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.