Color Me!

The good news just keeps whooshing in on the VR front, doesn't it? 3D Vision Technologies just announced their new app, ColorMe360, an app which lets you “create and live inside your own virtual reality”.  (Here's the Android and the iOS link.)

Here’s how it works: you print a downloaded grid on an ordinary piece of paper. The child draws a scene (like a park, a castle or an underwater vista) and colors it in, using the full reach of her/his creativity. The conversion from paper to digital VR360 then takes place directly on the phone – without a need for a web link or specialty device.  

According to company founder, Simon Gemayel, “we need to shift consumers from being content consumers to being content ‘creators’”.  This is a move consistent with most educators worldwide. He elaborates: “Facebook and YouTube are historic examples of user-generated content being the life force of a vibrant ecosystem. Virtual Reality will not be the exception”.  Sounds like a winner. 

Whoosh! VR

One of the most under-emphasized areas in the booming field of virtual reality involves user-generated content. I’ve noticed at many tech conferences that a keen interest for student-created content options is resonating at an all-time high, especially for folks in higher education.

Enter WhooshVR. Having exhibited in the past at CES and other events, these folks are chiefly known for Whoosh3D, a 3D-enabled 9H tempered glass screen protector which comes with its own app.  Whoosh3D enables a conventional smartphone or tablet device to create, convert, stream, and display 2D and stereo 3D content, in a glasses-free format.  But WhooshVR is a pleasant addition to their platform, something I see as having high potential in the education market.

Basically, WhooshVR is an app that enables a conventional phone to capture a 2D photo with a single click, convert it to 3D VR format, and create tilt-view VR photos and video, whereby the edges of the frame expand beyond one’s peripheral vision. Its current photo capture constraint is 140 degree FOV with a phone’s camera and 180 degrees with a fisheye lens.  Interestingly, all photo capture is via a single photo shot; I do not need to rotate the phone or exhibit socially awkward photo capture behaviors, thank goodness. According to Simon Gemayel, CEO of 3DVT: “We're changing the face of  VR content by shifting people from being content consumers to “content creators” simply by using their phone – the camera we all carry around in our pocket – and using it in a way which is natural to human behavior; photo capture with a single click.” He gleams:   “This is a powerful change in paradigm.  Never before has 3D and VR3D been so simple, so affordable, and so accessible. “

The introductory app is free, yet basic. (In the basic version of Whoosh VR, photos are captured through the app and viewed on the app’s library.) The upsell version will also allow users to access VR and 3D content on YouTube.

I have been playing with the WhooshVR app at work and home, experimenting with both fish hook and other lenses. From the perspective of the consumer, I see this as a low-cost and non-complicated way to capture 3D pictures (and soon, video), enjoying the ability to click through a mass of images using my VR headgear or the auto-stereo display. I can print what I see on a either a color printer or 3D printer and can email or post my images from the app. From an educator’s perspective, I like the hands-free use, enabled through gaze control on an onscreen dashboard. The intuitive dashboard allows immediate depth editing, zooming, and quick visual tweaking. In my way of thinking, it provides an easy way for the youngest children, or beginning students at higher levels, to jump right into the fray, using a tool I consider a valuable precursor to more sophisticated and time-consuming content generation tools. It’s pretty slick.

Whoosh (4)

In preceding posts, I mentioned that Whoosh3D had its eye on reaching the education market. In this installment, I weigh in on its potential for the education marketplace. 

Is it a Fit for Education?

The answer is a strong yes. After much thinking, playing, and more thinking, here are seven reasons why Whoosh3D makes sense in an education setting and may hold a bright future:

It works on mobile devices.  BYOD is a popular meme in education today. Every student, every school district, every university has their ‘preferred’ mobile device. Whoosh3D starts with the user’s preferred device, and provides functionality from there. Simon Gemayel, the founder of 3DMe, explains their strategy in this way: “My group has always believed that 3D should have been introduced to the consumer mass market through glasses-free mobile devices rather than TVs and expensive displays requiring special glasses.”

It’s a threefer. Everybody loves a “threefer”:  that is, getting three things for the price of one. Educators will be delighted in the fact that, for one price, they can solve three problems: they get an anti-glare filter, screen protection for their mobile displays, and autostereoscopic 3D.

The price is right. Did I say I get all the above tools for around the $29.99 to $59.99 price point, depending upon device size? Price-sensitive education customers will definitely appreciate that.

Negative parallax. The negative parallax on Whoosh3D is good—and adjustable. That’s important. One can tone it down or ramp it up. Typically, educators want negative parallax toned up, for educational advantage. Whoosh3D gives them the flexibility to easily do so.

It’s a slam dunk for user-generated content. It is my estimation that the strongest advantage of the Whoosh3D autostereoscopic display lies with the app’s ability to produce user-generated stereo content. A built-in feature of the Whoosh3D app, this feature enables students to record their own world in 3D and then view, share, rinse, and repeat in autostereoscopic 3D. As an educator, I would use this feature immediately and creatively.

Gemayel of Whoosh3D adds that "we have invested heavily in features which can be used by students (viewing educational content and working with 3D printers now making their way into schools), gamers, architects, medical practitioners, and more.” And did I say the price is right?

Whoosh (3)

Continuing from my last two posts, I've been following Whoosh3D for many months, cautiously listening, watching, and learning about their offering, trying to make sense of its potential. Now, with an actual product in my hands, I have been giving Whoosh3D a complete work over. Today, I am going to weigh in on the effectiveness of this tool: does it perform as stated?

Testing Conclusions

In short, this solution is a three-pronged offer: an autostereoscopic 3D app; a 3D-enabled screen protector/anti-glare overlay for smartphones, tablets, and iPads; and a screen installer. (The screen protector can serve as a permanent attachment to a mobile device.)

Yes, the functionality and features are good. The autostereoscopic 3D is good. The 3D display looks good. I especially like the negative parallax.  The app is easy to use and surprisingly adjustable for each user. And it works on my own device. Plus it protects my screen. And reduces glare.

Yes, the functionality and features are good. The autostereoscopic 3D is good. The 3D display looks good. I am especially delighted by the negative parallax.  The app is easy to use and surprisingly adjustable for the needs of the individual user. And it works on my own device. Plus it protects my screen. And reduces glare. It's like the 3D is free, costs nothing. 

In next week’s post, I will explore the potential of Whoosh3D for the K-20 classroom. Stay tuned…

Whoosh (2)

Continuing from my thoughts from last week’s post, Whoosh3D has slowly been earning steady yet quiet props in building up for a planned U.S. rollout:

• In early March, Whoosh3D was featured in a NewsWatch television show
• In mid-March, they were nominated at the Most Innovative Technology Company in Asia by PhilDev at the Shangrila EDSA in Manila
• In late March, they were a lead story, named an “Innovation Product”, and received the Mac Observer Editors’Choice Award at MacWorld
• In November, they were selected at the IAAPA 2014 trade show as winners of the Brass Ring Award for Best New Product in the category of Technology Applied to Amusements. (They exhibited in a unique 3D photo booth, capturing, printing, and sharing customer photos in 3D with social networks, including their own app.)

Simon Gemayel, the founder of 3DMe, explains their journey in this way: “We have been involved in 3D software technology since 2000, offering a proprietary 3D software and lenticular technology that was initially launched as a desktop application for converting any image into 3D instantly using conventional single lens camera with standard PC. hardware.” He continues: “Our software allows on the spot 3D photo printing, glasses-free, using off the shelf printers.” But this was not enough for Gemayel’s innovative group. “We envision that mobility and 3D technology will ultimately converge.  People from all ages, from different cultures across the globe now all share a common denominator, that of photo and video sharing, and personalizing content.” Of course, the recent explosion of social networking apps for smart phones and tablets supports his notions.

An App for That

Building on their proprietary technology, 3DMe has now created a 3D mobile app, “Whoosh3D”.  This 3D app can convert photos, videos, and movies; it can also be used to share, personalize, and print in 3D, in real-time, using conventional smart phones and tablets.  And, of course, it does this with and glasses-free 3D. According to Gemayel, the Whoosh3D app is initially being launched as a 3D player and 2D-3D video converter.  He adds: “We are currently developing other features, such as augmented reality, 2D-3D photo conversion, social networking/chat, filters, and apps to read medical and engineering files in various 3D formats.”  Although initially launched as an entertainment app, the Whoosh 3D is being aimed at a full ecosystem of market segments:  education, video gaming, manufacturing, printing, medicine, and more (see chart above).

Whoosh. There it is!

I enjoy reporting on new products that have their eye on reaching the education market. One such product is the new Whoosh 3D. Whoosh3D is a three-pronged solution: a 3D app; a 3D-enabled screen protector/anti-glare overlay for smartphones, tablets, and iPads; and a screen installer. (The screen protector can serve as a permanent attachment to a mobile device.) While retaining all of the device’s 2D functionality, at the touch of a button, it ushers the device and the student into a 3D-enabled world, without the need for glasses. Here is a brief overview of this product’s functionality:

Whoosh3D - Current Features, 2014 from Whoosh3D on Vimeo.

As you can gather from the above video, Whoosh3D wisely offers important adjustable and personalized viewing features, providing viewers more intuitive control over the stereoscopic depth effect from their device to suit personal preferences.   Simon Gemayel, the founder of 3DMe, explains: “We took great pains to research and incorporate these features because most people have different stereoscopic comfort zones, and therefore perceive the 3D effect in different ways.”

In the next three posts, we are going to do a deep dive into the performance and potential of this compelling product. Stay tuned.