Microsoft has just released a new app for the iPhone – Photosynth that lets you capture 360° images and then share them with others.
There are several panorama apps available for the iPhone, each with different levels of ease with capturing an expansive view of a particular room. Photosynth stands out as you can capture images not just along a horizontal line, but in all directions – up, down, left and right. And rather than just relying on you to hold the camera steady while you pan, the app gives you guidelines of where the next image should be places and next photo snapped.
The processing is done pretty quickly, and images are stored locally but can also be shared to Facebook.
Even more interesting than sharing with friends via Facebook is the ability to share to Bing Maps. This means that others will be able to view your panoramas on maps and in search results for the particular location you’ve captured.
The app is free, and is only available on iPhone at the moment. Look for it on Windows Phones when the new “Mango” operating system arrives this fall.