Google Maps (Photo : Reuters)
Google's do-it-yourself take on the virtual reality market is getting increasingly popular. With the release of its dirt-cheap Google Cardboard, it is clear that the internet company is getting headway. Recently, Google has updated their Google Map and added a new feature the Street View for Google Cardboard.
The new update will give users the ability to turn Google Maps Street View into Google Cardboard View, meaning users can now freely roam any Google Maps location in full virtual reality mode.
To effectively use the update, users need to have the most essential ingredients. First, they need to update both the Google Map and Google Cardboard applications. After installing the update, the user can run Google Cardboard and by then choose any location that has the Street View feature. A Look Around icon is also added in the app and can instantly switch the view from side-to-side. Aside from the update, Google has also set a dedicated page for specially Google Cardboard and related apps and download in Google Play Store.
Google Cardboard released only this year is a smartphone mount that can be created by using ordinary school materials. A cardboard, couple of lenses, a magnet and rubber band when put together in the proper way can give users the taste of virtual reality. The Google Cardboard coupled with a smartphone with stereoscopic display software can allow users to observe Google Maps in three-dimensional image. Instead of manufacturing the Google Cardboard mount, Google posted the list of parts along with the schematics and assembly instructions in its website completely for free, all the while recommending users to assemble one.
A smartphone with WebGL support is needed to effectively use Google's app that displays stereoscopic images. Additionally, Apple's iOS 8 currently supports that technology as well.
The mount was designed by David Coz and Damien Henry, both Google engineers at the Google Cultural Institute located in Paris. They say that they only made Google Cardboard in their "20% time."
