Samsung launched the Gear 360 camera earlier this year. This device is designed to capture video content in 195-degrees, which is great for those who are interested in creating virtual reality content.
There was a slight problem with the Gear 360 — it was only available via the web — but such is no longer the case as Samsung plans to expand the availability of the Gear 360. The idea is to make it available via brick-and-mortar stores.
The likes of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular, were the major carriers mentioned; however, for some odd reason, T-Mobile was not part of the mix. If one is not interested in purchasing from a carrier, Best Buy will also have the camera on sale, rounding out the variety of offline retailers.
"The Gear 360 is a new frontier documenting life's memories, in the most immersive way possible today, and then sharing that via social, or directly into Virtual Reality," said Nick DiCarlo, Vice President of Immersive Product Strategy at Samsung Electronics America. "With the Gear 360, consumers will be able create their own immersive experiences and share them with their friends and family."
When it comes down to pricing, the Gear 360 cost $350, which is not a bad price for what it can do. For those who are unaware, the Gear 360 comes with two 15-megapixel cameras, an image processor, and Wi-Fi capabilities. Furthrmore, videos can only be recorded at up to 3,840 x 1,920 (30fps).
Users of this device can add storage via the microSD card slot. Samsung says up to 256 GB of storage can be added to the camera. That should be enough space for amateur content creators.
We should point out that the Gear 360 is resistant to dust and water, though we cannot say as to what degree. This doesn't mean the user should attempt to film scenes under water, that won't work. Water resistance and waterproof are not the same things.
We also enjoy the fact that the camera supports Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC. However, its support for USB is only limited to USB 2.0, so transfers will not be as fast when compared to the latest version.
Samsung has been in a bit of a pickle as of late due to the exploding Galaxy Note 7. The company decided to end supply of the device after the replacements failed to tend to the problem that was causing the issue.
The plan right now is to compensate component suppliers and move on from there. We can only hope the Gear 360 never experiences any major problems in the future.
