Sharp Introduces 3-D Computer Display - without goggles

Hoping to spur a 3-D revolution, Sharp Systems of America introduced Monday a new flat-panel computer display designed to deliver eye-popping images without the need for special glasses.

Though a handful of lesser-known companies have produced stand-alone 3-D displays for the medical and scientific industries, Sharp's new 15-inch LCD 3-D display is the first to also target consumers, analysts say.

The Sharp LL-151-3D display, which costs $1,499, allows users to easily switch between 2-D and 3-D modes. The display has a special layer, which, when turned onto 3-D mode, helps to create the illusion of 3-D vision, adding depth to images regardless of whether they were created in 3-D. The special effect is similar to the technology Sharp uses in one of its laptops introduced last year.