Tech World 2017 | Lenovo boasts foldable tablets, AR headsets, and more at tech show
At Tech World 2016 in San Francisco, Lenovo very briefly teased a foldable tablet prototype that proved to be a small glimpse at what the manufacturer has been working on outside of the traditional laptop and tablet. Now for Tech World 2017, Lenovo has expanded its work-in-progress showcase to include not just more foldable hardware, but also more artificial intelligence and augmented reality devices.
Lenovo Folio
One of these prototypes is the Lenovo Folio tablet with a 7.8-inch 1920 x 1440 resolution display that can be folded down its center and function like a smartphone. This was the same device teased last year with a Snapdragon 800-class SoC, eSIM functionality, and Android 7 Nougat compatibility, but Lenovo is unfortunately still tight-lipped on when we can expect to see the Folio on store shelves. The Lenovo Folio, of course, is not to be confused with the HP EliteBook Folio.
Lenovo daystAR
The next notable work-in-progress is the DaystAR augmented reality headset. Unlike other AR or VR headsets in the market, the DaystAR is designed to function independently without the need for an external PC or mobile device. The prototype on display covers a 43-degree field of vision with the ability to recognize objects, overlay digital information, and aid the wearer through AI assistance. A built-in 3D camera and sensor will track the wearer's hands and movements in real-time. DaystAR will run on Lenovo's open source AR platform in order to attract more developers.
Lenovo SmartGlass and SmartVest
Like Google and its new Enterprise edition of the Google Glass, Lenovo has also been investing in its own intelligent glasses aimed at professionals. The Chinese manufacturer is circumventing the battery problem by attaching a large battery and trackpad on the neck of the user for longer runtimes and better control. Just the trackpad itself should expand the user experience and open the door to more possibilities.
Lenovo Cava und Nio EP9 Electric Car
Finally, Lenovo is demonstrating its new Cava AI assistance to compete with Siri, Alexa, Bixby, and Google. Unlike all of these alternatives, however, Cava will be able to recognize both speech and faces. MobileGeeks went hands-on with Cava as shown by the short preview video below.
Of course, no tech show as of late would be complete without a hi-tech car on show. The electric Nio EP9 can reach speeds of up to 313 km/hr (195 mph) and is intended to be a fully autonomous car powered by Lenovo AI software. This isn't to imply that Lenovo will be entering the automobile manufacturing business, but the company will be partnering with Nio to explore the feasibility of a smart car platform that would work across a potential range of future car models.
Source(s)
