Red Hill Studios Releases Be There: San Francisco Innovative Travel App

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Jul 10, 2012, 09:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning transmedia developer Red Hill Studios announces the release of Be There: San Francisco, the first in a series of innovative 'virtual presence' apps that let you explore famous locations as if you were actually there. With Red Hill's proprietary Panopticon™ technology, this revolutionary app reads the gyroscopes on the iPad/iPhone and updates the view in perfect sync with your movements. Custom soundscapes complete the immersive experience.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120710/LA37173)

Gaze upon the San Francisco skyline and then slowly turn your body to change your view ... there's the Golden Gate Bridge, then Sausalito, and Alcatraz Island. This amazing new form of virtual reality lets you explore this beautiful city and its surroundings as never before.

"Amazing is the way most people described it during Beta testing," says Creative Director Bob Hone. "We've created a seamless connection between your movements and your view. You really have to feel this app to believe it."

The Be There: San Francisco travel app, now available in the Apple App Store, provides insightful, detailed pop-up descriptions of more than sixty famous and not-so-famous San Francisco landmarks as you explore high definition panoramas. You can also jump between locations in the city for speedy 'virtual sight-seeing.'

Co-designed by Senior Programmer Charlie Brown, the app includes twelve explorable panoramic nodes: Coit Tower, Ferry Building, Twin Peaks, Marin Headlands, Washington Square, Russian Hill, Lombard Street, Painted Ladies, Mission Murals, Chinatown, and Muir Woods. The app includes a rare historical 1878 panorama that reveals a quaint but bustling San Francisco taken by famed photographer Eadweard Muybridge. With Panopticon technology, it's like you've stepped back in time to witness the birth of this thriving city.

The 'freemium' app lets you sample the magic for free with explorable panoramas from Coit Tower and the Twin Peaks. You can then explore the rest of the 12 panoramas and dozens of 'insider-only' tidbits about local landmarks for $2.99.

Red Hill will be releasing a suite of Be There apps in the coming months including virtual explorations of Yosemite Valley, Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C.

Red Hill Studios is an award-winning transmedia design company that creates online science games and apps, interactive games for health, and immersive museum exhibitions. It also conducts research into new educational and health gaming paradigms. Red Hill Studios is based in San Rafael, CA.

Be There: San Francisco in App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/be-there-san-francisco/id534611337?mt=8
YouTube Demo: bit.ly/MamE3y
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BeThereSanFrancisco
Red Hill Studios web site: http://www.redhillstudios.com

SOURCE Red Hill Studios