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Entertainment

Dot Is The World's Smallest Panoramic Lens (For iPhone)

Lens developers Kogeto introduce their new hardware, which’ll allow you to capture 360 degree videos on your smartphone.

While there are plenty more expensive and better quality cameras, the ones we use most frequently are those most conveniently at our disposal—our mobile phones. They’ve been used to record everything from the minutiae of our lives, revolutionary uprisings, and natural disasters. Their ease of use can’t be beat, and while their picture quality still can’t compete with DSLRs and other fancy equipment, it won’t be long before they get caught up.

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Testament to this developing supremacy is a new lens attachment from lens developers Kogeto, makers of the Lucy, a professional-grade panoramic video device. The miniature version, called Dot, is an iPhone attachment that allows users to capture 360 degree videos using their smartphone.

Funded via Kickstarter, the so-called “smallest panoramic camera lens in the world,” attaches neatly onto the back of your iPhone 4. The captured video is fully navigable, taking advantage of the built-in compass controls on iPhones, and the free Looker app converts the raw footage so you can view it and upload the videos onto social networking sites using their web platform. You don’t need to rotate or move the device to capture the panoramic video, you simply hold your camera flat with the camera side up—the software will do the rest for you. You’ll also be able to link your recorded videos with those of other Dot users.

The Dot is set to be released in June and goes into production in August. While the current prototype is designed to work with iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch, don’t lament iPad and Android users, the company plans to release compatible versions by the end of the year.