NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
Google’s Cardboard Camera app lets you turn photos into VR experiences
The latest feature of Google Cardboard will allow you to turn your ordinary Android smartphone into a virtually reality camera. The launch of the Cardboard Camera app gives you the opportunity to relive the sights and sounds of your favorite moments, but rather than a static photo, you get to enjoy it in virtual reality.
Getting started with your virtual reality experience is simple. Download the Cardboard Camera app and then simply hold your phone straight out in front of you, hit the record button and slowly turn around, getting a full 360 degree view of your experience. In addition, the recording will capture any sound during the recording, making for a more realistic experience when you view the 3D version later.
When you want to re-experience your moment at a later stage, simply tap the specific photo, press the Cardboard button and pop your smartphone into your Google Cardboard headset. It is at this stage that you will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of your 360-degree panoramic in a unique 3D experience.
The virtual reality experience captures depth and distance, allowing objects that are near to you to appear closer while far away objects appear at a greater distance away.
via Google
The only problem with these cool 3D experiences is that you cannot share them. If you want your friends to see and hear what you have been up to, they would have to take your phone and view the 3D panoramic in a Cardboard headset. However, Google could be solving this small disadvantage shortly. Google product manager Mike Podwal told VentureBeat that the company is working on a great sharing feature, due to be out very soon.
If you already own a Google Cardboard headset, you can download the free Cardboard Camera app on the Play Store. Currently, the app only supports Cardboard headsets.
If you do not own one yet, you can follow our instructions on how to build your own Google Cardboard or check out the Cardboard website for a range of the most popular headsets available to purchase, but remember the new app will only work with Cardboard headsets.
Image credit: Maurizio Pesce; Flickr
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
