HTC Evo 3D, LG Thrill 4G Officially Enter The Smartphone Market

The Evo 3D will be available on Sprint, while the LG Thrill 4G will be available on AT&T. While there are other 3D phones on the market these the first big-name brands available in America.

HTC revealed its 3D phone along with the HTC Evo View 4G, which is the company's 7-inch tablet. The Taiwanese company said it is the first 3D phone to be glasses free. The phone uses the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system, has a 4.3 inch screen and a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm snapdragon processor. It also has a dual 5-megapixel cameras, which can capture 3D images and video.

HTC actually teased the 3D phone back in the winter at the CTIA trade show. The phone was first available for the Sprint Premier Club. It has now been made available now for everyone in America at the price of $200.

HTC EVO 3D brings to life a visual experience that comes alive in front of the viewers' eyes and offers crisp, clear pictures on the large display that showcases yet another new innovation from Sprint, Fared Adib, vice president of product development at Sprint, said in a statement.

LG has also introduced its own 3D phone, the Thrill 4G, which will be available later this summer. On the surface, it will be a similar phone to the Evo 3D: glasses free, 4.3-inch touchscreen, Android 2.3 operating system (upgradable as it comes with Froyo), dual 5-megapixel cameras, similar processing speed, etc.

However, LG has attempted to differentiate itself from HTC with preloaded 3D content. Like the Evo 3D, the Thrill 4G will let consumers capture and share 3D images and 3D videos. Unlike the Evo 3D, 3D content on YouTube will be preloaded on the Thrill 4G. This comes from a special partnership between YouTube and LG.  Also, LG has stressed its phone can play 3D games.

Both companies are clearly looking to make their mark in 3D phones. LG said as much when it introduced the Thrill 4G at the 3D Entertainment Summit held this week.

3D the next step in the evolution of entertainment technology. It has brought real and lifelike images to cinemas and home entertainment system and now coming to mobile and it's coming in a big way. 3D is the next frontier of mobile phones, Tim O'Brien, LG's vice president of mobile phone marketing, said during the keynote.

Follow Gabriel Perna on Twitter at @GabrielSPerna