Bits & megabytes

Sharp plans to sell the world's first 3-D laptop. Users won't need special glasses, and the effects turn on and off at the touch of a button. The first model is intended for software engineers, but a consumer model is in the works.

Soon new TVs will tune digital cable channels without a separate converter box. According to new FCC rules, cable companies will issue special smart cards that pop into a slot on the set. Manufacturers hope to have this technology in stores by late next year.

BMG Music is giving the copy-protected CD another try. The owner of RCA, Arista, and other labels is experimenting with a system called MediaMax CD-3 Technology, which blocks mass copying and limits owners to burning only three copies onto blank CDs. The company claims this "copy management" plan can help "protect our artists' rights."