Lenovo tangoes with Google’s Tango in PHAB2 Pro

No “speaking-in-tech-tongues” is intended in this title: the first “tango” is a verb that is used here to roughly mean “partner,” while the second “Tango” is the name Google gave to a project it has on augmented reality (AR). “PHAB2 Pro” is the name of a Lenovo (China) smartphone – slated to be released in […]

No “speaking-in-tech-tongues” is intended in this title: the first “tango” is a verb that is used here to roughly mean “partner,” while the second “Tango” is the name Google gave to a project it has on augmented reality (AR). “PHAB2 Pro” is the name of a Lenovo (China) smartphone – slated to be released in September – that uses Google’s Project Tango (GPT) technology to differentiate itself from the pack.
Let’s face it, the bar has been set pretty darn high as far as smartphone capabilities are concerned, and it’s just hard to make them more interesting these days. We already have music, video capability, fingerprint scanner, Face Time, dual SIM cards, email, SMS, MMS, and so on, plus thousands of apps that make your phones do virtually anything you want them to do. Moreover, the processors are already lightening-speed fast in some of the brands, camera images are as sharp as they can be, and battery life is acceptable – with power banks to boot. So, it may be pretty hard to convince folks to upgrade. Lenovo PHAB2 Pro may just be “what the doctor ordered,” that’ll get you to seriously think about upgrading your smartphone.
In GPT, you have a series of sensors – say in a head gear – that lets a smartphone or tablet map a 3D space and overlay it with virtual objects that appear on the screen of your smartphone. This technology, if successful, could help you navigate a building the way Google Maps lets you navigate a city. Tango can use an infrared projector and a couple of extra cameras to detect things like walls and floors in a room and can also capture a detailed 3D scan of a space. This means that digital objects can look like they’re sitting on the real floor right in front of you.
Check out this column in the 28 March 2016 issue of Daily Trust, if you need a refresher on AR. Basically, in the article I talked about Microsoft’s headgear for AR, dubbed HoloLens, which combines the real world you are located in, with a virtual one – hologram – using a combo of high-definition displays, see-through lenses, and eye calibration, to create a pretty powerful image. (Note that the headgear is actually a computer.) For example, right in front of your eyes, you can see mango trees grow and blossom right on top of your dining table. What is even more amazing is that, with some tools, other people who happen to be in the room with you will also be able to see the mango tree.
Deployed in a smartphone, GPT will not require a headgear. (Obviously, Microsoft’s AR tool requires a headgear.) PHAB2 Pro will be the first Tango-enabled smartphone. Lenovo has been working with Google for about a year on Tango. I learned that Google has been selling a $512 Tango development kit tablet to phone manufacturers. Lenovo claims to have a six-month head-start over its competitors. PHAB2 Pro will retail for $499 when launched.
The three components of the technology in Tango-supported smartphones are: motion tracking, depth perception, and area learning, which enable devices to see and remember the key visual features of a physical space – the edges, corners, and other unique features – so that it can recognize the area again at a later time. Tango apps from third-parties are of course expected, though the projection on this is quite modest: 25 at launch time and 100 by December. Some games have already been deployed, such as lining up virtual dominos on a physical table and shooting at robots that co-inhabit a room with you. Other potential use cases for Tango include indoor navigation, like helping you to find your way inside a complicated building or subway station.
Physically, PHAB2 Pro is huge – 6.4 inches in diagonal – and heavy (259 grams) in order to support the voracious battery power requirement. It comes with a 6.4-in Quad-HD display, measuring 7.08 in × 3.49 in × 0.42 in. The phone is therefore ergonomically not attractive – heavy and difficult to hold. It has an all metal aluminum body. The processor is Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 which Lenovo claims is specially built for Tango to provide optimum performance. The phone has 4 gigabytes of memory and a display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440. For the Project Tango capabilities, the phone has two 16-megapixel cameras on the back (four total) as well as depth sensors and motion tracking.
Finally, PHAB2 Pro is work-in-progress and Lenovo will need to work out the many rough edges fast if it is to realize its claimed 6-month lead over competitors. Moreover, news has it that the next iPhone – which might be released also in September, will support AR. Isn’t the game on, again?