Skip to main content

‘Flickr VR’ app for Gear VR lets you jump into thousands of 360-degree photos

flickr marketplace photo stock photography vr
Flickr
Flickr’s latest move to jazz up its photo-sharing service involves giving users the chance to explore “tens of thousands” of 360-degree images using Samsung’s Gear VR virtual reality headset.

The super-immersive experience is offered via its just-launched “Flickr VR” app, adding a new layer of fun to the Yahoo-owned photo site.

Recommended Videos

Open the app and you’ll be immediately met with a carousel of the top curated 360-degree photos. Select one that takes your fancy and in a flash you’ll be transported to another world that you can explore in every direction.

“From Aurora Borealis in the glowing night sky in Finland to Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River in Arizona, people who view Flickr 360-degree photos for the first time do not want to take the Samsung Gear VR off,” Flickr said in a post about the new app.

You can view the images on the Web, too, using the cursor to view the wrap-around scene, but of course the experience is nothing compared to what you’ll get with the headset.

Flickr says its new VR app is “just the beginning,” with more virtual reality features promised for the site. These could include an advanced gesture-based user interface that would let users browse their photo libraries and organize images using hand movements and other virtual reality interactions, Flickr engineer and project lead Bertrand Fan said earlier this year.

The Galaxy VR headset only costs $100 and got a great write-up when we reviewed it last month. However, you’ll need a Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, or Note 5 to use it.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The Canon EOS R100 mirrorless is ideal for beginners — $170 off today
Canon EOS R100 mirrorless camera with lens attached

If you don't want to spend the money on a high-end DSLR camera, mirrorless cameras are an excellent alternative. But they, too, can be expensive, at least normally. Right now, thanks to a bevy of Prime Big Deal Days discounts, the best camera deals, in general, and super great Prime Day camera deals there are a ton of offers available. So, it's a great time to shop if you've been on the fence. However, we wanted to call out a great deal for novice photographers on the Canon EOS R100 mirrorless camera. Normally $600, it's just $429 right now as part of the event, saving you over $170. The bundle includes the RF-S18-45mm lens. Again, a great starting point for casual or novice photographers.

 
Why shop this Canon EOS R100 mirrorless camera deal for Prime Big Deal Days?

Read more
My favorite SD card reader is a mere $15 for Prime Big Deal Days
The Lexar USB-C SD card reader.

I take a lot of pictures on a daily basis. And while I usually get to offload them in the comfort of my home, sometimes I need to export as quickly as possible. Maybe even straight from my phone.

That's where my new favorite SD card reader comes in.

Read more
Astronaut enjoys out-of-this-world view from his bedroom window
An aurora as seen from a Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the ISS.

A NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has posted a beautiful image showing an aurora over Earth.

Matthew Dominick has been aboard the ISS since March and is due to return home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Sunday. In fact, it was from the docked Crew Dragon that he captured the stunning shot.

Read more