Lenovo Shows Off Bendable Phones, Tablets For Wrist
Flexible devices are being generally discussed in the mobile industry and the likes of Samsung, and LG has already introduced smartphones with flexible displays. In fact, Samsung has revealed that its flexible phones are ‘just around the corner’. But today Lenovo has beaten both of them by showcasing a truly bendable smartphone and tablet at its ongoing Tech World event. By doing so, Lenovo has also shown that just having flexible displays isn’t sufficient to create bendy gadgets.
Digital screens that fold and bend like a piece of paper are nothing new. Samsung indicated its bendable prototype more than three years ago, and rumors tip a customer device next year. But adding them into a market-ready phone or tablet has shown much more difficult, according to Lenovo, which this week showed off its latest efforts to make a phone’s guts just as bendable as its display.
Lenovo at its Tech World 2016 event in San Francisco on Thursday shown a host of products including the new Moto Z Force and Moto Z smartphones alongside the first consumer ready Project Tango handset, the Lenovo Tab 2 Pro. The Chinese company also presented some of the new innovations it is now working on including a new flexible smartphone that can wrap around the wrist, and a tablet that can be folded in half. The new prototypes – C Plus smartphone and Folio tablet were shown at the company’s event on Thursday.
Lenovo stressed that the Folio and CPlus concept devices highlight how flexible components and screens can permit dual-devices and multiple usage scenarios.
At the company’s Tech World Expo in San Francisco, Chief Technology Officer Peter Hortensius said “there are two main engineering obstacles to overcome. First, Lenovo’s focus groups have shown that people want to interact with the phone or tablet when it’s folded. That means a screen that can bend outwards, not just inwards”.
“Bending in is an easier problem,” he said, “because the thing you’re stretching is not the display.”
At the event, Lenovo called upon YouTube sensation Meghan McCarthy to showcase its future
bendable smartphone and tablet. McCarthy showcased a smartphone that doesn’t require to be kept in a pockets or bag, and can be simply worn on one’s wrist like a bracelet.
The CPlus is even more flexible. Its multiple joints let it curl up on itself through almost 360 degrees, creating a bracelet user can wear on their wrist. As you do, the screen’s app layout transitions into three sections. The top where the clock face would be on a wrist watch, shows weather, time, and notifications, the middle section has media player controls, and the bottom displays what looked to be an app launcher.
“It’s as floppy and flexible as a piece of paper,” Hortensius said, admitting that “they are not there yet in terms of reliability.” When pressed, he wouldn’t give a timeframe for when they might be commercially available.
Apart from bendable tablet and smartphone, Lenovo also showcased joined Smart Shoes based on the Intel Curie module and featuring wireless charging. Lenovo declares with Smart Shoes, users can play motion controlled games as well as track fitness data. The company adds that Smart Shoes sporting LED lights permits users to receive customized information and news based on their activity data pushed to their smartphone.
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