Lenovo's involvement in Google's Project Tango did not end with the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, as the company revealed that it will be releasing a second smartphone that supports the technology next year.
Project Tango, first announced back in February 2014, looks to enable a variety of applications for augmented reality through the combination of several cameras and sensors, including video games, navigation, measurement and education.
The First Project Tango Smartphone
The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, released just over a month ago for $499.99, is the first smartphone in the world to incorporate Project Tango.
As the first fully equipped augmented reality smartphone, users can look through the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro to see objects and information that are overlaid on the real world. Supporting the technology are over 35 apps covering different fields and uses that Lenovo Phab 2 Pro owners can download from the Google Play Store.
The actual specs of the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, however, do not really stand out. The device features a 6.4-inch QHD 2.5D display, a 4,050 mAh battery, the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and 64 GB of built-in storage. It is clear that Project Tango is the smartphone's major selling point, a fact that will likely be maintained for Lenovo's next product that will incorporate the technology.
The Next Project Tango Smartphone By Lenovo
According to Jeff Merideth, Lenovo's general manager for Android and Chrome, other device manufacturers could also be looking to release Project Tango-enabled smartphones next year.
Lenovo, in a bid to maintain its position as the market leader for augmented reality smartphones, will be looking to release its second-generation device for the technology in 2017, just as other companies are launching their first-generation devices.
Merideth, however, does not reveal any other details regarding the upcoming device, so fans of Project Tango and Lenovo's take on it will need to wait until the company makes an official announcement.
The Future Of Project Tango
Project Tango, as a consumer technology, still needs a lot of work. It is still in its early days, but with about 4,000 developers buying the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and another 2,000 purchasing the smartphone at a hackathon, the only way to go for Project Tango is up.
It also helps that other device manufacturers are planning to release Project Tango devices, which would bring the technology to more developers and customers around the world.
There is also the possibility that developers would call for a Project Tango development kit, which would make it easier for them to tinker with the technology and create applications that will take advantage of augmented reality.
