Director Of Innovation Makes Top 10 At Web Summit

*Original article on www.band.com.au here - http://www.bandt.com.au/media/atomic-212s-director-innovation-makes-top-10-web-summit

Director of innovation at Atomic 212° and the inventor of Viewpop app, Peter Brennan, has made the Top 10 shortlist out of more than 2,000 international startups at technology conference Web Summit.

The summit is where thousands of startups from around the globe compete to be the ‘next big thing’ in technology, innovation and breakthrough ideas. This year attracting over 30,000 attendees and 1,000 speakers for the three-day event. Some of the world’s most-successful startups have participated in the annual conference, from Uber & Instagram to Kickstarter and Stripe.

Viewpop is a social network that lets you capture and share three-dimensional photos from your smartphone. The free-to-download app is days away from going live on the App Store, and is changing the face of mobile photography and content creation for everyone; from individuals, photographers and creatives to startups, brands and established corporations. 

Out of more than 2,000 startups selected to exhibit at Web Summit 2015, Viewpop was selected as the part of the “Top 100” to participate in the Pitch Competition (presented by Audi).  The team then went on to be short-listed to the prestigious semi-finals Top 10 of the competition.

“We’re trying to change the way people create and consume content.  Whether that be people capturing moments, brands showcasing product, or creatives using the platform to do things we can’t even imagine just yet.  With our impending launch the more people who get to experience the app the better,” Brennan said.  “There’s power in 3D content, and once the right people start creating content in 3D, we feel that content creation will be reinvented.”

Atomic 212° CEO, Jason Dooris, said: “More and more people are browsing and shopping products on their mobile devices.  Viewpop brings products to life in a really innovative way.  It’s a game changer.”

Claire Fenner, Atomic 212° group general manager said: “We are very lucky to have guys like Pete on our team here at Atomic 212°.  Inventiveness and innovation are key parts of our media future.  Viewpop is the first in a new generation of what I call ‘glue apps’ – that being apps that connect brands with customers in a way that sticks.”

It is a grand opportunity for the Viewpop team to meet influential people in the tech world, and show their product to investors, mentors and journalists. Also it is a great opportunity to get feedback, and to learn how best to launch the app.

Viewpop is scheduled to launch on iOS within the coming days and will be available for Apple devices free from Apple’s App Store. Click here to register and find out more about creating 3D photos from your phone.

The VIEWPOP Team on Monocle 24's The Entrepreneurs

A special episode from the Web Summit in Dublin. We sit down with the CEOs of Kickstarter and Deliveroo; Nicolas Brusson of BlaBlaCar and Philippe Botteri of Accel Partners explain the future of ride-sharing, IDEO’s Anne Pascual shares the process of innovation and the team behind Viewpop explains 3D photography.

Full Episode here - http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-entrepreneurs/213/

VIEWPOP chapter only here - http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-entrepreneurs/213/viewpop/

True-View Turns Your Smartphone Into a 3D Camera

*Original article on Mashable here - http://mashable.com/2013/10/13/true-view-3d-camera/#MGFYqALgBaqk

In the early '90s, the closest we got to 3D vision was the Fisher-Price View-Master. The new True-View reminds us of that trusty old Fisher-Price toy — but instead of switching out slides, this device transforms your smartphone into a 3D photo and video camera.

After turning on the True-View app and inserting your smartphone into the device's slot, you can take a picture or video in 3D and view it later in 3D, too. The device creates 3D images by splitting frames into two side-by-side images — one on the left and one on the right — and a series of mirrors reflect and merge the images into a single 3D image. This process is called "stereoscopic 3D imaging.”

You can shoot your own original content in 3D, or even use True-View to watch 3D clips and movies on YouTube, which has supported 3D capability since 2009.

Currently, True-View is still in the prototyping phase, and is waiting on funding from its Kickstarter campaign to move forward in production. The initial app was exclusively designed for the iPhone 5, but the development team has now adjusted the app to be compatible with iOS and Android phones. However, it needs more funding to officially manufacture this new app, which will be free to download.

A team of designers at London-based startup The Pratley Company has been working on the True-View and its accompanying smartphone app over the past year. Peter Brennan, lead designer and founder of The Pratley Company, was inspired to develop True-View after his grandfather passed away. He took a three-month road trip across the United States, where he found a View-Master at a thrift shop in Portland, Ore.

"I had one as a kid, so we bought it and the 3D pics you could see were amazing," Brennan wrote in an email to Mashable. "That was kind of the 'lightbulb moment.' Old school meets new school. The quality and heritage and tradition of the old manufacturing years is beautiful, and we're trying to feature that when we bring a product to market."

True-View launched on Kickstarter last month, and aims to raise 125,000 pounds (nearly $200,000) by Nov. 1. So far, the campaign has raised over 4,000 pounds (nearly $6,800) in funding. The first 100 backers that contribute 65 pounds (around $100) or more will receive a True-View camera and app.

The Kickstarter campaign for Poppy, another 3D camera, was fully funded in July. Brennan emphasized that True-View has a different strategy than Poppy's.

"We've positioned the True-View as a collectors' item with a bit of a hipster feel to it," he said. "We hope that anyone who likes the 'retro-ness' of Instagram, for example, will be interested in what we're doing ... True-View would look great on your mantlepiece next to your vinyl collection or an old vintage camera."

Entrepreneur creates 3D View-Master for the Instagram generation

*Original WIRED article here - http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-10/10/true-view

An entrepreneur called Peter Brennan has developed a device called True-View that lets users take, view and share 3D photos and videos from their smartphones.

Brennan's startup The Pratley Company -- named after his grandfather -- is aiming squarely at those of us who remember the View-Master.

"My grandfather passed away at the end of 2011 and it was a bit of a game changer for our family. My girlfriend and I decided to leave London and we took off on a road trip around the US. We found an old Sawyer's View-Master in a thrift shop whilst travelling through Portland. I had one as a kid and instantly got these nostalgic feelings coming back. We bought it, and it was just... special. I then started thinking about how I could modernise the concept, and if there'd be a market for this if we did it the right way."

He spend months brainstorming, planning and designing the retro product and now has a prototype. He and the company's creative director, Oscar Fernandez, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to get the funding to take it to market.

The True-View uses a series of mirrors placed at specific angles to each other embedded in the base tray of the device, which looks somewhere between a View-Master and a Polaroid camera. Users inset their smartphone into the True-View and the mirrors reflect light off each other and split the camera lens of the phone into two stereoscopic images.

The images are captured side by side and can then be viewed through the device so that one image is shown to the left eye and one to the right eye. "Your brain then fuses the two images together and, with the help of magnifying lenses inside the True-View, you can see your own photos in 3D," explains the project's Kickstarter page.

True-View -- which is compatible with all of the iPhones as well as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z -- can also be used to shoot 3D movies.

Brennan imagines the product will appeal to vintage lovers, and points out that someone described True-View as "like the hardware version of Instagram", which he felt was a "nice compliment".

As for the design, "we drew influence from some of the old box cameras of the 1930s and '40s," he said.

"I'd like to think that anyone with an appreciation for the quality of old school things would be interested in the aesthetic design of it. But the experience is something else. Our target audience is that demographic that likes the aspect of vintage, but loves the magic of modern-day technology too."

The most challenging part of the development has been the fact that 3D technology is still seen as a bit of a gimmick. Brennan says this is because the technology is not "properly delivering yet".

"We're trying to change that by creating a user experience that's new and fresh, and genuinely awe-inspiring. We have to change the perception of the consumer and that's a challenge, but sometimes challenges create wonderful things."

Kiwi-designed accessory helps you film 3D on your smartphone

Original article and video on 3news.co.nz here - http://www.3news.co.nz/technology/kiwidesigned-accessory-helps-you-film-3d-on-your-smartphone-2013100517#axzz3t2V6vOVC

A Kiwi designer has created an accessory he hopes will change the way the world is captured on smartphones.  Mobile devices have already become a popular choice for taking photos and videos, and the next era could be 3D.  The Pratley Company has created a video it hopes will sell its idea to anyone who uses a smartphone.  The product is called the True View. It's a device, designed in Auckland, that allows you to take 3D photos and videos with your mobile.

"Basically you insert it into the slot here and a series of mirrors in the base here transforms your regular iPhone or smartphone camera lens into two stereoscopic images, slightly spaced apart side-by-side, and when looking through the viewer it shows it all in 3D," says designer Oscar Fernandez.
 

There's also an app that will let you take still photos without the device. The application guides the user through taking a 3D photograph, which they can then upload to social networking systems like Facebook or Instagram and share with their friends across the globe.  For the past year the project has been funded by Mr Fernandez and his business partner in Sydney, but now they're hoping to raise around $240,000 to fine tune the product and start selling it.
 

"We want to do this right, so we're taking the time to get it to this point, and now, after a bit more time and a bit more funding, we'll be able to make it a total reality," says Mr Fernandez. "We are confident we can deliver it by the said date, May.”
 

They're using the crowd-funding website Kickstarter, where users contribute to business proposals they like the look of. Kiwi director Taika Waititi used it to fund releasing his film, Boy, in the United States.  

"'It's a great way for an invested company to demonstrate that their new product is great," says investment consultant Lance Wiggs. "It's a great way for any company to actually market their product, because it gets it in front of a much bigger audience.”

The Pratley Company hopes that audience will help them give smartphones another dimension.

Meet The True View

*Original article on www.stabmag.com here - http://stabmag.com/meet-the-true-view/#ItwjEe0xryZ6Zou2.97

Now, Stab ain’t particularly first to jump on a new toy (or, maybe we are). But in this instance, we feel justified. Meet the True-View, a kinky little device for your phone that takes 3D photos and videos, produced by The Pratley Co (two surfers who wanna make some ripples). It looks Hasselblad-ish, so the aesthetic won’t solicit a cringe. The quality is kinda astounding. Basically, it makes the until-now-dorky realm of 3D and makes it, well, sexy. Whatever your knee-jerk reaction, actually consider creating your own 3D images and footage…
The True-View is currently steaming north on Kickstarter. We wanna see it produced, purely so we can log folders and folders of poorly-composed by visually-awesome homegrown visuals. We ain’t the only ones, either – outta 5k applications that tech conference Web Summit received, The Pratley Co was one of 300 chosen to present the True-View. That should speak volumes in itself about the quality of the tech side.