consider 3D displays as a feature to help expand its market share in notebook computers.