Jan’s Experiments

Hint hint: Hey Google Maps Team! Why don’t you guys use this for implemnting Google Street View in the iPhone Safari browser?

I had one of those weekends when you need to try and do something new. So I finally went ahead and created what I wanted for a long time. Virtual Tour Viewer for iPhone. Version 0.1

Index page of the Virtual Tour

Spherical panorama view on iPhone

You can see it live by pointing your iPhone to this url:

Virtual Tour Viewer for iPhone:
http://bit.ly/6HEqD

Update Feb 1, 2010: Since I no longer update and improve the code I modified the application that now it uses a newer iphone panorama viewer from the 360cities.net website.

Please let me know what you think of it using comments below this article or by emailing me at jan dot vrsinsky at gmail d o t c om.

The app probably works only on iPhone and it has been tested only with my iPhone 3G. Any feedback and bug reports are appreciated.

I also want to thank waine a. lee and to Ryan Scherf, the author of jSwipe, for being an inspiration for me to write this (although they didn’t know ).

Read on: Goals, Roadmap, Technologies are below.

Google Street View is a feature of Google Maps and Google Earth which provides panoramic views of streets so the viewers can look around at any place that has been covered. What is the difference between Google Street View and handcrafted virtual panoramic photography as of today? What is stopping Street View to look as today’s best VR panoramas? What are the current and future technology constraints? How will Street View look in 5 years?