360 rumors

Giroptic has updated the firmware for the iO to add photo stabilization.  They also said that they would be adding video stabilization "soon"! The Giroptic iO is a 360 camera accessory for both iOS and Android (the Android version is being shipped very soon).  The Giroptic iO is targeted toward beginners and casual users, and is the easiest, most user-friendly 360 camera I've tried.  You don't have to do any stitching at all for photos or videos, which are stored in your phone, ready to be shared. Giroptic has now added image stabilization to photos in its latest firmware update.  This means that photos from the iO will always be vertical regardless of the physical position of the camera.  In addition, the live preview will also be stabilized in realtime. Updating the firmware for the iO is easy.  Assuming your app is updated (which should be automatic on iOS), you'll be notified about the firmware update the next time you plug your iO to your phone.  ...

Last week, Essential announced their PH-1 phone and its 360 camera accessory.  Here are sample videos from the camera: As posted last week , Essential PH-1 is a smartphone with cutting edge features such as the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, a titanium-reinforced body, a screen that covers nearly the entire surface of the phone.  It also has a 4K 360 camera accessory that is being offered for only $49 (note: it can be used only with the Essential phone).  Here are sample 360 videos from Essential's 360 camera (it's a playlist, so use the upper left menu to choose between the videos). What do you think of the videos?  Let me know in the comments!

Another day, another clone of the Insta360 Nano.  But despite its odd robotic appearance, the Hi720 offers some advantages over other 360 camera accessories. Ever since the Insta360 Nano became popular, camera manufacturers have been scrambling to create their own 360 camera accessories.  Many of them are audacious clones of the Nano but some, like the Hi720, bring new capabilities to the table. Like the Insta360 Nano, the Hi720 can be either connected to a smartphone or used as a standalone 360 camera.  However, the Nano only works with iPhones, while the Hi720 works with iPhones and Android phones.  It works by using a removable connector that can be replaced with USB Type C or Micro USB (the connector is currently compatible with only Samsung or Huawei phones).  It can also connect to phones wirelessly. A wireless connection would be useful for triggering the Hi720 remotely with the smartphone and/or using the Hi720 while having it plugged into a USB power so...

Essential Phone was announced today.  Not just another Android phone, the Essential Phone has cutting edge features, including a unique 360 camera accessory. Essential PH-1 is a new phone from Essential, a company founded by Andy Rubin, one of the founders of Android Inc.  It has unique features such as 2560 x 1312 screen that covers almost the entire front surface of the phone, a dual lens rear camera, the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, and a titanium body. Of particular interest to us is that it has a 360 camera accessory that has magnetic connectors to attach to the phone.  Here are the key specifications of the camera: - two 12mp sensors - each lens has a 210-degree field of view - video resolution is 3840 x 1920 @ 30fps. - aperture: f/1.8 - four microphones for 3D ambisonic sound recording I didn't see any mention of the photo resolution or the live streaming capability.  It seems as if it doesn't have image stabilization, because in one of their videos, ...

There are now several 360 cameras designed to attach to your smartphone, but Ion360 U is the first hybrid device that is both a 360 camera and a smartphone charger case. Ion360 U is a 360 camera accessory with both a 360 camera component and a smartphone charger component.  Rather than draining your smartphone, it will actually charge your smartphone battery while you're using it. Here are a couple of product videos: Here are the key specifications: - photo resolution: 8MP (I think this means that it's 4096 x 2048) - video resolution: 4K - compatible with iPhone 7, iPhone 7+, Samsung S8, Samsung S8+ - live streaming - up to 2 hours battery life - shipping around July 2017 - available in black or teal You can preorder here for $100 off ($249 instead of $349).   You can also follow their official Facebook page  and their Twitter account . What do you think of the concept?  Let me know in the comments!

The latest update to Insta360 Air added 3K mode not just for high-end smartphones as originally promised, but apparently for more, if not most, compatible Android phones.  Compare the samples! Insta360 Air is a 360 camera accessory for Android phones.  When it was first announced, Insta360 said that it would have a resolution of 2560 x 1280, but that high-end phones such as the Huawei P9 or Samsung S7 would have a higher 3008 x 1504 video resolution. A couple of weeks ago, Insta360 released version 1.4 of their app to add 3K mode, although the exported videos seemed to be missing 360 metadata.  Version 1.4.2 of the app, released last week, fixed the 360 metadata and in addition, unlocked 3K mode for more Android phones, if not most of them. Here is a sample 3K video from the Insta360 Air on a Samsung S8 plus: Here is a sample 3K video with the Air, this time on a Samsung S6, which was not originally among the phones that was specified as being capable of shooting in 3K on...

Here is a video tutorial on using the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 360 camera.  I also have late-breaking news on possible workarounds using third party software. The Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 3.5K panoramic camera currently appears to offer the highest video quality for 360 cameras for $300 or less, and it is one of the few that offer manual exposure controls.  Together with fairly smooth stitching, edge-to-edge sharpness, and a 24mp photo resolution, it offers an excellent package for those looking for an entry-level or even intermediate 360 camera. The only problem with the Mi Sphere is that its software is not straightforward and has quite a few bugs.  In this video, I will show how to use Xiaomi and hopefully demystify the Mi Sphere's software. As you saw in the video, the Mi Sphere has a few issues when stitching or exporting videos.  I therefore recommend trying out some files from the Xiaomi on your phone before buying it. iOS app Android app Unstitched samples for yo...

Young360 created a very good tutorial for watching YouTube in full resolution on the Samsung Gear VR headset . Samsung Gear VR ( reviewed here ) is the most popular VR headset, with 5 million users as of January 2017.  It is my favorite platform for watching 360 videos because of its much more accurate head tracking compared to Google Cardboard (Oculus Rift and HTC Vive also offer accurate head tracking but 360 videos don't utilize positional tracking anyway, so there's little incremental benefit from using a Rift or Vive to watch YouTube). However, one of the Gear VR's peccadilloes is that when watching YouTube videos (in 360 or otherwise), the resolution would often be less than the highest available resolution.  At the same time, Google doesn't want to create a YouTube app for Gear VR because Gear VR is competing directly with Google Daydream (which does have a YouTube app). Thankfully, Oculus has updated the Gear VR's software to make it easier to watch YouTube...

More updates about the Xiaomi Mi Sphere 360 camera! - a low light video sample - a long exposure shot (well, you're already looking at it...) - a list of bugs so far - a discount. UPDATE: Xiaomi has vastly improved the app!  See this amazing video ! LOW LIGHT VIDEO First, here is a low light video: Because the video was in low light, I had to raise the exposure in post by +1EV in Adobe Premiere.  I was expecting the worst because if you push the exposure in postprocessing with a small sensor, usually you get very noisy video.  The only question was how bad it would be.  So I applied the exposure adjustment and.... nothing.  No problem at all....! :-O  There was only a slight increase in noise in the shaded area but most viewers wouldn't even notice it.  Wow this camera keeps getting better... LONG EXPOSURE SHOT I also took a long exposure shot last night.  The Xiaomi Mi Sphere is one of the very few 360 cameras with manual exposure.  And...

I just received my order of the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 360 Camera from GearBest!  Here are my first impressions. Update : Part 2 of my first impressions (with unboxing, sample 360 video, and image stabilization preview) is here . Here is a comparison / review of the Xiaomi versus the 2017 Gear 360 .  It also has a guide for the viewing and exporting from the Xiaomi. A few weeks ago, Xiaomi Mijia announced the Mi Sphere camera, a fully spherical 360 camera.  Here are the key specifications: - two 190-degree lenses, fully spherical field of view - f/2.0 aperture - photo resolution: 7K (6912 x 3456) - video resolution: 3.5K (3456 x 1728 @ 30fps) - IP67 water resistance - 6-axis image stabilization - removable Micro SD memory - compatible with iOS and Android The box was surprisingly small.  It included: - the Mi Camera - a sleek carrying pouch (seems made from a water resistant material, but with a fabric interior lining) - a mini tripod / handle - micro USB cable ...

Acer announced the Holo 360, a hybrid device that is both a 360 camera and smartphone. Just the other day, my friend Ben Claremont (Life in 360) and I were discussing about when 360 cameras would become truly popular, and Ben's prediction was that phones would have built-in 360 cameras, which would make them grow in popularity.  In that regard, one of the fastest growing sub-categories of 360 cameras of the past year have been 360 cameras that attach to smartphones (such as the Insta360 Nano, Insta360 Air and Giroptic iO).   We also saw two smartphones from Protruly called Darling that had built-in 360 cameras . Acer today made a surprise announcement of the Holo 360, a hybrid device that is a 360 camera but can also function as an Android smartphone.  The underlying premise is that you would be able to share your 360 photos and videos directly from the Holo 360 without connecting the camera to a phone or desktop.  Acer did not give other details (such as resolution...

You can now download the Insta360 Air app from the Google Play store .  Although you can't shoot with it until you get the Insta360 Air, the app does include a sample video from the Insta360 Air. The sample video shows image quality similar to that of the  Insta360 Nano for iPhone .  However, please note that the Air's resolution can be either 3008 x 1504 (identical to the Nano) or 2560 x 1280, depending on your phone.  Higher end phones such as the Samsung S7 series and Huawei P9 benefit from the higher resolution. I also noted that the app required an update, but I wasn't able to update it a while ago.  I'll try again later. RELATED POSTS: Hands-on with the Insta360 Air

Insta360 Air is a 360 camera for Android.  At $119 ($99 for preorders), it is currently one of the most affordable spherical 360 cameras.  In addition, it features 360 livestreaming.  I got to see and try the Insta360 Air at CES 2017.  Here are my impressions. Update: I've received the Insta360 Air.  Here are my first impressions! Update : check out the sample video from the Insta360 Air ! These days, more people are aware of 360 cameras, but 360 cameras are still relatively uncommon.  Insta360's philosophy is to start with a device that people are very familiar with -- a smartphone -- and enable it to capture 360 photos and videos through an accessory.  This strategy was genius and it has worked very well with the Insta360 Nano for iPhone .  Now, Insta360 has created a 360 camera for Android as well. Unlike the Nano, the Air is not intended to operate independently and must be attached to a phone when being used.  The benefit of this design...

I saw the Insta360 Stereo at CES, and the current version looks quite different from the previous one I posted about . The Insta360 Stereo that I posted about previously is already phased out: The current one is still hemispherical 3D 180, but is much more compact, and connects to an Android phone: Here are the specs: - video resolution: 3008 x 1504 @ 30fps - photo resolution: 3008 x 1504 - aperture f/2.0 - realtime livestreaming In terms of availability, Insta360 produces the Stereo only for wholesale.  They have no plans for retail sales of the Insta360 Stereo because they want to focus on the Insta360 Pro as their 3D camera.

Perfant, makers of Eyesir and Eyesir Mini , added a couple of new 360 cameras to its lineup: the Eyesir S, a 4k 360 camera and Wink, a 360 camera for Android phones. Here are the key specifications of the Eyesir S: - two lenses, each with a 200 degree field of view. - two sensors, each with 10 mp resolution - f/2.2 aperture - video resolution: 4096 x 2048 @ 30 fps up to 120 minutes. - realtime stitching - 6400 mAh battery The specifications are similar to those of the Eyesir, except that the Eyesir uses 13mp Sony sensors, 220-degree lenses, and features a maximum recording time of 180 minutes.  The Eyesir and Eyesir S have identical size and weight (137mm x 59mm x 54mm, 330g). The Eyesir S is available for $999. Perfant also announced the Wink, a 360-degree camera for Android phones.  Like the Insta360 Air , the Wink attaches to your Android phone via the USB port. I'm waiting for more info on the Wink.

The ZTE press conference announced two new phones and confirmed the Axon 7's compatibility with Google Daydream. At its press conference, ZTE confirmed that the Axon 7 would be compatible with Daydream.  The only thing they're waiting for is approval from Google.  Unfortunately, they have zero control over that, so they couldn't say when Axon 7 phones would be upgraded to Android 7 (Nougat) and Google Daydream. They did, however, provide demos of the Axon 7 used with Daydream.  I got to try it out and I thought it was substantially similar to using Daydream with the smaller Pixel. The few differences were: - the screendoor effect is not so noticeable , even though the Axon 7's display is only 1080p .  Correction: the Axon 7 has a resolution of 2560 x 1440, the same as a Samsung S6 or S7, which is why there's not much SDE.  I would say it's similar to the S6 (with the Gear VR).  (Thanks to Denzel Thomas and Mike Cane for the correction!) - the controllers' t...

Insta360 has extended the preorder period for the  Insta360 Air , its 360 camera for your Android phone, while production remains on schedule. Insta360 Air is a 360 camera that attaches to your Android phone.  Because of its attractive price and features, it already far exceeded its crowdfunding campaign goal (currently more than 500%).   In response, Insta360 announced that due to the popularity of the Insta360 Air, they would extend the crowdfunding campaign for another 30 days, giving more people the chance to preorder the Insta360 Air at a substantial 17% discount compared to the MSRP ($99 preorder price vs. $119 MSRP). Insta360 assured current backers that production remains on schedule for delivery in March 2017.  Unlike pie-in-the-sky crowdfunding projects, the Air is being made by Insta360, an established company that has already produced and sold the Insta360 4k and Insta360 Nano cameras. Insta360 posted photos of the first batch of Air cameras, and confir...

360 PhotoBall is an Android app that enables you to print 360 photos on paper which you can then assemble into a ball. 360 PhotoBall is available on the Google Play store for $0.99 . Thank you very much to Pepe Vazquez for bringing this to my attention! For a high quality print of your 360 photo, printed seamlessly in full color on a sphere (both on the inside and on the outside), check out Scandy !