Lenovo Unveils Smartphones That Reshape What’s Possible & Vision for Connected Devices at Tech World 2016

On Jun 10, 2016

Business Wire India

At Tech World 2016, Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) shared its vision for the future of smart, connected devices and unveiled new products that reshape what’s possible: the PHAB2 Pro, the world’s first consumer Tango-enabled smartphone, and the Moto Z family with Moto Mods that transform your smartphone into an entirely new device.

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Lenovo's Folio concept doubles as a smartphone and tablet with its flexible display. (Photo: Business Wire)

More than 1,300 people, including fans, media, industry influencers and analysts, joined Lenovo at the Masonic in Silicon Valley for the second annual global conference. Lenovo chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang led the keynote livestreamed on Lenovo’s YouTube channel: https://www.YouTube.com/Lenovo. In addition to launching products, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Juniper Networks’ founder, vice chairman and CTO, Pradeep Sindhu and tech leaders from Google shared their insights on the most promising and emerging topics in innovation, including IoT and smart connectivity, the power of big data and transformative user experiences. Through device innovation, device and cloud connectivity and building flexible, reliable and safe infrastructure, Lenovo will deliver the next generation of technology advancements.

Keynote Highlights: Connectivity Powers Technology of the Future

Yang highlighted Lenovo’s three pillars of future technology: device innovation, device + cloud connectivity and infrastructure. While Lenovo has a strong heritage of device innovation, the rapidly changing landscape means entirely new concepts and categories in cloud and connectivity are emerging. These devices that are as mobile and flexible in design as their users require a higher level of seamless connectivity. This seamless connectivity enables entry to people, devices, networks and new kinds of services and apps as well as the power of big data and a users’ personal cloud. For example, people can connect with devices through natural interfaces, such as iris scanning to secure data or unlock doors. Meanwhile, interconnected devices enable rich interactions, such as a seamlessly linked smart home with custom environment and entertainment options. Lenovo plans to lead in these areas for a comprehensive user experience.

Krzanich took the stage to showcase the latest amazing experiences in gaming, sports and the cloud made possible by Intel technology. Using the Lenovo Y900 based on the 6^th generation Intel^® Core^TM i7 processor with Oculus Virtual Reality, Krzanich showcased how people can now be completely immersed into the gaming experience in a virtual world. Additionally, with the Lenovo Y900 and Intel 360 replay technology, fans can now be more immersed in the sports experience and soon can choose how they view game highlights from almost any perspective. To close out his presence, Krzanich highlighted the importance of the cloud as the foundation for all of these amazing experiences. Lenovo recently launched their latest data center platform based on the new Intel® Xeon® processor E7 v4 family featuring large scalable memory capacity, industry-leading performance and hardware-enhanced security for real-time analytics.

Sindhu shared during his keynote how the next generation of the data center will help clients transform more quickly by linking large scale data center connectivity to the world via devices. This next-level of networking will be critical not only to end-user devices but also for connecting inside and between data centers.

New Products Reshape What’s Possible

New Moto Z Family with Moto Mods: Transform Your Smartphone in a Snap

With tech entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher we also introduced the Moto Mods ecosystem with two flagship smartphones and a collection of interchangeable backs that transform your mobile experience into exactly what you need, exactly when you need it – a battery powerhouse, a big screen projector or a boombox. The choice is yours. Simply snap it on.

Moto Z and Moto Z Force are cutting edge smartphones featuring an all metal design, great low light camera performance, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor and Moto TurboPower charging. Moto Z is the world's thinnest premium smartphone and Moto Z Force brings the added benefits of Moto Shattershield – guaranteeing the display will not to crack or shatter.

Combined with our all new Moto Mods, you can transform your Moto Z into exactly what you need it to be in a snap, whether it’s an instant party maker with the JBL(R) SoundBoost or a 70-inch movie projector with the Moto Insta-Share Projector. There’s also the Power Pack, which instantly adds 22 hours of life to your phone – and it comes in fashionable designs from partners like kate spade new york and TUMI.

We’ve made the connection process simple: High-powered magnets connect Moto Mods to your phone so you can easily snap them together as your needs change. Plus, with the Moto Mods Developer Program, you can develop the next generation of Moto Mods. The Lenovo Capital Fund will be setting aside seed funding to spur innovation on the Moto Mods platform. It has set aside $1,000,000 for the individual or company that creates the best Moto Mods prototype by March 31, 2017.

World’s First Tango-enabled AR Smartphone

Lenovo revealed the first consumer smartphone powered by Tango technology, a set of sensors and software from Google that senses and maps its surroundings to make a host of cutting-edge smartphone augmented reality (AR) experiences possible. This flagship device represents our combined efforts to promote mass acceptance for Tango, a technology that promises to become as prevalent as GPS. PHAB2 Pro transforms how we interact with our surroundings by enabling mobile devices to detect their position relative to the world around them, unlocking AR experiences via customized apps. PHAB2 Pro uses three core technologies – motion tracking, depth perception and area learning – to sense its surroundings, enabling experiences ranging from AR gaming to virtual object placement. For example, with Tango technology PHAB2 Pro can begin to change the way people think about mapping indoor spaces to create new experiences like future AR museum tours via the GuidiGO app.

Homeowners can also now use their PHAB2 Pro to remodel their homes by visualizing real home furnishings in their living rooms and kitchens. Home improvement company Lowe’s is one of the first partners to develop a Tango-enabled application, Lowe’s Vision. Lowe’s Chief Development Officer, Richard Maltsbarger, along with Rehab Addict’s Nicole Curtis demonstrated on stage the power of this app to make home design and renovation easier. The app empowers customers by leveraging Tango technology to measure spaces and visualize how products like appliances and décor, or materials like countertops or backsplash tile, will all look and fit together in a room. With Lowe’s Vision, customers will be able to control a new generation of AR tools with a mere tap of the finger. In the U.S., the PHAB2 Pro will be sold at select Lowe’s stores nationwide and online by the end of the year.

The PHAB2 Pro also pioneers the Dolby Audio 5.1 Capture technology, allowing users to capture the rich, clear and deep surround sound they’ve recorded. Lenovo also announced two other smartphones in the PHAB2 family with the PHAB2 Plus, known for its photo abilities, and the affordable PHAB2.

For more information on the new PHAB2 and Moto Z family of products, go to http://news.lenovo.com/presskits/techworld2016.

Concept Devices: Innovation Beyond 2016

We also demonstrated several concept innovations that reflect the creativity, experimentation and ingenuity of our engineers, designers and developers around the world. These concepts have the capability to shape the face of tomorrow’s technology.

The Lenovo CPlus and Folio concepts highlight how flexible screens and components can enable dual-devices and multiple usage scenarios like never before. We’ve also refined our connected Smart Shoes technology based now on the Intel® CurieTM module and featuring wireless charging. With Smart Shoes, users can track fitness data, play motion controlled games and receive customized news and information based on their activity data pushed to their smartphone.

Several of Lenovo’s startup investment companies showed their promising concept innovations in the areas of AR, virtual reality (VR) and biometrics. Demos included:

Continuse Biometrics remote identification and monitoring of bioparameters like heart rate via a single sensor
Screenovate’s VR goggles that function as a productivity hub for external devices in education
Worldviz’s VizMove Projection VR and VizMove Walking VR turnkey platform for VR peripherals
Leap Motion’s hand tracking technology, allowing users to naturally interact with virtual content
Skyroam’s personal global WiFi hotspot
EyeSmart Technology’s iris recognition software and hardware security solutions
TeLink’s first all-in-one system on a chip for the Internet of Things

Quotes

“Lenovo’s newest generation of PCs paired with Intel’s latest processors are becoming more powerful, versatile and mobile – and delivering amazing new experiences,” said Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO. “With our continued innovation together, Intel and Lenovo are elevating virtual reality and making e-sports more personal, immersive, and engaging. Gamers can now step into stunning visuals, and feel a part of the gaming experience like never before. This is just the beginning. With Yoga 900 and Intel’s 360 replay technology, just think what this means for the future of all sports – we’re transforming how fans experience their favorite sports. Lenovo and Intel are also delivering the best cloud experiences – delivering large scale memory capacity and high-performance for real-time analytics for the world of smart and connected devices.”

“The power of connectivity is transforming the PC from personal computing to CC – connected computing,” said Yuanqing Yang, CEO, Lenovo. “We’re helping lead this transformation by combining our expertise in hardware innovation with the critical backend cloud platform to help devices listen, see, sense and understand the world. Launching groundbreaking products like the PHAB2 Pro with Google’s Tango technology and Moto’s new Z Series smartphones with Mods in the heart of Silicon Valley shows we’re committed to this strategic technology direction.”

“The data center is set to become the foundation of an interconnected world. The explosion of data created from billions of devices and endpoints requires next-generation IT to deliver on its promise. Companies usually don’t set out to build IT infrastructure to reach their business objectives but, increasingly, they are looking to an automated, software-powered infrastructure to help them simplify their operations and deliver true business agility,” said Pradeep Sindhu, Founder, Vice Chairman, and CTO at Juniper Networks.

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About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Moto brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.

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