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HP's voice-controlled Tango printer can be disguised as a book
Printers haven't really kept up with the times. Sure, you can print from your phone, but the devices aren't built for an always-connected world -- and let's be honest, more than a few of them are eyesores that can feel like '90s throwbacks. HP believes it can do better. Its newly unveiled Tango lets you print from wherever you are, and takes smart speaker commands from Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant. If you'd like to print your calendar, you don't have to fire up an app or walk across the room. An Instant Ink service can automatically order new ink when you run low, too, potentially sparing you an unexpected trip to the office supply store.
ASUS' Tango-powered ZenFone AR will hit the US in July
We already knew from Google I/O earlier this month that ASUS' ZenFone AR, the second-ever Tango phone (and the first to also support Daydream), was getting close to its official launch, and that it's coming to the US as a Verizon exclusive this summer. Thankfully, we now know when people will actually be able to buy one. Right after ASUS' pre-Computex keynote today, I sat down with CEO Jerry Shen who revealed that this device will finally be launching in Taiwan in mid-June, followed by a US launch as soon as late June or early July.
Google Tango shows how AR can improve virtual field trips
Google didn't have a ton of new things to say about its Tango augmented reality tech during today's I/O developer keynote. Instead, the company wanted to flaunt what Tango is already good at -- namely, the type of educational Expedition experiences that were briefly shown off yesterday. Daydream's education lead Jennifer Holland said that over two million students and teachers have taken advantage of what Tango can offer in a school setting. "One of the most important things my team has learned is you need to embrace they key functions of a classroom," she said.
We're live from the Google I/O 2017 day 2 VR and AR keynote!
Google's first I/O 2017 keynote ran for nearly two hours yesterday, and VR chief Clay Bavor used a fraction of it to talk about the company's plans in virtual and augmented reality. He then published a 2,800-word essay on VR and AR on Medium to offer even more insight into Google's philosophy. Point is, people at Google are taking this stuff very seriously, so we're getting a VR-and-AR-centric keynote at the show this morning too. We're not expecting many new announcements, really — instead, we're looking forward to more detail on the plans outlined yesterday, including Google's work on standalone VR headsets and that fascinating "virtual positioning system." If we're lucky, Bavor will let slip something new and hype-worthy, but it'll be a good time regardless. Join us, won't you?
Lowe's is using AR and VR to make how-to easier
Last year home improvement chain Lowe's teased what it was doing with Google's Tango augmented-reality technology, and now the company is ready to debut the next wave of its high-tech initiatives. First up is the outfit's new In-Store Navigation app, which it says is Tango's first retail indoor-mapping application. To use it, you'll need to snag a Lenovo Phab 2 Pro from an employee. Then you can use the slate to navigate around the store and hopefully find exactly what you're looking for in no time flat. It's something Lowe's showed off recently in tandem with a VR project to illustrate how tech can make DIY easier.
'Hot Wheels Track Builder' is an AR den for your creations
Hot Wheels is best known for its extensive line of die-cast model cars, as well as some racing video games for younger kids. However, at this year's Toy Fair the brand is aiming to combine the best of both in its new Tango augmented reality game. Track Builder gives you a virtual play area to construct custom tracks for your cars. The only limit is what you can imagine, and not the amount of physical space in your home.
Google Tango AR takes you inside a mummy's sarcophagus
Everyone thinks augmented reality (AR) is loaded with potential, but what besides Pokémon Go can you actually do with it? Google is providing a concrete example by bringing its Tango technology to museums. At the Detroit Institute of Arts, visitors will be able to snag a Lenovo Phab 2 Pro phone and explore Egyption mummies and other exhibits. The tech will let you peer "inside" a sarcophagus, for instance, to see ancient skeletons and other hidden artifacts.
BMW uses Google's augmented-reality tech to preview your i3
It's difficult to get a feel for what a personalized car will look like in real life. You can't get a realistic perspective by customizing a car on the web, but visiting the dealership frequently means having to guess what your color choices look like. BMW doesn't think you should have to choose. It's testing a BMW i Visualizer app that uses Google's depth-sensing Tango technology to help you preview your ultimate i3 or i8. If you visit dealerships in several countries (including the US and UK) during the weeks ahead, you'll get to configure and walk around a virtual car in augmented reality. You can't sit in it, unsurprisingly, but you can poke your head inside to see if the layout is as posh as you thought it would be.
ASUS's ZenFone AR handles both virtual and augmented reality
While ASUS's ZenFone AR might have been leaked days early, it's nonetheless a phone that's trying to drag us into the future -- whether that's virtual reality or augmented reality. ASUS says its ZenFone AR will be compatible with both Google's Daydream VR platform as well as Google's Tango augmented-reality tech.
ASUS' ZenFone AR is ready for Google Tango and Daydream
The second Tango-ready smartphone has arrived -- kind of. It looks like ASUS is preparing to reveal the ZenFone AR during its press conference at CES on Wednesday, January 4th, but chip-maker Qualcomm published a blog post about the phone a few days early. According to Qualcomm, the ZenFone AR takes advantage of the Snapdragon 821 processor, which also powers Google's Pixel and ASUS' ZenFone 3.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro
Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro has a mouthful of a name and a somewhat bland design. But what might seem like a forgettable phone really isn't: This massive 6.4-inch handset is the first available phone with Google's "Tango" 3D mapping technology. But while Tango feels magical when it works, bugs and hiccups periodically dampen the experience. Indeed, as is the case with many first-generation technologies, you're better off waiting for refinements -- that is, unless you're the sort of early adopter who needs to be on the bleeding edge. (And if you are, the $499 asking price is reasonable considering how much flagship phones typically cost.) The problem is, once you set aside Tango (which itself isn't perfect), you're left with one lackluster phone. Though well-constructed, the design isn't memorable, while the cameras and custom software are downright lousy. The possibly too-big screen will also be a deal-breaker for some. Basically, then, as cool as Tango is, you're better off waiting for the technology to improve, and for a wider variety of devices to support it.
The Moto Z series could get Google's world-sensing Tango tech
Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro might be the first smartphone out there with Google's Tango technology, but other parts of the company are interested in the tech as well. While addressing reporters at an event in Chicago, Motorola Mobility president Aymar de Lencquesaing said that the Lenovo-owned subsidiary is "likely to have a Tango module" for the Moto Z line of smartphones... though he stopped short of confirming such an add-on was currently in the works.
Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review: Stumbling out of the gate
I just spent 15 minutes wandering around the office, trying to shoot ghouls in the face with lightning. Before that, I dropped a virtual rococo sofa into the empty space next to my desk, just to see if it would fit. And before that, I measured ... well, everything. Welcome to the augmented life, courtesy of Google and Lenovo. Google has spent more than two years taking its "Tango" technology from project to full-blown product. The goal: to help our gadgets examine the world around them and overlay information -- or even whole new worlds -- on top of the reality we already know. Along the way, Google tapped Lenovo to help craft the first consumer-ready Tango device: an enormous slab of a phone called the Phab 2 Pro. And now it's here. If the Tango stuff alone didn't make the Phab 2 Pro a groundbreaking device, this is also the first Lenovo-branded smartphone to land in the United States. Too bad it's not quite ready for prime time.
Project Tango game 'Woorld' is here to make your life silly
This one is for all the Levovo Phab2 Pro owners out there. The Project Tango-powered augmented reality game Woorld is available today via the Google Play Store, just for Phab2 Pro people. Woorld comes from Keita Takahashi, the creator of eccentric classics Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, and it features a familiar brand of adorable, cartoonish characters and objects. However, since this is an AR game, everything is overlaid on the real world through the Phab2 Pro's screen.
The first Google Tango phone launches with over 35 new apps
It's been years in the making but Tango, Google's depth-sensing technology, is ready to make its consumer debut. That's because today is when the first Tango phone, the Lenovo Phab2 Pro, goes on sale for $499. To accompany the Phab2 Pro's launch, Google is announcing more than 35 new Tango apps, all of which will be available in the Play Store today. I had a chance to play around with several of them, as well as speak with a few app developers and delve further into the future of Tango. And that includes Tango's relationship with Daydream, another well-known Google project.
The first Project Tango phone goes on sale next month
Project Ara is no more, but that doesn't mean Google's weirder smartphone ambitions are all dead and buried. Project Tango -- a push to put 3D mapping in a smartphone -- is still alive and well, thanks to Lenovo. Speaking to CNET, Google's Clay Bavor confirmed that the Phab2 Pro should be coming out next month. The phone promises to track your surroundings and then, augmented reality style, display content that looks like it's right in front of you. With this, you could visualize new furniture in your home, or shoot aliens that appear to be coming out of the walls.
It takes two: A visual history of dual-camera mobile phones
With the recent launches of the iPhone 7 Plus and the LG V20, the dual-lens smartphone camera is once again a hot topic. Of course, many other companies will want to remind you that they were there first, except some have long since given up on the technology. So what happened? And why isn't this yet a standard feature on all flagship smartphones? For those intrigued, it's worth taking a trip seven years back in time.
Google and Qualcomm are making Snapdragon chips Tango ready
Manufacturers can make their devices Tango compatible simply by equipping them with Qualcomm's new and upcoming Snapdragon 800 and 600 SoCs. According to Ars Technica, the chipmaker has been working with Google for the past year-and-a-half to make its products ready for the tech titan's augmented reality technology. See, when the big G showed off its Project Tango (as it was called back then) prototype, it had an extra computer vision chip. But the first Tango phone, Lenovo's Phab2 Pro, doesn't have one at all.
The After Math: Can't buy me love
There's something in the air this week. Seems everybody's in L-O-V-E, love. Well, except maybe this guy. Researchers successfully tested a new gene therapy using the DNA from three donors. Lenovo debuted the world's first Tango-enabled smartphone. Tinder kicked all the kids out and Google's gave its devs something to crow about. Numbers, because how else would we know that one is the loneliest?
Google's Project Tango becomes just 'Tango'
Onstage at Lenovo Tech World 2016, Google Engineering Director and Project Tango lead Johnny Lee announced some changes coming to Google's three-year-old augmented reality initiative. First up: now that Google is ready to ship the technology to consumers, the company is dropping the "Project" from the name and ramping up its investment in AR. Essentially, Google is ready to take this thing out of Beta and into the spotlight.