Google’s Android operating system was unveiled in 2007 and has grown into the the mostly widely used OS of any kind, riding on the backs of its developer and consumer friendly open source nature. That open source nature, which makes the operating system’s source code easily available to developers, welcomed the imaginations of developers everywhere and Android Experiments is a site furthering that ideal. On the website, creators are encouraged to push the limits of the Android platform and share those experiments with Google. Today they’re sharing one of those experiments, the unique application Sprayscape that uses your camera in a 360-degree sphere as you tap to “spray” portions of your surroundings onto a canvas.
I tested the application out on my Nexus 4, a 4 year old device that handled the app with no issue. The downfall of having such an older phone limited the clarity of the images you add to the canvas, but the concept wasn’t to0 hard to put to work. Essentially, you turn in a 360-degree circle and tap the different spots you want to add an image. This first image is me shooting from the hip without learning how much of it works.
These “scapes” as the app calls them, can be shared directly to social networks and viewed as above or within the app in its 360-degree glory (add Google Cardboard for a more immersive experience). When you share on your Facebook wall others can swipe around or click and drag to see the full scape*. If you share as a direct message or on other applications like Instagram or Snapchat, you’re limited to the 2D image. After the first scape, I spent a bit more time experimenting with applying different degrees of pressure that influence image opacity and clarity and changing the size of the spray area for a slightly more satisfying result.
The application is very simple and stripped down in its current form (it’s only an experiment) but there’s one glaring missing feature: The ability to undo a spray. The application inspires you to be really creative with minute details, but you have to spot on the first go-round as the app stands. Sprayscape is an interesting look at creating quick and imperfect 360-degree snaps on the fly. The application is available in the Google Play store now and devs can take a look at the open source code to see how it works, if they wish.
*None of my private posts to my Facebook wall uploaded, but the preview of the post showed me exactly how the post would function.
