Lenovo Announces New Laptop That Can Scan Your Face
Lenovo recently announced two new laptops that have a mid-range price along with an interesting new ability. The Lenovo Z51 is a 15 inch laptop that offers an optional upgrade on its camera to an Intel RealSense HD model. The RealSense camera uses three lenses, a camera lens, an infrared lens and an infrared laser to measure depth. This means that people can scan objects for 3D printing and use gestures to control the device. Even though the camera costs an extra $100 the free upgrade to Windows 10 will allow them to log in using a scan of their face as a password.
The other laptop is the Z41 which is a 14 inch version of the Z51 and doesn’t offer an upgrade to RealSense. The two laptops are unremarkable in the rest of their features. The Z51 starts at $599 including the face scanning camera and has 8GB of RAM and an i5 processor, while each of the computers can have up to 1TB of storage and a 5th generation Intel i7 processor if you’re willing to pay a bit more. Lenovo have published the lowest starting prices but the highest specifications, making it difficult to garner how much value for money there will be at the lower end of the specifications scale.
Lenovo also announced other products such as the new ThinkPad 10 tablet which runs Windows 10 and has up to 128GB of storage. Keyboard accessories will also be available for the tablet, starting at $110. In addition, the company has unveiled some of its research projects at Techworld in Beijing. These include smart trainer shoes, a smartphone kitted with a laser projector and a dual-screen smartwatch.
Lenovo’s new smartphone concept is called Smart Cast and it features a laser projector and infrared motion detector, which enable a user to project a virtual touchscreen or keyboard onto a table to help them type. The Smart Cast will allow people to play games using gestures, video chat while projecting other content and project movies onto walls.
The Magic View smartwatch has been called the first with two screens. The second screen allows for a 3D effect by using optical reflection to show a virtual image which is 20 times bigger than the watch face and is positioned below it. A viewfinder below the watch face allows the image to be seen and it changes as the watch is turned from side to side which creates the 3D effect. The CEO of Lenovo, Yang Yuanqing, has said that the second screen is able to transform the small screen size of watches, bringing a touch of virtual reality to them. 120 patent applications have been submitted in reference to the Magic View watch and Lenovo is working with technical partners to help develop the technology. It is also designing a silicon chip that will allow the components to be miniature without any dip in performance. Lenovo hopes for the Smart Cast and Magic View to go on sale in the future and it is working towards user trials which will start soon.
Finally, the concept smart trainers designed by Lenovo can track and analyse fitness, provide maps and directions as well as display the wearer’s mood via built in screens on the shoes. The shoes form part of Lenovo’s plans to integrate its products with the Internet of Things. Lenovo created ShenQi last year, a separate company that provides connected products for the smart home. ShenQi itself unveiled interesting new product as TechWorld. These include thin power banks, a tiny outdoor sound box, 3D printers that are capable of printing food and intricate objects, and a wi-fi home control center.
The RealSense camera available in Lenovo’s Z51 laptop will help users to use biometric information as a password, ensuring their data is kept secure and providing log in details that no one could replicate. In addition, the new concepts announced by the company will allow it to develop interesting new products that will build on the capabilities seen in gadgets today. Plus, the ShenQi brand will make sure it is at the forefront of the Internet of Things, once connected devices start to be introduced to homes on a large scale.
