On June 9 Lenovo held their Lenovo Tech World event in San Francisco. There was a number of announcements which came through as part of the event, although it was clear that the biggest and most noteworthy of the announcements was the introduction of the Lenovo PHAB2 Pro smartphone. While this was one of three PHAB phones which were introduced at the event, the unique selling point with the PHAB2 Pro is that it is a Tango-enabled smartphone. In fact, it is the world’s first consumer-ready Tango smartphone.
“Project Tango” as it was originally known, is technology built inside a device which essentially allows the device to become more spatially aware. This unique ability means that Tango-enabled devices are able to gauge the distance and space around them more effectively and accurately. A skill which is likely to have a direct consequence for a number of app-related industries like home improvement, retail, information and of course, gaming. As a result and with the first consumer-ready Tango smartphone now launched, it is expected that the technology will make its way to more smartphones in the near future.
A likelihood which Qualcomm is well prepared for as the chip manufacturer has today confirmed they are committed to the Tango platform. As a result of today’s announcement, Qualcomm is confirming that their two major mobile chipset lines, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series and the Snapdragon 800 series, will both play a pivotal role in pushing Tango forward in the future. The PHAB2 Pro is a smartphone which already comes running on a Snapdragon 600 series processor (Snapdragon 652) which means the company has already laid the groundwork. As their 652 processor had been in development with a view to being readied as the brains beneath the Tango functionality on the the PHAB2 Pro, the 600 series is already a Tango-ready processor line and is well-positioned to continue expanding its presence within the Tango mobile ecosystem and is adequately prepared for the specific needs, requirements and demands that are associated with a Tango device and all from within the same processor, which ensures devices will not need additional processors to utilize Tango. Today’s announcement looks to confirm that the 600 series will continue to be Tango-ready with the next-generation 600 series processors that come through also sporting support for the platform.
Of course, the 600 series of processors are largely considered to be mid-to-high range processors but still second to the company’s high-end processor line, the 800 series which features in many of the major flagship smartphones each year. As part of today’s announcement, while Qualcomm has also confirmed that their 800 line of processors in the future will be Tango-ready, the company is also confirming that their current flagship processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, is actually Tango-ready. As part of the commitment to the Tango platform the 820 was prepared and readied with Tango functionality in mind. Which means that while there is no current Snapdragon 820-equipped Tango flagship smartphone on the market, the Snapdragon 820 was future-proofed during the manufacturing process to be able to accommodate Tango functionality as and when needed. As will be the case for the 600 and 800 series processors going forward.