Google, Mattel bringing back View-Master toy
by The Associated Press
The classic photo viewer from a low-tech era will be updated with smartphone compatibility
View-Master promises users can explore famous places, landmarks, nature, planets and more in 360 degree “photospheres.” PHOTO: Mattel Inc.
It’s a long way from Google Glass, both in price and aim.
Targeted at families, the updated View-Master has users insert a smartphone into a headset. Using a smartphone app, the gadget will immerse kids in a slew of virtual worlds, from far-off cities to outer space.
Mattel Inc. and Google Inc. unveiled the virtual reality viewer February 13 at Mattel’s New York City office.
The device launches in the fall, so the companies had no finished product to show off. But Mattel demonstrated the technology using Google Cardboard, a cardboard attachment that turns smartphones into virtual reality viewers.
