Decide what to buy | the Reevoo.com blog, featuring news on TVs, cameras, laptops, mp3 players & other gadgets, shopping tips and deals, reviews and more

3D video is a hallmark of futuristic technology for any film set in years to come - remember Jaws 19 3D in Back to the Future II? - but recent announcements by Sky, Channel 4 and TV makers mean that 3D TV in your living room could be a reality in a matter of months.

This week Channel 4 revealed they’re going to broadcast a week of 3D TV this autumn. The mini-season will include a magic show by Derren Brown, 3D movies, 3D footage of the Queen’s coronation shot back in 1953 and (because this is Channel 4 after all) a clip show of the “100 greatest 3D TV moments”. Sky recently announced their plans to broadcast a 3D channel next year, concentrating on live music coverage, films and sport. Sky has already recorded 3D footage of Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, sprinting 150m earlier this year.

In fact, Sky has already experimented with 3D broadcasting: in December last year it was the first UK TV company to broadcast in 3D to a home television, and this April it also acheived another first, broadcasting the first live event in 3D.  3D films are already available on Blu-Ray, coming with a handful of the familiar cardboard 3D glasses.

3D signal is all very well, but it would be absolutely no good to home viewers without the equipment to display it. Sky is at the forefront in the hardware arena too: Sky+ HD set-top boxes are already 3D ready.

3D-ready TVs have been a niche market in previous years - and a struggling one, as manufacturers have tried and (largely) failed to acheive the nirvana of 3D TV: a TV that displays 3D signal without needing viewers to wear those silly glasses. Channel 4’s one-off 3D series will require viewers to wear these glasses, which will be made available at Sainsburys stores across the country.

There have already been 3D TVs on the market: anyone who bought a Samsung plasma PS50A476 a couple of years ago already owns one. Philips mothballed its 3D TV division this year but Panasonic, LG, Sony and Samsung all had 3D TVs to show off at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (a big electronics industry event in Las Vegas). No word yet on exactly how soon these could be available in the UK, but Sky seems to be banking on there being enough viewers with 3D-ready TVs in 2010 to make its 3D broadcasts worthwhile.

Industry pundits have predicted 3D becoming widespread in home entertainment set-ups in as little as 3 years. 3D broadcast and technology is likely to be no more than a novelty for years to come, so don’t despair if you’ve just upgraded to an Full HD model.

If you can’t wait this long, you’re in luck. The next 12 months sees the release of the biggest crop of 3D films ever, pretty much one from every studio. Everything from a family-friendly 3D sequel to Ice Age, to the much-hyped sci-fi blockbuster Avatar will be popping out of IMAX screens across the country.

For those of a more Eeyore-ish disposition, T3 magazine is happy to remind us of past 3D blunders.

Images:
3D glasses: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/ / CC BY 2.0

Just in time for Christmas, Reevoo has launched its own iPhone web application. This means that all you lucky folks who own iPhones will be able to take Reevoo with you to the shops. If you’re looking to buy an MP3 player, camera, laptop or any other product that is available on Reevoo.com, you can check out what people have said about it before you buy. Not only that, but you will also be able to see how much it is online! Very useful for saving some valuable pounds over Christmas.

If you’d like to have price comparison and helpful reviews in your pocket this Christmas, just follow these three simple steps and Reevoo will guide you through all your Christmas shopping.

To add the Reevoo iPhone app to your home screen just take your iPhone:
1. Open Safari
2. Go to http://www.reevoo.com/iphone
3. Tap the + button in Safari and choose ‘Add to Home Screen’

And to use it:
1. Simply tap on the Reevoo icon on your home screen

2. Tap search and enter the product name - you’ll get a list of search results with scores and the cheapest price available online from over 100 retailers

3. Tap on the product itself and you’ll be taken through to read the 10 most useful reviews (as voted by our community) on the product.

We’d love to hear your feedback on this app. If there’s anything else you’d like to be able to access or if you’d like to see something done differently, just let us know at feedback@reevoo.com.

If you’re bored of the iPhone already, be a little different and get your hands on a BlackBerry Storm. You can pre-order one from Phones4U from tomorrow and they’re officially released on Friday, exclusively on Vodafone. But if you really want one, just beware of the potential crowds you might encounter on Friday because it’s rumored that newly crowned champion, Lewis Hamilton, will be making an appearance.

If you’ve forgotten what the BlackBerry Storm is all about, check out the details:

For more info, check out the BlackBerry website

Read other BlackBerry reviews

It seems that the iPhone has won even more fans in the shape of HSBC chiefs. The powers that be over at the global bank have decided to look into using iPhones as their executive weapon of choice. That would mean replacing their fleet of around 300,000 BlackBerry devices.

Now that the new iPhone 3G is compatible with Microsoft Exchange servers, it has become more attractive to business as well as consumers. Its larger screen and applications geared towards trading and accounting are adding to the iPhones capability to become a serious business competitor.

News from the BlackBerry camp is that the BlackBerry Thunder, equipped with a large touch screen, will be released later this year to go into direct competition with the iPhone. Watch this space for a smartphone stand-off…

So the iPhone was released on Friday. Some people love it, some people say it’s a disappointment, what’s a person to think? Well I looked to the reviews on Reevoo to see what people were complaining about on the old iPhone and then compared it to the new version so that I could make up my mind and see if Apple listened to the people that matter most - the users.

Here’s what people who bought the original iPhone had to say about it. I’ve also looked into what Apple have done about each issue and put it in underneath. Be prepared, this is a long’un…

Speed
Original iPhone owners complained about internet browsing speed, with many citing the absence of 3G as one of the biggest opportunities to improve iPhone

The new iPhone has 3G technology so that browsing the net is much faster

Battery life
From 107 reviews, the original iPhone only scored an average of 6.8/10 for its battery life. As well as improvements in the battery life itself, iPhone owners also wanted to be able to change the battery

Apple says that it has increased battery life to 300 hours on standby, 10 hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk and 7 hours of video playback. However you still cannot change the battery

Text messages
Original iPhone users were very frustrated with its SMS functionality. People were unable to carry out the most basic functions such as forward text messages, send messages to multiple contacts and send pictures and business cards. Users also would have liked to be able to navigate more easily through words and letters in text messages

Apple has now improved the iPhone’s messaging features so that you can now send messages to multiple contacts. However, you still cannot send multimedia messages

Camera
Consumers thought the old iPhone’s camera was another of the worst features. They wanted to see a camera with a flash, more megapixels, the ability to zoom and video functionality

Apple has kept the original specs for the camera on the iPhone 3G, which will disappoint many consumers. There is still no flash or video capability and it is still only 2 megapixels

Synchronisation
People wanted to be able to sync up their email, calendars and other Microsoft applications with their iPhones

Apple has now made sure that the new iPhone is compatible with Microsoft products

Memory
Owners would have liked to have had more memory in the original iPhone

Apple has so far kept to the same 8GB and 16GB capacity phones. There are still no memory card slots

Connectivity
Some users noted that the Bluetooth on the original iPhone didn’t work as they would have liked it to

Bluetooth on the new iPhone is still limited

GPS
Many consumers wrote that their iPhone would have been considerably better if it had GPS

Apple has now incorporated GPS into the new iPhone which will be gratefully received by users

Speaker quality
Users commented on the poor sound quality for both music and calls on speakerphone

Apple has improved the iPhone’s speakers so that music playback and calls can be heard much more clearly

Ringtones
Users wanted to be able to set their own music as ringtones

This is now possible, however it is a bit fiddly for the average user, requiring manual reformattinf of music files

Handset
Original iPhone owners found the handset slippery and difficult to hold without pressing something unintentionally

The new iPhone has a plastic back, instead of the original aluminium, which may make it a bit easier to hold and grip without activating functions

Radio
Users would have liked an FM radio incorporated in their iPhones

There is still no FM radio but you can listen to radio over the internet

Headphone jack
Original iPhone owners were frustrated at having to pay for specific Apple headphones or having to use a chunky adaptor as standard headphones wouldn’t fit in the sunken jack

Apple have now rectified this so that standard 3.5mm headphones can now be used

Third party software
With so many features missing from the iPhone, users wanted to be able to use third party software more easily

Apple has now opened up the new 3G iPhone so that third party software can be easily accessed and used through the App Store

So there we go. I think we can all agree that some great changes have been made to the new iPhone - 3G, GPS and third party apps, to name but a few.  But it does seem that Apple mainly listened to the more tech-savvy user when it came to these improvements. For the average user who just wants to share media with their mates and take some decent pictures, it might be a bit of a let-down. Saying that, I bet you all buy one anyway. For me, I’m happy with my more than capable Nokia 5310.