Google will offer a new Street View app in August that promises a 360-degree experience for its users. The app will be a significate improvement on the limited Views community that Google released about two years ago, where users could share 360-degree photo spheres with the online world.
The most obvious problem with Views was that it was separate from both Maps and Google Street View. Now, the new Street View App to come in summer season may well blow away Google Street View. How so? Previously, Street View was loaded with panorama images taken by Google or other contributors, but now anyone can upload images direct from 360-degree cameras to the new app.
The first two 360-degree cameras that will sync with the upcoming app will be the Giroptic 360cam and the NCTech iris360. Soon more cameras will be able to do so too; other cameras will be added in the near future.
As well, panoramas already loaded on Views will transfer over to the new app version. Views will soon cease to exist, being disconnected around the middle of August.
This news of the summer update by Google is part of its push toward releasing more map-related products. As well, it is encouraging its aims for a virtual reality space, which was apparent at the 2015 I/O conference with both Jump hardware and the experience of Expeditions.
In addition, Google will make it simpler for one can become a Google-certified photographer for businesses. If you are familiar with Google Maps Business View, it will change shape soon in its policy section to more easily accommodate uploads and edits. However, it will still likely continue to favor pro photographers. Soon Google Maps Business View will appear under its new name of “Street View | Trusted.”
What do you think of the recent moves made by Google to get into the virtual reality space?