Cardboard

The Cardboard app for Android allows you to experience the world of virtual reality right on your android phone. With a simple cardboard device, you can split the screen of your Android phone so that each of your eyes can see only one-half of the screen at a time. By displaying two slightly different images, your brain is able to join them together and see a single picture as if it were in 3D.

The Cardboard app not only has many different built-in 3D demos, but it can also direct you to a multitude of 3D-enabled apps and games in the Android store. There are six primary demo modes built into the program:

• My Videos--view the videos on your phone just as if you were sitting in a movie theater with a massive screen.
• Google Earth--explore the maps and terrains of Google Earth in 3D, just as if you were standing there!
• Tour Guide--let the app guide you through Versailles, France and take in the views from every angle.
• Exhibit--view artifacts from every angle just as if you were standing in a museum.
• Photo Sphere--capture and view photos as spheres.
• Arctic Journey--view the Northern Lights from the warmth of your home.

Complete with these six demo modes and links to a multitude of other 3D apps and games in the Play store, Cardboard for Android is a great introduction to the world of virtual reality.

Pros

• Explore six mind-bending demo modes and explore some of the greatest sights of the world as if you were there in person.
• Look at objects and pictures from every angle.
• No need to buy an expensive headset--explore the world of virtual reality right on your Android phone!

Cons

• No ability to navigate menu options with a controller.
• Users report that the app is difficult to calibrate and lacking many calibration features which could easily be programmed in.
• Users report that the app has trouble playing videos which were saved in 3D format from SD card.

Bug fixes and improvements