It is that time of year again the dark nights of winter have got us all a bit depressed and fed up.
What to do about it?
Well we could take our lead from the animal kingdom and hibernate. I don’t think our various other dependents would be very pleased with us if that were to happen, so we do the next best thing and go and search for summer holidays.
There are various different type of holidays out there, ranging from sitting by the pool to trekking through the alps. Oh, and you cannot forget the stereotypical booze-filled antics of our 20 something readers. However, here at Coolsmartphone, we like our holidays with a bit of “action”. This drew me to Neilson holidays, who specialize in adventure breaks, both in ski and sun. The concept of a holiday where you are active may not appeal to all, but in a effort to make it more accessible the marketeers have turned to tech.
They used a two-pronged approach. The first technique we have seen before and is not really anything new. It’s a selection of video clips showing staff members doing activities whilst answering questions. Check it out here. It is bit of fun but not really ground breaking. However, it is what they have done with the second part that interests me.
It is an app that can be downloaded to iOS or Android devices and it will show a brief clip of someone Windsurfing. So far so boring. Where it gets interesting is the fact that it’s a full 360 experience. It was created using the same technology being used by Oculus Rift and it is very immersive. At the moment it is only of the windsurfing but there is talk of them putting in more content soon. You basically hold your phone up and move it around to see all around you – as if you were standing on the board yourself.
I truly feel that this is great way to showcase what it is like to take part in these activities and I am really pleased to see this technology. I actually come from an outdoor pursuits background and was lucky enough to work for Neilson in my younger days. I can appreciate the effort that went into the making of this app and the skills required to pull it off (as I don’t have them).
I would also love to see this technology employed in a way to help assist with teaching of new skills it is truly remarkable what you can do with it.
So kudos to Neilson for giving it a shot and employing some out of the box thinking.