If you think people look dumb taking pictures with a tablet, or a selfie with one of those extendable poles, you haven't seen someone make a Google Photo Sphere. The process involves going around in a full circle with your phone, then up and down. People might think you're looking for reception, but the result is a very pretty 360 degree view of whatever's around you that can be attached to Google Maps locations or shared with friends. That feature's been a part of Android since version 4.2, but iOS users have been left in the dark. Google's changed that today with a new app called Photo Sphere Camera that lets you make and share your own Photo Spheres.

Much like Microsoft's Photosynth and Occipital's 360 Panorama the goal of Photo Spheres is to take and stitch together multiple shots into a single canvas. In Google's app, it does this automatically, though you need to line it up into orange circles to complete the process. As you go, it nudges you to take more photos to complete the scene. You can see how far along you are from the gaping white spots, as well as a circular progress bar that fills up with each photo. When you're finally finished, you can post your work to Google Maps, or just save it locally. The app can also save a panorama of your scene to your camera roll.

Here's one of Preikestolen in Norway. There are also a bunch more posted on Google's Views site: