We are living in an age where products are constantly being released with the label of “world’s first” attached. Today, it’s not enough to come out with something that is brand new; it needs to be useful and innovative.

The Giroptic 360cam is taking the world by storm, and once you hear about all of the things that it can do, you’ll see why.

The camera has three fisheye lenses, each of which captures a 185-degree view that the camera uses to create a full panoramic view. While Giroptic is not the first panoramic camera to come to the table, it is the only one that “stitches together” images and video (yes, video!) inside the device itself to show the full picture.

Giroptic 360 can fit in the palm of your hand. And it’s waterproof. Yup, that little guy can be completely submerged and still maintain a clear picture using water goggles to prevent distortion. Other features include three microphones to capture maximum sound and various means of attachment, similar to the features of the GoPro.

I could go on and on about the features of this innovative piece of technology, but the question is, what does this mean for the world of travel marketing?

Well aside from being able to take the most awesome selfies ever, this could be huge for destinations, attractions, hotels, travel agencies, you name it. It’s an opportunity to capture and display your offerings easily, without the help of “stitching software”. It’s also a way to play right into the desire of today’s traveler for authentic experiences.

Giroptic seems to be everything travelers and travel companies could have ever dreamed of, but like I said, every day is a constant race for new products to be the “world’s first” and the Giroptic 360cam is not without competition. Companies like Sphere and 360Fly have also been working on releasing panoramic cameras. And 360Fly claims to have the first ever. We’ll just have to sit back and see who comes out on top (though Giroptic seems to be doing pretty well, based on how much financial backing they’ve been pledged so far). Regardless, all of these products are pretty darn cool, and it’s clear that travel culture is about to be turned upside down. Or 360 degrees, rather.