New gadget gives 360-degree view to iPhone videos
Launched by Kogeto, the new attachment known as Dot enables iPhone users to take 360-degree videos without moving or rotating their phones.
iPhone and iPod Touch owners will soon be able to take 360-degree videos without having to move or even rotate their phones, courtesy of a new device called Dot.
Made by New York-based company Kogeto, Dot is an accessory that attaches to the iPhone to snap an immersive 360-degree panoramic video. People can lay the iPhone flat on any surface to record the video unattended or carry it with them as they walk down the street to capture a continuous panorama. But Kogeto recommends just putting the device down somewhere if you're at a party or meeting and letting it do its work.
Afterward, users can view and navigate 360 degrees through the video on their iPhone and even share the video on Facebook or Twitter.
Weighing around half an ounce, Dot doesn't need any additional battery power or memory beyond what the iPhone offers, says Kogeto. The gadget is relatively unobtrusive, so it can stay attached to the phone without getting in the way.
Dot automatically takes advantage of the iPhone's built-in camera and video software. But Kogeto will also offer a free iPhone app called Looker to help shoot, view, and share the actual videos. Looker also had the smarts to link videos from two different iPhones together, giving viewers the ability to jump from one perspective to another at the same event.
"We wanted to give users a way to capture their environment that simply isn't possible with an ordinary camera," Kogeto CEO Jeff Glasse said in a press release. "Dot is not only sleek and easy to use, it puts a whole new kind of video capture into the hands of everyday people."
The device is slated to go into low-volume production this summer with Kogeto kicking things off with a launch party in New York in June. Full volume production is expected to ramp up by August.
For now, Dot works only with the iPhone 4 and the fourth-generation iPod Touch, but Kogeto is working on versions for the iPad and Android-based phones for release by this Christmas.
The company is currently accepting preorders, or actually pledges, through the Kickstarter Web site. Spending $47 or more gets you an invitation to the launch party. But to get Dot itself and join the party, you'll have to pledge $98 or more.
Kogeto's video below provides an in-depth demonstration of Dot.