LG Electronics' latest phone boasts 3-D screen

As part of the quest to add more depth to electronics, LG Electronics Inc. on Monday demonstrated a phone with a 3-D screen and a 3-D camera, set to go on sale later this spring.

The South Korean electronics company's Optimus 3D drew large crowds eager to give it a test run at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

The screen produces the illusion of depth without the need for special glasses, and includes a pair of five-megapixel lenses for taking 3D photos and video.

The phone must be held at the proper distance and angle in order for the viewer to perceive depth, much like Nintendo Co.'s 3DS handheld game console, which is based on a similar screen technology. Glasses-free 3-D is easier to achieve with small screens than with TV-size ones.

The Optimus 3D runs Google Inc.'s Android operating system. LG didn't announce a deal with a U.S. carrier, making it uncertain whether it would be sold in the U.S.

LG has already announced that a tablet with a 3-D camera, the G-Slate, will be sold by T-Mobile USA this spring. It won't have a true 3-D screen, so the user will need wear red-blue glasses to see depth when using the camera.