We’ve still got no idea when you’ll be able to buy a smartphone with Google’s 3D-sensing Project Tango technology inside, but here’s a spot of good news: Intel is contributing its own 3D camera tech to Google to help make it a reality.
Even though Intel has its own competing depth-sensing camera technology, Intel RealSense, the two companies have collaborated to create the smartphone you see above, which Intel flashed briefly on stage today during the company’s Intel Developer Conference. Mind you, this isn’t a smartphone you’re likely to be able to buy, probably just a reference design that smartphone manufacturers can use to create their own devices in future, but it means that phones that can track your location indoors, map out rooms in real time, and play augmented reality games are that much closer.
The Intel/Google phone maps out a room.
Plus, if you’re keeping score, that means that big chipmakers Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Intel have all contributing support to Google’s idea. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer before we can spend some quality time with the technology.