Augmented and virtual reality are making the jump from headsets to smartphones at CES this year.
Lenovo on Tuesday announced a lineup of new apps for its Tango-enabled smartphone, the Phab 2 Pro, and an accidental hint from Qualcomm suggested Asus will be coming out with its own Tango phone announcement tomorrow.
Though the Phab 2 Pro became available back in November, Lenovo’s CES announcement revolved around a range of new apps that take advantage of the device’s Tango-related AR capabilities. For those not in the know, Tango is a project from Google that uses an enhanced 3D camera system to sense the space around users and allows them to interact with virtual objects and information on their screen.
Lenovo said the new apps include games like Hot Wheels Track Builder, Fury of the Gods, and Crayola Color Blaster, as well as apps from Lowe’s and Wayfair that allow users to place actual-size furniture into their virtual home interiors, and indoor design apps like iStaging, Matterport, and MagicPlan. Additionally, the company said new educational apps are also available, including Dinosaurs Among Us and Solar Simulator at Scale. The apps can all be downloaded via the Google Play store, Lenovo said.
But Lenovo apparently isn’t the only one looking to cash in on the AR/VR craze.
GSMArena earlier this week spotted a slip from Qualcomm that indicated Asus is planning to release a new Tango-enabled device called the ZenFone AR tomorrow. According to the accidental release, the Asus smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor and will feature compatibility with both Google Tango and Google’s Daydream VR platform.
Though the Qualcomm post has been removed, well-known industry leaker Evan Blass tweeted a photo of the forthcoming Asus phone.
