Title: Cycloramic
Cost: $1.99
Platform: iOS 6 or later
If you watch Shark Tank you may have seen the Cycloramic app featured and actually funded by the sharks. If you don’t watch Shark Tank you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about. Either way Cycloramic is an interesting app that is sure to be of interest to teens and adults. The idea is to make it easy to take panoramic images. Sure, there are other apps that make it possible to take panoramas, but here’s the difference between those and Cycloramic, the app uses the iPhones features to take the panorama image in a hands-free mode.
The video clip below shows the pitch by the Cycloramic developer on Shark Tank and you can see how the app works.
When I first started to use Cycloramic I was a little confused. First, I forgot to take my iPhone case off, so don’t forget to do that. The app can’t rotate on its own with a case in the way. Second, in order for the hands-free panorama photo shoot to take place, the phone has to be put on vibrate. But, once those two things are taken care of the app works really well. The hands-free is real. Just put the phone down on a surface, press the shoot button, and the phone starts taking pictures and rotating all on its own.
The app could be used as a way for library staff or teens to take panoramic photos of library spaces and post those as a part of a library’s web-based tour. Or teens might take panoramic photos of their favorite community locations/hang-outs or of places that they visit when on family or school trips, or when out and about with friends. You might brainstorm with teens different types of panoramas they might take, have them go off and take the images, and then invite them to share to their favorite social sites with a tag determined by you and the teens.
Once a panorama is captured it’s easy to save it as a video to the iPhone’s camera roll. Once that’s done the movie can be easily uploaded to YouTube or another video site. The app also makes it easy to share on Instagram, Facebook, or via email.
Give Cycloramic a try, you and the teens you work with may be amazed at how it works and all that you can do with the app. I’d say the $1.99 price tag is worth it once you start to explore the possibilities.
For more app recommendations visit the YALSA App of the Week Archive. If you have an app you think we should review, let us know!
