USAToday Column

June 11, 2016
Augmented reality comes to phones — and kitchens

By Bob O'Donnell

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.— Few people who’ve had the opportunity to experience augmented reality have questioned its relevance or potential. Once you’ve tried something like Microsoft’s HoloLens, it’s hard not to get excited about the impact it could have.

The problem is how to bring those capabilities to the mainstream. Most augmented reality and virtual reality headsets are known to be (or expected to be) pretty expensive for the next few years. Plus, the truth is, not everyone is excited to put something on their head and wear it for an extended period of time.

An intriguing solution to these challenges comes in the form of the new Phab Pro 2 smartphone, which Lenovo unveiled last week at its TechWorld 2016 event here at the Masonic Auditorium. The oddly named device (Phab is ostensibly short for “phablet,” a name some in the tech industry have used to describe large-screen devices that fit between a phone and a tablet) is the first smartphone based on Google’s Tango technology.

Tango (nee Project Tango) essentially leverages multiple cameras and sensors built into a device like a smartphone to visually map the world around you and then overlay digitally created content onto that view, hence the term augmented reality (AR).

The beauty of the Tango approach is that it brings those capabilities to something that roughly 1.4 billion people purchase every year, and which billions more use every day: their smartphone. Lenovo is the first (and for now, at least, the only) vendor to offer a Tango phone. The Phab Pro 2 is expected to be available this September for $499 without a contract.

Unlike most smartphones, the Phab Pro 2 features a 3D depth camera in addition to a regular one, and when you hold the device as if taking a photo, the very large 6.4” screen displays a variety of different perspectives, all dependent on the particular applications you happen to be running. Though this may sound somewhat similar to Google’s recently announced DayDream concept for doing virtual reality on smartphones, Tango is different technology and therefore requires different applications.

Lenovo and Google showed off several intriguing applications as part of the product launch, ranging from a very clever dominos game that integrates real-world objects, to a home measuring and improvement application from Lowe’s. The net result was an intriguing set of capabilities that probably represents the most realistic opportunity for bringing the promise of AR technology to a mainstream audience.

Of course, there are several challenges. First, while Lenovo is a mainstream notebook PC brand, it’s had almost no presence as a smartphone maker here in the US. In addition, the large size of the device—which is necessary to hold all the required components (including a large battery)—will be a bit too large for many. In addition, while there are definitely interesting possibilities, the real-world value will require a large range of software choices and, right now, the options for Tango-compatible apps is extremely limited.

The other challenge is just getting consumers interested in smartphones at all. The smartphone industry has hit the doldrums and Lenovo actually debuted several different new phones at the event to help drive overall interest in the category. Their new Motorola Model Z offers the option of snap-on modules, such as a tiny projector, extra speakers and a battery pack, that the company calls MotoMods. The company claimed that this was their groundbreaking new device and saved it for last, but I think the potential impact of the AR-enabled Phab Pro 2 could be much bigger longer term.

Frankly, the phone that got the most attention at the event was a device codenamed C Plus that can bend and wrap around your wrist like a bracelet. Unfortunately, it’s nothing more than prototype concept at this point, with no definitive date (or even promise) of introduction.

In the meantime, there’s little doubt that augmented reality will eventually drive at least some level of interest back to the device and smartphone markets. Tango-based products like the Lenovo Phab Pro 2 certainly offer an intriguing possibility, but as with most other categories, it’s consumers who will ultimately decide.

USA TODAY columnist Bob O'Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, a market research and consulting firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. His clients are major technology firms including Microsoft, HP, Dell, and Qualcomm. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.

Here's a link to the original column: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2016/06/11/augmented-reality-lenovo-phab-pro-2/85745396/