MWC 2016: the revolution of the immersive image

Zuckerberg states at the Mobile World Congress that “virtual reality will be the next revolution” and highlights that every day a million people watch 360-degree videos on Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg surprised at the beginning of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (MWC 2016) by stating that “virtual reality will be the next revolution.” Companies like Samsung with the Gear VR, Microsoft with its HoloLens, Sony with PlayStation VR, HTC with HTC Vive or Facebook itself with the Oculus Rift are walking through the halls of the Fair these days with futuristic immersive reality devices.

Zuckerberg has clearly opted for Samsung's proposal, although it should not be forgotten that the Korean manufacturer's technology is based on developments from Oculus, the virtual reality company that Zuckerberg himself bought for two billion dollars in 2014.

Now, Facebook goes one step further and joins Samsung to launch an alliance that allows users of the social network to view and share 360-degree content. In fact, according to the founder of the social network, every day a million people view 360-degree videos on Facebook, thus advancing one of the lines that will mark the company's strategy in the coming years.

A Mobile, spherical

Without a doubt, one of the gadgets that is attracting the most attention at MWC 2016 is Samsung's Gear 360 spherical camera.

This mini camera has two fisheye lenses capturing 15 megapixels each, generating video in 3840x1920 resolution up to 30 megapixels.

The Gear 360 integrates a microSD card of up to 128GB that allows you to work with it not only as a complement to a smartphone but also from a computer.

Made of resistant and light material with a weight of just 153 grams, it has a small 0.5″ screen to follow the menu (the different options can also be selected from the smartphone screen) and a removable battery (1,350 mAh) rechargeable via microUSB.

The camera allows you to take photos, record video or even make a time-lapse. In addition, it integrates functions such as HDR, white balance and ISO control. In terms of connectivity, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and NFC.

For its part, LG has not wanted to be left behind in 360 capture and has announced in Barcelona the launch of its LG 360 Cam, a 13 megapixel dual camera that captures at resolutions of up to 2K. Unlike Samsung's proposal, LG's camera is completely flat.

It has also surprised with the LG Rolling Bot, a spherical camera capable of rolling through any room controlled from a smartphone, reproducing the images in real time through the cell phone.