If you've ever wondered what Toronto looks like from the CN Tower's famous observation deck, now's your chance to see it for yourself. A new app offers a “virtual reality” view of the city from 1,136 feet up, and you can enjoy it from the comfort of your home.
Developed by CN Tower and Fuzz Productions, the CN Tower Viewfinder app is a somewhat unusual “VR” concept — it was originally designed to be used on a phone or tablet while you're in the CN Tower itself, looking out through the observation deck's windows. After a quick calibration of your device's compass, it provides you with a labeled view of Toronto's architectural, entertainment, and geography landmarks, as well as other points of interest.
When used in the CN Tower, this isn't traditional virtual reality — there's no support for either 3D or a VR headset, and you're not being transported elsewhere. It's actually a way for the app to avoid using full augmented reality, which would overlay the same information on your device's live camera feed.
However, since Viewfinder instead adds labels onto panoramic photos of the city, then moves the photos as you turn the device and your body, you can use it anywhere. That means you're getting a VR-style experience, minus stereoscopic 3D views. You can even switch between day or night images at will.
While this might seem like confirmation that the days of looking at beautiful landscapes through windows (rather than phones) have ended, it's also a positive use of technology to improve upon old tricks that observatories used to spotlight their surroundings. An app can replace landmark identification signs that historically sat next to observatory windows, but unlike the signs, the app can receive regular updates, and switch between multiple categories of landmarks with a button press. Users can also choose from five different languages.
The CN Tower was the world's tallest free-standing structure until 2007, and the world's tallest tower until 2009. It is now the world's ninth-tallest tower, measuring 1,815 feet tall, but remains the most standout part of the Toronto skyline, and an excellent place to view the sprawling Canadian city.
