360 degree cameras are wonderful things, but they’ve got a long way to go. We need perfect 3D capture with seamless stitching and ultra-high resolution capture to make truly immersive panoramic content. Acer’s new entry into this market doesn’t sound like it makes any huge leaps in these areas but it’s got something better; it can make phone calls.
Yes, really.
Acer didn’t do the best job of introducing its new camera, the Holo 360. For starters, the trailer it was meant to run at its press conference today didn’t show up on the largest IMAX screen in the world. Following that, Acer CEO Jason Chen introduced the device by asking on-stage companion Eric: “This is a 360 degree camera that comes with 3D depth, right?”
“Actually, we’re not quite there yet,” Eric responded. “But it is a 360 degree camera!” Ouch.
In fairness, the camera is 4G-ready, meaning it can seamlessly upload captured content to the desired location without requiring a psychical connection. It’s also got a built-in screen so you can preview anything you’ve recorded. “In fact, you can even make a phone call from here,” Eric said.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Chen proudly proclaimed to the room, “the only 360 degree camera today in the world equipped with 4G. And you can make a phone call.”
“Yes you can,” replied Eric before taking the device off-stage. Acer didn’t list any more specifics about the camera, which will hopefully come after the conference.
All jokes aside, we welcome more competitors to the market, and if the company can hammer down on the price then this could be a genuine competitor. That won’t have much to do with the fact it can make phone calls, though.
