Google's Cardboard Camera for virtual reality comes to iOS
The virtual reality power of Google's Cardboard Camera has finally come to Apple's iOS.
Launched late last year for the Android platform, the Cardboard Camera app allows you to take panoramic photos that are designed to be experienced on Google Cardboard devices.
The iOS version of the app is just as easy to use as the Android version; you simply press the app's record button and begin rotating in place while holding your iPhone steady. Once you've competed a full 360-degree revolution, the app processes your image and prompts you to place your device into a Google Cardboard device for viewing.
You May Also Like
Recording and then viewing the images is quick and easy, however, it should be noted that you need to hold your iPhone in portrait mode, not landscape mode, in order to get the app to work. Attempting to record in landscape mode just results in an error message.
We also experienced bugginess when we tried to create a shareable link to the Cardboard Camera image. Those attempts resulted in repeated "upload failed" messages.
Nevertheless, aside from the inability to share the photos we took, the app offers a seamless way to experience a quick and easy form of VR using tools you already have.
Of course, panoramic images aren't true VR, but as a cheap gateway drug into real VR on platforms like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, the free Cardboard Camera app on iOS works just fine.
