Once only used by companies like Google (News - Alert), 360° cams are now available for consumers. New consumer-level CCTV cameras can capture 360-degree HD footage and still be easy to use. The time for everyday portable cams has come thanks to a France-based company, GIROPTIC, which specializes in optics of 360° consumer cameras and accessories. Amongst its line of devices that transforms the way consumers capture, manage and share their video and photos is its palm-sized 360cam. Users can even livestream video over Wi-Fi or remotely control the camera with an iOS or Android app.

The dubbed 360cam is not Giroptic's first camera with the capability to capture full 360-by-300-degree spherical field of view, but it is a new product that has overcome previous 360° technical limitations.  The company, in fact, has created a groundbreaking design, with innovative engineering, and easy-to-use interface. It is not yet available; however, Giroptic’s palm-sized 360cam will soon debut in the company’s portfolio of devices thanks to funds raised on Kickstarter. The device should hit the market around Christmas 2014, although pre-orders are taken now with plans for its initial shipments to start in November.  The 360cam is said to be the first of its kind to be on the market with multifunctional use.

Giroptic’s 360cam is lightweight, yet rugged, and small enough to be carried around in the user’s hand. It has universal mounting capabilities, allowing for true hands-free usage, says the company. As advertised on Kickstarter, the cam is a unique model that presents an egg-shaped design, incorporating two key proprietary innovations: It features three 185º fish-eye lenses with a 180-degree field of view, with each of the lenses synchronized to simultaneously “capture and stitch images in real time.”

According to a recent CNET post that has provided insight about Giroptic’s 360cam, the new product, thanks to its “Street View” capabilities, lets users capture everything in sight. The post described, in details, the cam’s other features: “HD video at 25fps or 30fps with a resolution of 2,048x1,024 pixels and surround sound, as well as 4,096x2,048-resolution photos at 3 frames per second.”

Furthermore, CNET provided the following information about the 360cam: It measures just 2.7 inches high by 2.7 inches wide (6.9x6.9cm). Behind each lens with optical assembly is an 8-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. Below each lens is a microphone. It is equipped with many sensors (GPS, Gyroscope, Microphones) and interfaces (Wi-Fi, MicroSD, Micro USB), to make it truly versatile and fit for any use, explains Giroptic’s Kickstarter webpage.

Overall, the cam provides a clear 360° bird's-eye view that makes it an excellent all-round compact system. It will be sold for 300 USD; not too bad a price, Giroptic says, for such a versatile and easy to operate camera that can do so much and is so flexible: it moves up, down, and all around to capture the user’s intended viewpoint.

Further info about Giroptic’s 360cam can be read from the company’s website or from Kickstarter, where the project is listed. The cam is to be funded by Fri, Jul 4 2014 8:00 PM CEST.

Image via Giroptic