We’ve all taken plenty of panoramic pics by slowly spinning in place, or at least waving the camera across the scene. Good 360-degree panoramic photos require the camera be atop a tripod and turned by hand, or set on a turntable-like motor. But what about that motor already in a phone: the vibration motor that replaces or amplifies a ring tone? Believe it or not, that vibration can move a phone — not just across a table, but, when well controlled, in incremental degrees for a full rotation.

The Cycloramic app works only on the iPhone 5 — that device is balanced just right with the placement of the vibrator, says developer Egos Ventures.

“Cycloramic rotates your iPhone 5 automatically so that it can shoot videos handsfree!” the company says. The phone can’t have cover on it, and must be placed upright on a smooth, level surface. “It may not work perfectly everywhere,” they warn, so “practice a few times before you try to impress you friends.”

And it is impressive: NY Times writer David Pogue included it in his Brightest Ideas of 2012 column and said it’s “Great for winning bar bets.” Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said it’s “Unexpected, fanciful, and useful all at the same time.”

My own review is a bit less effusive: “Worth a buck to play with it for a few minutes.” Nonetheless, pretty cool.

A minor downside: The app only creates a video, not a pannable still image or 360 format such as QTVR.