Glasses-free 3D for your iPhone with Whoosh3D

When I first heard about Whoosh3D, a supposedly ‘glasses free 3D screen protector’ for your iPhone, it’s safe to say I was skeptical. Since the 3D TV buzz between 2010 – 2015, there have been few attempts at bringing the technology to mobile devices. We saw the HTC Evo 3D and the LG Optimus 3D smartphones, both capable of producing 3D imagery through autostereoscopy (the technology behind glasses-free 3D screens), as well as the popular Nintendo 3DS.

Whoosh3D offers a new take on 3D screens, by taking the same technology and incorporating it into a thin screen protector for your iPhone. It’s purpose is to let you watch 3D TV, movies and photos all from the comfort of your phone, and even claims to convert 2D images into 3D! In principle it sounds incredible, but can it really live up to these claims?

After the tedious process of applying the screen protector to an iPhone, you are required to download the Whoosh3D app in order to use the device. This is an all-in-one media app which allows you to shoot 3D video and photos, watch 3D movie trailers, and add 3D TV channels to view at your leisure. Although the user interface is clunky and unintuitive, it does the job and offers a selection of test videos to try out.

The 3D technology kind of works, but I found it to be quite intermittent. There were times whilst watching 3D trailers that I could clearly see some depth in the image, but a lot of the time it was just a little blurry. The trouble with the screen protector, and with a lot of glasses-free 3D technology, is that it’s difficult to find the ‘sweet spot’. By this I’m referring to the exact position you need to look at in order to get the optimum view. If you’re a few centimeters off then you end up with double vision and a blurred experience. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s still quite impressive that they got this technology into a screen protector.

When it comes to shooting 3D video and taking 3D photos, I wouldn’t even bother. Without a proper 2 lens 3D camera, there’s no way to shoot ‘real’ 3D video. The Whoosh3D app simply takes your 2D footage and bulges it out in places to give a false sense of depth. This could quite easily impress a small child, but ends up looking quite strange to anybody who’s actually seen a 3D TV before.

Overall, although I wouldn’t recommend the Whoosh3D screen protector for prolonged periods 3D viewing, it’s still a lot of fun. I think it would be great for entertaining children or showing off to your friends, and it would definitely make an interesting gift. You can find out more information about Whoosh3D on their website, and pick one up for £30.