Lenovo is gearing towards a more connected world as it unveils a number of new product concepts at the company's Tech World conference. The new lineup of connected devices is part of the company's plan to push its smartphone and PC businesses into becoming more competitive against the bigger players such as Apple and Samsung.
Launched only last month, ShenQi, the company's new Internet-based business, is aimed at developing products that promote wireless linking between home appliances and other gadgets with tablet PCs and smartphones. It also promotes the creation of drones and robots.
Some of the concept products unveiled at the conference include a chocolate printer, smart shoes, dual screen smartwatch and a smartphone that can be used to project a virtual touchscreen on any flat surface.
"We talk to our fans every day about how we can innovate together," said CEO Yang Yuanqing in a statement. "We showed some glimpses of the next wave of Lenovo innovation."
Here's a quick glimpse of the new concept products from Lenovo that hopefully will become available to the public.
Chocolate Printer. Lenovo's ShenQi demoed some concept 3D printers that can print food out of chocolate. There's no information yet on the targeted industries although such type of printers can look appealing to hobbyists or more particularly those who are true blue chocolate lovers.
Smart Shoes. The Smart Shoes concept is one of the company's Internet of Things products that demonstrates a new way of leveraging the cloud in order to tie together software, hardware and applications. The product is designed to display the wearer's mood on a built-in screen. It can also analyze fitness data such as calories and heart beats as well as provide information on directions and maps.
Magic View. Magic View is the world's first smartwatch with dual screens. Lenovo wants to address the challenges brought by the watch's small wristwatch-sized display by adding more functionality apart from getting instant updates. This is achieved by the watch's second screen which eliminates the limitations that come from the physical dimensions of the wearable's main screen. By using the so-called "optical reflection," users can see a virtual display that is absolutely larger than the face display by more than 20 times. They can use this feature when following a map, viewing captured images, or even watching a full video.
Smart Cast. The Smart Cast concept product is a type of smartphone that has a built-in projector, high-performance algorithms and infrared motion detector. It brings a whole new world of interaction between the user and his device. The device can project a large virtual touch screen on a flat surface and allow the user to do a myriad of things. When focused on a table, the user can type with a virtual keyboard and work with certain productivity apps such as drawing, calculator, note-taking and even Microsoft PowerPoint. Likewise, when focused on a wall, the user can watch videos, deliver a presentation or perhaps even play games.
Other innovative products and devices that are on the pipeline include new super-slim power banks, the world's smallest dual-track outdoor sound box, a smart home control center that is Wi-Fi based, robots and unmanned aerial vehicles.
"We will bring together hardware, software and services to transform the user experience," adds Lenovo. "This is our vision, and we showed some glimpses of the next wave of Lenovo innovation here today."
