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A closer look at Lenovo's bendable concept phone and tablet
We knew Lenovo's Phab2 Pro and Motorola's Moto Z series were breaking cover today, but the moment that drew the loudest gasps was when a YouTuber bent a phone around her wrist. Lenovo's crazy, flexible devices are incredibly far from being real products, but we still had to track them down to get a closer look at what makes them work. After all, these aren't Kyocera Echo-style, half-assed folding screens -- the Folio tablet and the Cplus phone have display panels that actually contort when you bend their respective bodies.
USB-C and Lightning headphones aren't great news for everyone
The 3.5mm port is dying -- at least when it comes to smartphones. If the persistent Lightning headphone rumor wasn't enough to persuade you, the fact that Motorola beat Apple to the punch should be. Motorola's new Moto Z and Moto Z Force don't have that familiar circular hole for your cans to plug into, and it now seems inevitable that almost every phone within a few years will forgo the port in favor of a single socket for both charging and using headphones. This is a change that few people actually want. It's driven entirely by the makers of our phones and their desire to ditch what they view as an unnecessary port.
The Moto Z vs. the competition: Much more than a gimmick
The biggest selling point of the new Moto Z and its fancier sibling the Moto Z Force might be the trio of "Mods" that let you boost the device's battery life, pump up the volume or even make the it into a handheld projector. But how does this new handset compare with the other big accessory-adorned handset on the market, the LG G5? And should you choose either phone over more straightforward flagships like the Galaxy S7 or iPhone 6s Plus? We've lined up the specs of the Moto Z against these formidable competitors to see what it brings to the table, no frills attached.
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.
Snap-on 'MotoMods' make the Moto Z more interesting
Google isn't the only company working on modular smartphones. Following on the heels of the LG G5 and Google's "Project Ara" concept, Motorola today unveiled its new Moto Z flagship, which makes use of various modular accessories. These add-ons, collectively dubbed MotoMods, snap onto the handset using a quartet of magnets and draw their power/data through a 6Gbps multi-pin connection. There will be three Mods available at launch: a projector, "party speaker" and an external battery.
Up close and personal with the first Tango phone
For years now, we've watched Google build gadgets that sense the world around us, and for years we've wondered when the non-coding public could actually use them. That time is, well, not now but soon. Lenovo unveiled the Phab2 Pro earlier today, a smartphone whose name completely fails to illustrate its potential importance: the very first phone using Google's Tango 3D mapping technology that a regular person can actually buy. It doesn't arrive until later this summer, but after spending a little time with the device, I'm already cautiously optimistic about its potential.
The Moto Z and Z Force are as controversial as they are ambitious
Oh, you thought Lenovo and its Project Tango device were going to hog the spotlight today? Not quite. Motorola just revealed its new flagship phones, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, and we've already had a chance to spend a little time with them. Spoiler: There's a lot to love here, tinged with a few things that might drive you up a wall.
Lenovo's low-cost Phab2 phones are big on augmented reality
The centerpiece of Lenovo's self-branded US phones may be the higher-end, Tango-packing Phab2 Pro, but that doesn't mean there isn't something available for the budget crowd. Lenovo is unveiling two lower-cost models, the Phab2 and Phab2 Plus, that deliver some of the experience for a much lower price. Both pack gigantic 6.4-inch screens (the same size as the Pro) and 13-megapixel rear cameras that deliver augmented reality "special effects" such as virtual backgrounds -- while they won't make you forget that Tango exists, you won't have to give up AR entirely. They also share immersive Dolby Atmos audio and a whopping 4,050mAh battery that can last for over two weeks on standby.
The Moto Z and Z Force are Motorola's new modular flagships
So long Moto X, hello Moto Z. For its next round of Android flagships, Motorola is going for a new brand, an ultra-thin design and support for "Mods" that expand their capabilities. And yes, the Moto Z is seriously thin at just 5.19 millimeters thick. How Motorola achieved will probably be controversial, though: the Moto Z and its slightly beefier sibling, the Moto Z Force, don't have headphone jacks. Instead, you'll have to plug in the included USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter to use headphones. But is any of this enough for Lenovo to finally have a hit phone? (Take a look at our hands-on impressions of both phones here.)
Lowe's has a Tango AR app for home improvement projects
We've explored the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya using Google's Tango technology, and we've also used it for a little gaming. Now that Lenovo is bringing the first Tango device for the masses, we're also going to see new augmented reality software that make use of Google's 3D mapping software tech. Lowe's, the hardware and home improvement store chain, has an app of its own that allows you to place appliances, add accessories and make other virtual tweaks to your house before you begin a project.
$500 Lenovo Phab2 Pro is the first Google Tango phone
The second generation of Lenovo's Phab phones are here already, headlined by the first-ever Project Tango-equipped smartphone with sensors and cameras that can map its surroundings. The Phab2 Pro (check out our hands-on impressions right here) is special because it fulfills the promise of demos that Google's Advanced Technologies and Products (ATAP) division has been showing us for a few years. The phone's dual cameras create an "eye" that sees its surroundings in 3D with depth perception, while additional sensors monitor location and nearby objects 250,000 times per second.
Lenovo shows off a bendable phone for your wrist
At Lenovo's big keynote in San Francisco today, CTO Peter Hortensius introduced a new bendable screen that snaps around the wrist like an old-school slap bracelet. It's the company's way of moving into a hingeless device era.