Lenovo and Motorola Unveil PHAB2 Tango AR and Modular Moto Z Smartphones (hothardware.com) 25
MojoKid quotes a report from HotHardware: Google has been teasing its Project Tango augmented reality (AR) platform for years but no OEMs have stepped up to the plate to deliver Tango-enabled hardware until now. Lenovo just came out with its PHAB2 Pro 6.4-inch phablet smartphone which packs a full-fledged AR experience. The PHAB2 Pro will be the first commercially available Lenovo smartphone in the U.S. and it leverages Tango AR technology in three ways. The smartphone's "eye" uses motion-tracking to determine its location in 3D. Area learning can also feed location information to the phone, and depth perception allows the phone to analyze the world around it. The PHAB2 Pro is also huge with a 6.4" QHD display covered in 2.5D curved glass. Powering the PHAB2 Pro is a Snapdragon 652 processor with 4GB of RAM, a generous 64GB of storage and a microSD slot. There's also a 16MP rear camera, 8MP front camera and a 4050 mAh battery. Lenovo's Motorola Mobility division also announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, which are next generation Android flagships. The Moto Z is the standard model and measures just 5.2mm thick and comes with a 5.5" QHD AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage. Its 13MP rear camera features optical image stabilization and laser autofocus, while its 5MP front camera with wide-angle lens takes care of selfies. Then there's the new Moto Z Force, which ups the ante with a 3500 mAh battery, a 21MP rear camera and a shatterproof screen. But what truly makes the Moto Z and Moto Z Force stand out are Moto Mods. These are modular accessories that attach to the back of the smartphones via four magnets and a 16-pin connector. It's much more elegant than what LG has employed with the G5 (which requires you to remove the bottom of the smartphone). Instead, Moto Z users can simply attach an accessory, like the JBL SoundBoost Mod which brings high-end sound, with a quick snap.
Meh, you can keep the Mods... (Score:2)
...I'll stick with the Rockers.
Re: (Score:1)
I have the s750, it's indestructible. I often drop it on the floor to see the terror in the eyes of iPhone users.
Re: (Score:1)
I'm pretty sure Google wouldn't have made a deal to lock out OEM's from using ARM CPU's and Tango branding.
And no USB-C connector (Score:3)
What kind of futuristic halo phone is this, if it doesn't have a USB-C connector? My year old phone has one, my laptop charges over USB-C, and now you want me to move backwards and use micro USB again? What is this, 2013?
Tango looks cool but until someone finds a killer app for true VR, AR on your phone is going to be lacking.
Pass.
Re:And no USB-C connector (Score:4, Funny)
A braille display?
Well.. (Score:2)
If the Moto Z had front facing speakers and if they produce a battery case with hardware slide out keyboard I'd buy this.
HTC had such a good setup with the Desire Z. Can it be so hard to do something similar in phablet size with front facing speakers?
WTF is a 2.5D display (Score:2)
other than a ./ summary fail???
Re: (Score:1)
http://www.androidauthority.com/what-is-a-2-5d-screen-611258/
Re: WTF is a 2.5D display (Score:2)
Fuck you Lenovo. (Score:2)
I'm old! (Score:2)
Snapdragon 652 processor
I read that as "Snapdragon 6502 processor"