Introducing Expo Mobile
With the new Expo mobile app, you can view and share your 360 experiences on iOS and Android devices. All it takes is a 6-digit pin code.
Starting today you can download Expo on the App Store and Google Play Store, enter your 6-digit pin code and view your VR content in full-screen 360-degrees or with a Google Cardboard or mobile VR headset. This is another step we are taking to make your VR content more accessible to anyone all around the world.
This is also particularly important during the current COVID-19 pandemic where many people are forced to stay in their homes and interact very minimally with others.
Whether you are looking for ways to engage students at home, show off client projects remotely, or give virtual tours, we believe that making immersive content accessible on the devices people already have in their homes is the best thing to do at this time.
Two ways to Watch
Once you’ve chosen an experience from the main menu, you’ll be prompted to either view the experience in full-screen or VR mode.
Full-Screen Mode — No Headset Required
If you or your audience does not yet have a Google Cardboard or mobile VR headset, no worries! You can view the content in full-screen 360-degree mode.
Instead of putting your phone in a VR headset, simply tap and drag your finger around the screen or physically move the phone in 360-degrees.
While not as immersive, watching a 360 video in full-screen is a fantastic way to watch an immersive video without investing in a VR headset.
Watch in VR with Google Cardboard
While most people don’t yet have a virtual reality headset at home, a great way to get a taste of that immersive experience is with a mobile VR headset like Google Cardboard.
With nothing but your smartphone and a Google Cardboard viewer, you can experience immersive 360-degree videos. All you need to do is log in to the Expo app, select your experience, then select “Cardboard Mode”. You’ll then be prompted to tilt your device sideways and insert it into your mobile VR headset.
Use-cases
Whether your 360 videos are meant to be viewed in a mobile VR headset, or just in full-screen mode, Expo Mobile is a fantastic way to easily share your 360-videos with your audience without relying on VR headsets.
Experiential Marketing
Now is the best opportunity for experiential marketing. More than ever, people want to escape their reality (and their homes). The safest way to do this right now is through virtual experiences. If your product or service can teleport your audience via incredible virtual brand experiences, you’ll have a lasting effect on them and it is be more likely that they trust and remember your brand in the future.
Remote Education
These days most students have their own mobile phones or tablets at home. Instead of them sitting around playing Roblox and watching TikTok all day, why not engage them on a virtual learning journey?
You can upload a dozen educational experiences like deep space exploration, geographic expeditions, and immersive art experiences to your Expo account, then share your 6-digit pin code with students to access that content on their devices.
Virtual Real Estate Tours
If you can’t meet up with clients in person, a fantastic alternative is a 360-degree virtual tour of the property. Expo makes it extremely easy to upload a 360 video of a property walkthrough, then share the tour with your clients.
You can create an entire virtual property listing app using Expo that only shows your tours. Simply share the app download link and your Expo pin code to have your clients access your full property listings on their phone!
Architectural Visualizations
Much like virtual real estate tours, if you are an architectural firm or a marketing agency for pre-constructed properties, you can export your 3D scene as a 360-degree video, upload it to Expo, then share the experience with your clients.
You could even ship out branded Google Cardboards to your clients to have the full immersive experience, and view the project in it’s full intended scale.
Virtual Film Festivals
2020 has unfortunately been a write-off for film festivals. It might even be a much longer time before people are comfortable with sitting in theatres with large crowds again. Fortunately, we have digital platforms to distribute films online. Film festivals like Tribeca have even gone so far as to distribute their 360 video catalog on Oculus TV.
To push this even further, if you’re organizing a film festival, you could distribute both “flat videos” and 360 videos through Expo, and recreate the cinema experience in VR. You could even ship out branded Google Cardboards to your audience to have the full immersive experience.
Virtual Music Festivals
Much like film festivals, it’s not likely that we will be going to a music festival any time soon. Instead of cancelling the event, it’s very possible to recreate the festival experience for people at home. Instead of merely watching a virtual concert through their phone screens, let them feel like they’re part of the experience and watch the concert from center stage in VR.
With Expo, you can also livestream the concert experience in 360 degrees! More on this feature in another post…
Get Started Today
If you already have an Expo account, you can download the Expo Mobile app for iOS and Android then enter your private 6-digit login pin code to view your content on your mobile devices.
Demo Expo Mobile
If you don’t yet have an Expo account, you can download the Expo Mobile app for iOS and Android, then select “I don’t have a pin code” when prompted to login. You’ll have access to our demo content with the full capabilities of the app. When you’re ready to upload and view your own content in Expo, get started here.
Report Bugs or Provide Feedback
This release of Expo is currently in beta with a few known bugs.
If you notice and bugs, want to provide feedback, or want to ask us questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us any time!
About Contraverse
Contraverse is a Canadian Academy Award-nominated Virtual Reality production and distribution company. Contraverse produces original VR and 360 video content, branded experiences, and delivers content on all available VR and mobile devices through the Contraverse streaming platform. Contraverse sets up, manages and consults on VR cinema events and expos with a team of expert staff and high-quality virtual reality equipment.
Expo is a platform by Contraverse for seamlessly exhibiting 360 video content to large audiences with ease, including kiosk and synchronized VR cinema modes.
Originally published at https://expo.contraverse.co on May 11, 2020.
