Google launches the first Tango AR system on Lenovo Phab2 Pro
November 03, 2016 • Android • Google • New Launch • News
The world's first Tango smartphone has been officially launched in the US, kicking off smartphone augmented reality system to the masses.
At this moment, it’s only available on Lenovo’s $499 Phab2 Pro in the US but you can expect to see it coming onto next wave of Android phones. Availability in other markets is not known yet. As per an report citing a company representative, the Phab 2 Pro will be available in selected Asia Pacific markets.
Tthe Lenovo Phab 2 Pro sports a 6.4-inch QHD IPS display, and a total of four cameras - a 8-megapixel front camera, a 16-megapixel rear RGB camera, a depth-sensing infrared camera with an imager and an emitter, as well as a motion tracking camera. It's powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC, coupled with 4GB of RAM. The Phab 2 Pro bears a 4050mAh battery that's promised to deliver a 15-hour battery life. It also sports Dolby Atmos audio technology for its speakers, apart from Dolby Audio 5.1 Capture technology for recording 3D sound.
About 35 applications are launching with Tango support at launch, with hope to reach 100 apps by year-end. Apps and games include a measurement app called Measure; furniture apps such as Homestyler Interior Design; world builders like Towers for Tango, and games such as Domino World, Crayola Color Blaster, and Slingshot Island.
Check this out: https://youtu.be/_juSsxykGIg
Non gaming apps like iStaging allows you to position furniture in your home and see what a new lamp would look like on your desk. Matterport’s Scenes app allows users to capture their spaces in volumetric 3D, what that’s actually useful for is a bit limited in scope, but visually it’s really freaking cool and highlights just how sophisticated even Tango’s first effort is.
Tango is a feature set to be go forward to the masses. Depth sensing cameras will inevitably have to be a standard feature in smartphones in coming years when its is propelled by more solid apps and practical functionality. There are certainly big potential for AR to evolve and we certainly look forward to them coming.