Lenovo makes smartphone with experimental Google camera – NU.nl

This is a camera with a depth meter which account may be used to measure spaces to show routes inside buildings.

Google and Lenovo have worked together over the past year behind the scenes at the technology said Johnny Lee, head of the Tango Project at Google, on the techbeurs CES in Las Vegas.

The exact details of the Lenovo machine are not set yet, but the device at least get a size of between 6 and 6.5 inches. At the top of the smartphone, the three cameras that are required for Project Tango technology: one with an RGB sensor, one with depth sensor and one with a fisheye lens

The smartphone will run on. a Qualcomm chip and get a price of less than $ 500. “We do not want this to be a niche product, but a mainstream device,” said Jeff Meredith, director of the mobile arm of Lenovo. The company says a global launch to prepare

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Experiment

More than a year since Google presented for the first time Project Tango and became an experimental tablet with the depth camera made available to developers. Since then, more than 5,000 developers working with it and there are dozens of apps made.

This makes it possible inter alia to show virtual characters into the real world. A digital kitten example on the screen of the tablet running around in the space facing the camera, and take into account obstacles.

Also, distances, for example from the floor to the ceiling, can be accurately measured. Routes can be built indoors and displayed with a blue line shown in the real world.

According to Lee, it is a great lack of smartphones that they have a route of thousands of kilometers of roads to plan, but not can tell you how to enter a hotel or shopping at a certain space. The blue dot on the map is inside buildings a “blue haze of dubiousness,” he said.

GPS

Lee said he expected the Tango technology as big step will forward for smart phones and the GPS chip was earlier. “Now you would not buy more phone has not.”

Developers that want to develop an app for Project Tango have until February 15. Google says money and aid will enable the development of applications, and deliver the most promising ideas standard with the Lenovo smartphone.

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By: NU.nl/Jeroen Crane