EyeFly 3D – Pretty fly on the naked eye
3D technology. It’s been the craze and the “in” thing the past few years.
Almost every movie shown in theatres also feature 3D versions of their film. Even most television sets and computer monitors have 3D-capable displays as well. They’re all pretty awesome, you have to admit.
The only drawback of having your own 3D display, though, is the cost of purchasing one. As much as the price of these gadgets have significantly lowered, it still takes a substantial amount of money to obtain them.
Thankfully, there are a few smart individuals who came up with an ingenious thingamajig that converts the screens of your smartphones and tablets into 3D capable displays, enabling you to view 3D images and videos without the aid of 3D glasses.
It’s called EyeFly 3D.
“No way!” you say? I don’t blame you for being a little bit skeptical. I doubted the technology myself when I first heard about it.
EyeFly 3D doesn’t use a parallax barrier display which darkens the screen and produces extreme but comfortable 3D. Instead, they use a lenticular lens array to produce high-quality 3D that is natural to the human eye. Get this… on the EyeFly 3D, there are HALF A MILLION lenses sending separate images to your left and right eye. These images are instantly processed into 3D by your brain. Amazing, right?
EyeFly 3D looks just like a simple screen protector. You install it as you would any other protective film with only one slight difference… a special EyeFly 3D app should be downloaded and displayed on the screen when installing the film. The app helps you align the seemingly invisible lenticular lens array to ensure that the EyeFly 3D screen works properly.
Check out the EyeFly 3D video demo below on how to install the film:
There are two (2) EyeFly 3D mobile apps which you can download for free – EyeFly3D Vid & EyeFly3D Img.
These apps come with default 3D images and videos respectively which you can use to enjoy glasses-free 3D goodness. Not enough? These apps can also convert 2D images and videos into 3D – including videos from YouTube! Now that is sweet!
The very moment I had my EyeFly 3D installed, I eagerly ran the native EyeFly apps to see if this technology is all hype or if it is exactly what they made it out to be.
Surprisingly, EyeFly 3D was incredibly “fly” (pardon the pun).
Even the guys who installed the EyeFly 3D screen were excited to see how well this product would produce 3D media.
EyeFly 3D at CES 2014
Compatibility
Currently, the EyeFly 3D is compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPod Touch 5th generation, iPad Air, iPad Mini and Nexus 7.
Verdict
After seeing and experiencing EyeFly 3D with my own eyes (and glasses-free at that), I can confidently say that this particular screen add-on will please a good number of 3D fans. It takes a little bit of getting used to but nothing that anyone can’t handle.
My only concern with EyeFly 3D (on my iPhone 5s, for that matter) is that although the screen add-on may seem invisible when not viewing 3D media, it noticeably distorts and impacts the quality of my device’s Retina Display – very small text are skewed and quite a challenge to make out every now and then… and 2D images have a grainy (for lack of a better word) appearance.
I loved how my iPhone 5s’ screen has been amazingly “3D’fied”… but for me, 3D on a small device (like a mobile phone) is more of a novelty than it is a necessity. It isn’t exactly something that I cannot live without. For others, the case may be different, though.
If the thought of having on-demand mobile 3D far outweighs the slight distortion that the EyeFly 3D screen add-on gives to your device’s high definition display, then have at it. It all boils down to preference, really.
Besides, you can easily peel the EyeFly 3D off of your device’s screen when you eventually grow tired of using it.
For more information and technical details about EyeFly 3D, check out the image below (click to enlarge):
Wanna know more about the EyeFly 3D or my own personal experience with it? Leave a comment below and let’s talk about it.
The EyeFly 3D retails for Php 1,200.00 and is available at all Beyond the Box outlets in and around Metro Manila.
March 11, 2014 @ 3:12 PM
great blog… am a 3D fan as well… kaso, i only have iPhone 4 which is not included in your list… you mentioned it can convert to 3D ang video from youtube… ok ba ang result??? :)
March 11, 2014 @ 6:22 PM
Yup. Ok naman ang result. Of course, native 3D video (L-R) is significantly better but the 2D to 3D feature is good. I believe the screen size of the 4 and the 4S is just the same. :)
March 11, 2014 @ 5:27 PM
thanks… will share this with my friends… am sure they will find this fascinating as well… :)
March 11, 2014 @ 10:25 AM
The #EyeFly3D is an amazing concept. It produces decent 3D images and videos which you can enjoy without the aid of any 3D glasses. And you can install the film on your smartphone in seconds. Cool!
March 14, 2014 @ 9:49 AM
Hey Chuckie,
great review! I got an email update from them that there’s a new app called EyeFly3D, any thoughts on this app? https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eyefly3d/id826153802?mt=8
June 15, 2014 @ 12:15 PM
Great review! I hear there’s a Tempered Glass version being launched soon. Have you tested it? Please share your views on this. I always try to buy screen protectors made of scratch-proof tempered glass, and if it doesn’t cost much more than the ordinary screen protector then of course I’d want to have the 3D advantage too!
June 15, 2014 @ 12:57 PM
Hey Jade. Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, heard about that, too. Honestly, my problem isn’t about the EyeFly 3D being made of plastic or tempered glass. It more about about how the screen destroys the way you view regular text and images on a retina display. The experience is ruined. If you enjoy the novelty of 3D viewing over clarity, then by all means. But it isn’t much of a draw for me. Maybe if they improve 2D viewing in future versions.
Also, tempered glass is pretty thick. I love using my Olloclip too much and using a tempered glass protector will prevent me from using the Olloclip. Yikes! :)
June 15, 2014 @ 1:35 PM
Yikes! Hadnt thought about that. Bought Olloclip too. But my tempered glass overlay lifts off easily and can be re-applied with no problem! I imagine we could do the same with the EyeFly3D tempered glass sheet….?
Was kinda disappointed with Olloclip so it’s lying on my desk unused. And my daughter LOVES watching 3D movie trailers on my handset! So, price-permitting, I would still buy the tempered glass EyeFly3D, as I use the iPhone for light texting and the “distortion” is so slight that it doesnt bother me at all. I leave the heavy emailing etc for my laptop.
The only reservation i had about the old EyeFly was that it was plastic, and doesnt give the 9H protection of tempered glass. I imagine it would also have a nice smooth surface (as opposed the the tiny ridges on the surface of the plastic version).
Can you please find out when it’s going to be available?
Am looking forward to reading your review! :-)
June 15, 2014 @ 1:54 PM
Ah! No wonder EyeFly doesn’t bother you too much. I, on the other hand, do most of my work, editing, image post processing, etc on my phone. I’ll keep ya posted on when the tempered version will be out and my thoughts on it after giving it a test drive :)