Google and Lenovo in collaboration with each other announced their first consumer – targeted product with Project Tango technology at the ongoing CES 2016 trade show in Las Vegas. The phone is expected to hit the stores this summer itself with a price tag of less than US $500. Lenovo also demonstrated some of the applications of Project Tango at this joint event, showcasing the indoor area mapping that is possible with the revolutionary 3D machine vision technology. Three lenses that are vertically stacked in the smart phone camera will deliver information on color and depth, while a fisheye lens will give a wide – angle peripheral vision around the device. These information will be used to build a 3D map of the area.
The technology will also reportedly allow near real-time mapping, with measurements down to the centimeter. All the data gathered by the camera are compiled by the Lenovo smart phone’s processor, but the company did not elaborate more on the same.
The Lenovo-made Project Tango-based handset will obviously run on Android OS due to Google’s active involvement in the same and will feature a display size that will be less than 6.5-inches. As for the developers, they have been given an opportunity to submit their Project Tango application ideas to Google until 15 of February 2016. Selected developers will also get funding for their idea, and their apps will be preloaded on the Lenovo smart phone. The search giant – Google will also be shipping the smart phone to select developers based on their app ideas.
This was not designed as a niche device, said Lenovo vice president Jeff Meredith. We want this to be accessible to a large audience, he added. Project Tango leader Johnny Lee, who joined in the Las Vegas announcement, said the technology transforms the smart phone into a magical window on the world.
