Cycloramic app spins iPhone 5 to take 360-degree video

By Salvador Rodriguez

Dec. 27, 2012 12 AM PT

Could this be the coolest app ever? It’ll certainly be the center of attention at a party.

The Cycloramic, a 99-cent app, turns the iPhone 5 into a spinning camera that takes 360degree video. The app makes the iPhone 5 vibrate in such a way as to turn the upright device in a full circle. We have no idea how it works; you’ll have to watch the video above to really understand what it does.

The app started making waves when it launched earlier this month.

“Gathered around a dinner table, in a bar, in a club, at home, at a conference table, or at a historical monument? Cycloramic allows you to capture the moment (handsfree) in a unique and fun way whilst making you and your phone the talk of the event,” the app’s Facebook page description reads.

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To use the app, place your iPhone 5 upright on a smooth flat surface, and press the middle of the screen. The app will count down from three and start spinning. Once it’s done, the video is saved to the iPhone’s camera roll.

Additionally, you can adjust the app’s settings to use the forward facing camera or make it spin two or three times instead of once.

Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was wowed. He took a video of it in action.

The Cycloramic app will open on other kinds of iPhone generations and iPod Touch devices too, but it was built specifically for the iPhone 5 and that is the only device the app can spin around on its own.

And here’s a video we shot using the app.