i3DG produces 3D film using iPhone and iPad

Amazing applications for 3D handheld devices aren’t quite here yet, but tinkerers and corporations alike are working hard at developing them. Japan got a 3D-enabled phone last year with the Hitachi Wooo H001, and Nintendo announced the 3DS version of its popular portable gaming system over the Summer; now Japanese media artist Jitsuro Mase has released a snap-on device that enables 3D viewing on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or an iPad. Titled the i3DG, the device is rather surprisingly low-tech: a box containing 3 half-silvered mirrors, that combine 3 distinct images into one 3D image – and the key factor is that artists can use Final Cut, Flash, Premier, or similar programs to create 3D content for the device. Hoping to leverage potential of the device, combined with the hackability and DIY potential of iPhone/iPad, V2, an art and media technology collective in the Netherlands, is sponsoring an artists workshop to see what may come of the i3DG’s potential. Check out the video after the jump to see how simple but effective the device is – and keep in mind that it’s about the potential, more than the current applications.