Lenovo, Intel Have Duelling Project Tango Smartphones

[scolaner]

Lenovo and Intel are racing to be the first to market with a Project Tango smartphone.

Lenovo, Intel Have Duelling Project Tango Smartphones : Read more

 

[Mac266]

Typo Alert:

"That App Ecosystem, Though"

Should be:

"Dat App Ecosystem, Doe"

 

[scolaner]

Typo Alert:

"That App Ecosystem, Though"

Should be:

"Dat App Ecosystem, Doe"

Lol! I couldn't bring myself to take it all the way.

 

[bit_user]

One key demo, though, showed how you can see a map overlaid onto the real world to give to give you walking directions through a building. You look at the phone’s display and use the rear camera to give you what amounts to a pass-through view of the real world. Then, through the display, you can see the directions superimposed on top (complete with arrows that point where to go) as you, for example, run frantically through a casino or hotel trying to find your next CES meeting.

This is one of my favorite AR examples. I've been using that one for years, when trying to sell people on its potential.

But AR really belongs in a HMD, like Hololens. Having to hold up a phone or tablet is too obtrusive and ties up at least one hand. I think Tango tablets & phones are just a stepping stone, mostly for developers, and one that MS leapfrogged, completely.

In that sense, I think Lenovo should be nervous. Maybe this product will do alright, but I doubt even 10% of phones will ever have depth cameras. AR isn't going mainstream until it's much more seamless and powerful.

 

[scolaner]

One key demo, though, showed how you can see a map overlaid onto the real world to give to give you walking directions through a building. You look at the phone’s display and use the rear camera to give you what amounts to a pass-through view of the real world. Then, through the display, you can see the directions superimposed on top (complete with arrows that point where to go) as you, for example, run frantically through a casino or hotel trying to find your next CES meeting.

This is one of my favorite AR examples. I've been using that one for years, when trying to sell people on its potential.

But AR really belongs in a HMD, like Hololens. Having to hold up a phone or tablet is too obtrusive and ties up at least one hand. I think Tango tablets & phones are just a stepping stone, mostly for developers, and one that MS leapfrogged, completely.

In that sense, I think Lenovo should be nervous. Maybe this product will do alright, but I doubt even 10% of phones will ever have depth cameras. AR isn't going mainstream until it's much more seamless and powerful.

Fair point perhaps, but these phones are trying for "seamless" (let's leave "powerful" until we test them ) I'm not yet convinced of the use case(s) for depth cameras on mobile devices, but then again, there may be a handful of devs who right now are thinking, "Finally, the hardware to support my awesome idea!"

I don't think this is any less obtrusive than anything else we use our mobile phones for...take maps, for example. We're currently looking at our phones and looking back up at roads or whatever. This is slightly better.

 

[JeffKang]

This could be useful for a future iteration of the Pokémon Go augmented reality game that is coming out.