A new generation of 3D mobile phones that don't require special glasses, could go on sale by the end of this year.   Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp unveiled a new three-inch liquid crystal display screen that played 3D animations over the weekend.  The company also showed off a touch-panel screen that could flick from one 3D photo to another and a display connected to a camcorder that showed video it was taking in 3D.  The new technology is expected to be incorporated into mobile phones, electronic dictionaries and digital cameras in Japan from as early as September.

It comes as manufacturers look for the next 3D market following the success of movies such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.  The Sharp screen shows 3D images to a user up to 12 inches away without such glasses.  They achieve this using parallax to display different images to each eye to give the illusion of three dimensions while retaining image clarity. 

The future of 3D mobile phones TBC...