EMERGING TECH
EMERGING TECH
EMERGING TECH
Qualcomm jumps CES gun to reveal Asus’s new Tango augmented-reality phone
Qualcomm Technologies Inc. has jumped the Consumer Electronics Show gun by accidentally revealing details of the forthcoming new Google Tango augmented-reality phone from Asus.
In a blog post (since deleted, cached version here) the chip maker revealed that the ZenFone AR from ASUSTeK Computer Inc., only the second Tango-enabled phone since the Lenovo Phab 2 was released in June 2016, will be powered by a Snapdragon 821 processor. The new phone also will be Daydream-ready, making it the first Android handset to support both Google’s AR and virtual reality platforms.
Qualcomm claimed that all of its new Snapdragon processors are engineered to support computationally intensive Tango use cases “that involve motion tracking, depth perception, and area learning using cutting-edge computer vision, graphics and sensor processing,” so that users of the ZenFone AR “can enjoy high-performance smartphone AR user experiences with long battery life.”
Purchasers of the ZenFone AR will require a Daydream View headset to enjoy VR and to “explore new worlds with apps like Google Street View and Fantastic Beasts, dive into your personal VR cinema with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and HBO, and get your game on with Gunjack 2, LEGO BrickHeadz, Need for Speed and dozens other titles.”
Qualcomm also said the Snapdragon 821 “is built for VR with high-resolution display, ultra-smooth graphics and high-fidelity sensors for precise head tracking.” Qualcomm did not provide a picture of the ZenFone AR, but famed phone leaker Evan Blass filled in the gap by posting these alleged shots of the front and the rear of the phone to Twitter:
ASUS ZenFone AR (2nd Google Tango phone) pic.twitter.com/ctKQ9IKfeC
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 2, 2017
Google Tango was launched in January 2016 to allow the viewer to see 3D objects in a virtual environment, thereby transforming the world into a fully virtual space. However, manufacturer uptake of technology platform has been extremely slow to date, with manufacturers seemingly preferring to invest their time building phones and technologies to support Google’s VR Daydream platform instead.
The official announcement of the Asus ZenFone AR is expected to be made on Wednesday at CES in Las Vegas.
Image credit: gtorelly/Flickr/CC by 2.0
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
