Pixel 2 and 2 XL owners are getting a small bonus for purchasing Google's latest smartphones. Google Spotlight Stories, a vestige of Google's Motorola days showcasing the power of virtual reality storytelling, is giving owners of the latest Pixel devices early access to "Son of Jaguar," an animated short film about a luchador from director Jorge Gutierrez.
Read MoreGoogle's Seventh Spotlight Story, Pearl, Now Available To Watch On YouTube And Cardboard
Fans of the burgeoning art of 360-degree short-form storytelling have probably been enamored by Google's Spotlight Stories, a series of videos designed to highlight the narrative potential of the VR format. The latest one is Pearl, a sort of extended animated music video about a man, his daughter, and the beat-up hatchback car that they share over about 20 years. The short is directed by Patrick Osbourne, and the original song "No Wrong Way Home" was written by Alexis Harte and JJ Weisler and performed by Nicki Bluhm and Kelley Stoltz.
Read More[New Story: HELP] Google Releases New 360 Spotlight Story "On Ice," Teases Updates To The Android App
Spotlight Stories is one of the remnants of Motorola that Google kept after selling the company to Lenovo. It's a fun project that releases interesting movies every now and then that aren't like anything you've seen before. They're interactive, shot in 360-degree, and each time you watch them, you can unveil a different storyline and ending by simply moving and looking elsewhere.
Spotlight Stories used to be confined to their Android app, but Google brought them out to YouTube back in December as 360-degree videos that you can only watch on your phone in the YouTube app either on your screen or through Cardboard.
Read MoreGoogle Brings Spotlight Stories To YouTube With Holiday-Themed 'Special Delivery'
Google kept several parts of Motorola when it sold the remainder to Lenovo. It got a bunch of patents, Project Ara, and of course, Spotlight Stories. These used to be confined to an app, but today Google is bringing the 360-degree videos to YouTube.
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Google Releases Spotlight Stories App With Support For Non-Motorola Devices And A New Story, Free For A Limited Time
Owners of Motorola's newer Android devices are probably familiar with Spotlight Stories. Those are the immersive animated shorts that are available via the built-in Spotlight Player app. Now Google has released a new Spotlight Stories app that has all three shorts from the Motorola experience, but adds a new live-action film called Help.
Motorola Spotlight Story 'Duet' Now Available On Your Moto Devices, And It's Awesome
The third installment of Motorola's Spotlight stories has arrived in the Spotlight Player, and it's called Duet. Like the last two videos, this is an interactive story that you experience by moving your device around to follow the characters. While the last stories (Windy Day and Buggy Night) were quirky and whimsical, Duet is one of those heartstring-tugging, Disney-esque shorts. If you don't want to see too much, go watch the story now before checking out the screenshots.
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