Australian David Roman the worldwide head of Marketing at Lenovo kicked off Lenovo’s big reveal at IFA 2017 in some warehouse kilometers out from the centre of Berlin, the event had it all including Star Wars notebooks, Disney VR and an unbreakable glass Moto Z4.
The Chinese Company stuck to the basics with a multitude of new devices that included three new computers, a Windows Mixed Reality headset, a smart speaker and even an augmented reality Star Wars experience, complete with an AR headset, a lightsaber controller and a tracking beacon.
It left the offerings from the likes of ASUS and Dell looking downright boring.
In the notebook category Lenovo rolled out the Yoga 920 which is Lenovo’s new 8Gen flagship consumer 2-in-1, featuring Intel’s 8th generation quad-core i7 processor, a nearly bezel-less 13.9-inch 4K IPS touchscreen display, Cortana support (and far-field microphones) and pen capability. With its watchband hinge, it can easily flip from tablet to laptop.
Then there was the compact version of Lenovo’s affordable 2-in-1, the 12-inch Yoga 720 features a 7th generation Intel Core processor, up to 8GB of RAM, up to 512GB of SSD storage, Full HD touchscreen display and runs on Windows 10. It also supports a pen and has a fingerprint sensor.
Up next is the Miix 520, which is more of a tablet with a detachable keyboard. The latest in the Miix line, the Miix 520 features an 8th generation Intel i5 processor, 12.2-inch Full HD touchscreen display, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and includes a keyboard and pen standard in the box.
With the WorldView camera, you can capture images of object in the real world and edit them in 3D on the Miix 520. Along with virtually everything else on this list, Lenovo plans to launch the Miix 520 in October.
Lenovo Explorer
The new Lenovo Explorer headset for Windows Mixed Reality is an affordable head-mounted display that will be compatible with a wide range of PCs, will track users in an area of up to 3.5 x 3.5 meters (without an external sensor) and will serve as both a productivity and an entertainment tool. Lenovo will launch the Explorer headset in Australia next month, pricing is expected to be around $499.
Lenovo Home Assistant Pack
Not to be outdone by Amazon, Google and Apple, Lenovo introduced its own smart speaker on Thursday. Unlike the Echo or the Google Home, the Home Assistant turns any of Lenovo’s Tab 4 tablets — Tab 4 8, Tab 4 10, Tab 4 8 Plus and Tab 4 10 Plus — into a voice activated assistant with a display. Once the Alexa-powered device is attached to your tablet and you’ve installed the Home Assistant app, you can use your voice to get the news, check the weather or play music. With its three-watt speaker, the Home Assistant will turn your Tab 4 into a decent sound system as well.
Star Wars: Jedi Challenges
Last (but certainly not least), we have the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges experience.
Easily the most surprising of Lenovo’s announcements, Star Wars: Jedi Challenges is a package that includes the smartphone-powered Lenovo Mirage AR headset, a lightsaber controller and a tracking beacon.
Once the player slides their phone into the headset, the lightsaber will pair with the headset and the player will be able to use it as a controller and a pointer to navigate the UI of the app and interact with the games, which includes lightsaber battles and Holochess. Jedi Challenges will be available in Australia before Xmas according to local Marketing Director Nick Reynolds.
