Google's Cardboard Camera app redefines 'live photos'

While Apple's iPhone might come with the Live Photos features, Google is taking the idea of live photos to another dimension.

Google's new Cardboard Camera app, which launches today, let's you take photos which turns into Cardboard-ready experiences that you can (kind of) step into once you slot your smartphone into a Google Cardboard.

Google says the app takes "VR photos," which are basically 3D-like panoramas "with slightly different views for each eye, so near things look near and far things look far."

"You can look around to explore the image in all directions, and even record sound with your photo to hear the moment exactly as it happened."

It's not a true VR experience in the sense of actually being able to walk around the image, but it should make for more interesting holiday photos, giving another depth to memories with the inclusion of sound as well.

The Cardboard Camera app is only available on Android right now, but an iOS app should be on its way soon.

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