Facebook is set to make the Giroptic iO 360 camera a lot more popular this week at F8 with a big send-off. Giving away thousands of cameras all with the same capabilities should allow the platform Facebook is pushing to take off. For those not attending F8 this year, those of you out there in the audience, the big news is that this camera – previously only compatible with iPhone, will now work with a whole lot of Android devices.
Using the Giroptic iO is as simple as using a normal camera – to a point. It plugs in to the USB port of your smartphone, then is able to be used with a special app. This app allows users to stream live 360-degree (spherical, in this case) video straight to Facebook. That’s the main intent for Facebook anyway – that’s what they want F8 attendees to do with the camera.
Giroptic will begin accepting orders for Android versions of the Giroptic iO as early as this week. Users will be able to head to Giroptic dot com to grab either micro USB or USB-C connector-friendly 360-degree cameras on pre-order. We’ll likely see more of the Giroptic iO in stores sooner than later.
Per the press release, Giroptic is “excited by the selection” (that is, Facebook selecting them as a hero brand for this camera push), and “have been focused on making 360 more accessible for consumers.” They’re doing this “with a focus on providing a simple, quick, and easy experience for capturing, sharing, and live streaming immersive 360 content.”
UPDATE: We now have a full list of Android devices compatible with Giroptic iO. Surprisingly it does not include every single Android device in the history of the world.
• Alcatel Idol 4 / 4S
• Asus ZenFone 2, ZenFone 3
• Google Pixel
• Honor 7 / 7i, 8
• HTC One M8 / M8s
• Huawei Mate 9
• LG G3 / G4
• Motorola, G3 / G4, Z Play
• Nexus 5 (LG)
• Nexus 6P (Huawei)
• OnePlus 3 / 3T
• Oppo A37, R9S
• Samsung A5 (2016), S2 / S4 / S5 / S6 / S7 / S7 edge, Galaxy Note 4 / Galaxy Note 5, J5 (SM-J500F, SM-J500FN, SM-J500H, SM-J500M, SM-J510FN), J7 (SM-J700F, SM-J700H, SM-J700M, SM-J710F, SM-G610F)
• Sony Xperia Z3, Xperia Z5
• Xiaomi Mi Max, Mi 4, Mi Note 3, Mi4i, Mi 5s
• ZTE Axon 7
Look like your device is on the list? If not, contact Giroptic and see what they’ve got in store for the near future!
