In 2007 Microsoft Demoed PhotoSynth at TED Talks, then launched in 2008. PhotoSynth allows users to take dozens or hundreds of images to create a virtual reality view of a location. The images can be a simple panorama or a complex 360 views, left to right, top to bottom. Today Microsoft has launched PhotoSynth for free on the iPhone. Microsoft offering a quality product for free will put pressure on paid solutions like 360 Panorama.
This move has to be a slap in the face to Windows Phone users considering first Microsoft put Live Messenger on Android and now PhotoSynth on the iPhone both have yet to launch on Microsoft’s own platform. Internally it is obvious Microsoft has chosen iOS and Android as a priority given their market share. I love Windows Phone and this app should have come to the Microsoft platform first.
Photo stitch is as easy as tapping a button and listening for beeps. Brent recently used the GoPro HD Hero 960 to get amazing images on his vacation and PhotoSynth would be a great destination for the automatic photo options available with GoPro cameras. PhotoSynth was designed for the Wearable Camera taking images every couple seconds. I will put this app to good use on our next vacation or trip to the Air and Space Museum. Go to PhotoSynth.net and checkout some of the amazing images or see it overlaid on a Bing map.
