3D smartphone to make debut in Japan in December

TOKYO: Japan's Softbank on Thursday unveiled smartphones that enable users to enjoy three-dimensional photos, videos and games without the need to wear special glasses.

Softbank Mobile said it would release a 3D-capable Galapagos smartphone in early December and another model of the brand in mid-February.

Both phones, produced by Sharp, have 3.8-inch liquid crystal display screens, enabling users to snap pictures, play games and watch video in 3D. Ustream will also feed live 3D video to the phones.

Softbank Mobile will also offer electronic book services on the two smartphones, which run on Google's Android operating system.

Softbank, Japan's exclusive carrier of Apple's iPhone, last week reported a record quarterly profit for the July-September term on strong demand for smartphones.