What is Photo Sphere?
Panoramic shots used to be a pain to take in the pre-digital days, but with a smartphone anyone can capture impressive 360-degree images without getting out scissors and glue. Various third-party apps have allowed for panoramic photo capture in the past, but on-board applications are now making this possible. Photo Sphere is one such program, arriving alongside other key Android 4.2 features and making panoramic photo power available to anyone with a compatible Android camera phone.
That compatibility is dependent on whether or not your mobile has Android 4.2 installed. If you choose the Google Nexus 4 or another own-brand handset you are likely to receive the latest version of the software (and thus Photo Sphere) earlier than others.
What is Photo Sphere?
Photo Sphere is able to use your Android camera phone to take full 360-degree photos, not just simple panoramas. This means you can create a full 3D-style impression of the point on which you happen to be standing when you start snapping and the software will sew everything together to create a seamless image that you can manipulate using your phone’s touchscreen display.
This is just one of the new Android 4.2 features that Google is introducing to make its latest version of Jelly Bean seem even more impressive than the last. This is also good news for photography fans who love Android, because the platform will be loaded on some of the best camera phones for 2013.
Next year, the standard megapixel count for flagship smartphones will be taking a leap from the current 8-megapixel mark to around 13 megapixels.
It is thought that future releases to challenge the best camera phones for 2013 will include the Photo Sphere feature. The most likely contender is the Samsung Galaxy S4, which should have a 13-megapixel camera. HTC’s top-tier M7 handset might also pack this kind of capability.
With Photo Sphere you’ll be able mash up multiple detailed images, letting you create a 360-degree photographic bubble. You could capture everything around you while standing at the top of a skyscraper, or simply make a virtual representation of your entire living room.
Google is encouraging Android 4.2 users to share their Photo Sphere snaps via Google+ and Google Maps. This means other users can see the pictures you’ve captured, creating a kind of copy of Street View that can be edited by ordinary users.
If you’re not sure exactly what Photo Sphere will be like, you can already check out a growing number of spheres that have been added to Google’s official services and see what you might be able to achieve with this new Android camera app.