Computer with 3-D Display Planned by Japan's Sharp

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Computer with 3-D Display Planned by Japan's Sharp Sep 11, 4:09 AM (ET) TOKYO (Reuters) - Notebook computers that show images in 3-D will be put on sale in Japan and the United States next month by Sharp Corp. (6753.T), the company said Thursday.The 3-D feature, which does not require special glasses, is a world first, said Sharp, Japan's largest maker of liquid crystal displays (LCD).It said the 3-D feature can be used for video games and such purposes as architectural design, and users can switch to 2-D for normal use such as word processing by just pressing a button."We believe our 3-D technology will create a new growth field in the saturated personal computer market," said Makoto Nakamura, general manager at Sharp's mobile computing systems division.Although Sharp is the dominant player in the fast-growing market for flat-panel LCD TVs with a global share of about 50 percent, it holds less than 10 percent of the domestic notebook computer market.The 3-D feature will be in computers with a 15-inch display and Intel Corp's (INTC.O) Pentium 4 processor, and will hit store shelves on October 27 in Japan. The U.S. launch is set at around the same time.Sharp said the computers are expected to sell for about 350,000 yen ($2,989) apiece, 60,000-70,000 yen higher than conventional 2-D models with similar specifications.It targets developers of 3-D content and other corporate users at the initial stage, and aims for monthly sales of a little more than 1,000 computers.But it plans to launch models targeted at general users by the end of the year to boost sales.Sharp already makes cell phones with similar 3-D displays for Japan's dominant wireless firm NTT DoCoMo Inc (9437.T).