Lenovo X Tango Will Let Us "See" The Future [UPDATE]
It's not long now before Lenovo hosts their "Tech World" event, and with it, a Lenovo smartphone reveal of major proportions. What we're to understand will be there is the final iteration – the release-ready version – of the Lenovo Google Tango phone. It'll be Motorola branded instead, says our anonymous source, or at least that's the plan at the moment – barring some last-minute change. We'd be surprised at such a change at this point, as the phone SHOULD be released not long after the event.UPDATE: Another source close to the project suggests that the Lenovo Tango phone absolutely will NOT be branded Motorola. We might just have to wait for the Moto Tango for another time!
When we last explored the possibility of Lenovo changing the way we see the world, it was also with Google and their Tango technology. Lenovo is the first manufacturer of phones to go ahead and announce that they'll bring a Tango phone to the public, and with this event on the 9th of June, they've all but promised the appearance of this phone – in spades!
This device will be intended for consumers.
Not developers, consumers – like yourself.
Next you'll see the latest presentation by Google. This was filmed back in February at the Vision VR/AR Summit hosted by Unity.
The latest update about Tango coming from Google is in the form of an app created by three graduate students at San Francisco State University (SFSU) – Jason Burmark, Moses Lee and Omar Shaikh. This app shows what'll be possible with the first Tango phone.* This is Solar Simulator.
*And is already available on the Tango phone and tablet Dev Kits, of course – but we're holding out for that all-important consumer release.
What Solar Simulator demonstrates is Project Tango's ability to place augmented reality objects in real space.
While you can do things like what you see in this AR feature article now, it's still a bit of a mess. It doesn't look especially convincing, seeing AR objects placed over markers on pieces of paper, and worse yet, the objects you see floating in space are generated by multi-thousand-dollar headsets.
It's not realistic.
Google's Project Tango will be downright affordable by comparison.
With Project Tango, you'll be able to use Google Cardboard to enter virtual reality – but better than what we have now, you'll be able to see through the phone, through the headset, out to your real world, augmented.
Tango will map the world around you in 3D space, allowing you to move freely as you place objects throughout it.
Watch the following video from Valve and HTC:
You'll be able to do something similar to what you've just seen above. An electronic dog following you around, for example — but you won't be limited to the environments a tethered VR headset presents. You'll be able to see that dog walk through your home and interact with you wherever you go.
Sound radical?
This is only the beginning.
It'll make what we're trying to accomplish with our Mixed Reality Trials look like child's play.
If what Lenovo is showing in the following video (from earlier this year at MWC 2016) is any indicator, their device – Lenovo branded – will be a game changer.
After that, the next step is obvious.
Especially since we already sussed it out: "Pokemon GO VR with Google Cardboard confirmed."