While devices like the EVO 3D and LG Thrill will bring 3D displays to U.S. smartphones in the near future, we have to say that the glasses-free 3D display technology involved with these small screens has a long way to go before the quality catches up to the hype. Multi-thousand dollar 3D TVs still aren’t terribly impressive in terms of 3D quality though, so expectations aren’t terribly high right now. While 3D gets ironed out, however, 3D-like experiences facilitated by head-tracking technology provide a nifty UI effect that will likely become more popular moving forward. We’ve seen great head-tracking 3D demos from companies like The Astonishing Tribe — now owned by RIM — and HTC’s Flyer will launch with similar UI goodies. Now, a group of researchers called the Engineering Human-Computer Interaction demonstrate head-tracking 3D effects the iPad 2. Hit the break for a video of the technology in action and feel free to let your mind wander as you imagine all the great use cases for this nifty tech.
[Via TUAW]