Switched On: When Gadgets Talk in Their Sleep

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer
technology.

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The Nintendo 3DS stands to democratize stereoscopy in a way society
hasn't experienced since the View-Master craze, by offering 3D
hardware more affordable than the current crop of televisions and PCs,
and without requiring special glasses to see images pop out of the
handheld's screen. But when it comes to innovation, the 3DS could
represent a two-way street, for even as its 3D screen is focused on
enhancing the handheld gaming experience, its "Pass" network
technologies -- SpotPass and particularly StreetPass -- could have
broader implications for the way we discover the world around us.