The 15 coolest gadgets at CES 2021
Just because CES 2021 has gone virtual doesn't mean there's a shortage of new tech to ogle. Here, we've rounded up some of the coolest gadgets shown so far.
Lenovo Unveils Enterprise-Focused ThinkReality A3 Smart Glasses at CES 2021
CES 2020 may have missed out on the pandemic thanks to its early January start but the 2021 event will no longer be the expansive tech show in Las Vegas, going digital like many others. Even so, tech companies are still revealing new hardware with Lenovo unveiling its ThinkReality A3 augmented reality (AR) glasses today.
An update to 2019’s ThinkReality A6 AR glasses, Lenovo’s new design offers a range of improvements over its predecessor – and not just a snazzier aesthetic. The ThinkReailty A3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform (previously Snapdragon 845), has dual fish-eye cameras for 6DoF tracking, comes in at under 130g (down from 380g), has stereoscopic 1080p displays, and an 8MP RGB camera for 1080p video.
Designed for companies looking to increase efficiency and lower downtimes as well as improve remote collaboration, Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 glasses can be tethered to a PC (PC Edition) when in the office or select Motorola smartphones (Industrial Edition) – which have a Snapdragon 800 series processor or better – via a USB-C cable when out and about. The device supports features including voice and gesture recognition for hands-free control.
“The A3 is a next generation augmented reality solution – light, powerful and versatile. The smart glasses are part of a comprehensive integrated digital solution from Lenovo that includes the advanced AR device, ThinkReality software, and Motorola mobile phones. Whether working in virtual spaces or supporting remote assistance, the ThinkReality A3 enhances workers’ abilities to do more wherever they are,” said Jon Pershke, Lenovo Vice President of Strategy and Emerging Business, Intelligent Device Group in a statement.
There’s been no indication of price at the moment but companies will be able to get hold of the Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses in select markets from the middle 2021.
2021 is likely to see a boom in wearable AR tech as companies continue to adjust to remote, socially distanced collaboration. Whilst enterprise use cases will dominate adoption, the consumer market isn’t being ignored with the likes of Nreal Light slowly becoming available through mobile network carriers. Plus Facebook and Ray-Ban’s smart glasses are expected this year.
For further AR updates from CES 2021, keep reading VRFocus.
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Lenovo to Sell Varjo’s Enterprise VR Headsets
Computing giant Lenovo may have been interested in consumer virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) in the past with devices like the Mirage Solo and Mirage AR but now its firmly focused on enterprise use cases. Today, the company has announced its become a reseller for Varjo‘s high-end, enterprise-class headsets.
Varjo’s latest range of headsets includes the mixed reality XR-1 and the new VR-2 & VR-2 Pro, with pricing starting from €4,995 EUR for the VR-2. They come with Varjo’s unique display design, the Bionic Display. It’s made up of two screens, a small 3000ppi display for fine, close up detail and a larger, lower-resolution ‘Context Screen’ to provide a wider field of view (FoV). While the VR-2 Pro features Ultraleap hand tracking.
Enterprise customers will now be able to purchase the headsets directly through Lenovo, either by contacting a local Lenovo representative or via the “Contact Us” link on Lenovo.com.
“Many existing VR offerings in the market today are enterprise versions of a consumer designed product,” said Mike Leach, solution portfolio lead, Lenovo in a statement. “However, Lenovo’s professional workstations and Varjo’s VR and XR headsets are specifically engineered to perform in the most sophisticated and demanding enterprise use cases. Our ability to offer customers a single point of purchase for certified workstations and VR/XR devices streamlines access to the tools needed for immersive workflows that are changing the way we work today.”
The announcement also adds more certified Lenovo workstations to the Varjo compatible catalogue for companies looking for a suitable pairing. These are:
Optimized to support the VR-2, VR-2 Pro and XR-1 devices:
- ThinkStation P520
- ThinkStation P720
- ThinkStation P920
Optimized to support the VR-2 and VR-2 Pro devices:
- ThinkPad P53
- ThinkPad P73
- ThinkPad P15
- ThinkPad P17
“One of the biggest obstacles in accelerating the usage and growth of professional VR/XR is getting all the right equipment sourced for an enterprise-grade set-up and ensuring compatibility between computers and headsets,” said Timo Toikkanen, CEO of Varjo. “With Lenovo becoming a Varjo reseller, we eliminate a lot of this complexity, making it even easier for customers to adopt VR/XR in the workplace for increased productivity and ROI.”
When it comes to Lenovo’s own XR solutions the company has partnered with Pico on the 3DoF Mirage VR S3 headset and its ThinkReality A6 AR device is primarily used for training and education solutions. For further updates from Lenovo, keep reading VRFocus.
Lenovo Targets Business Training With Mirage S3 Standalone VR Headset Priced Under $450
Lenovo is targeting its standalone 3dof headset the Mirage VR S3 toward training uses at businesses.
Facebook removed Oculus Go from its business program choosing instead to focus on its Oculus Quest for business targeting a $1,000 price with enterprise-level support. In the United States, the price for a Mirage VR S3 is “under $450” according to a Lenovo representative. It was built in cooperation with Pico Interactive. The headset is also included in Lenovo’s VR classroom effort as well.
The headset is a 3dof system like the Go which means the world feels locked to your head when you lean forward, backward, or to the side. While limiting in terms of interactivity, that sort of system is also easy to setup and use and has made inroads worldwide in some training applications. Its a nice fit, for example, for 360-degree video projects that might be used in a training program. The VR S3 is pitched as featuring integrated audio and “a 4K display for clearer visuals, hands-free control for utilization with or without the provided controller, and an easy to clean, hygienic face plate suitable for mass use,” according to Lenovo.
The system runs Lenovo’s ThinkReality software platform for distributing and managing applications on the headset. The commercial offering includes Lenovo’s Integrated Solutions Support service with access to a dedicated phone line for support with “proactive case management and escalation assistance.”
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 should be available in Q3 2020 in North America, China, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain.
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Lenovo and Pico’s Standalone Headset Mirage VR S3 Arrives Q3 2020
Lenovo has announced today that it’ll be stepping back into the field of standalone virtual reality (VR) with the Mirage VR S3. A collaboration with Pico Interactive, the new device is set to arrive later this year focused on the business market.
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 was originally revealed at the beginning of the year, alongside educational solution VR Classroom 2. Official unveiled during the VR/AR Global Summit Online Conference keynote, the headset looks very similar to Pico’s line of devices although it won’t compete with the latest Pico Neo 2 which has inside-out tracking.
A 3DoF VR headset which comes supplied with a controller, the Lenovo Mirage VR S3 features a 4K display, integrated audio and up to three hours of battery life. It’s supported by the Lenovo ThinkReality software platform, a cloud-agnostic solution for enterprise users to publish and manage applications for employees worldwide.
“VR helps achieve better, faster training at lower cost,” said Nathan Pettyjohn, Commercial AR/VR Lead, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo, in a statement. “Our enterprise customers are looking for solutions to build and enable more skilled and efficient global workforces. They are increasingly looking for cutting-edge solutions like VR and AR supported by ThinkReality’s flexible platform to scale applications enterprise-wide.”
Also embedded in the Lenovo Mirage VR S3 is Lenovo Integrated Solutions Support (LISS). A global end-to-end service program, expert technicians and engineers provide support via a dedicated phone line for quick access and a single point of contact to help resolve issues faster.
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 has been given a Q3 launch window for North America, China, Japan, United Kingdom, France, and Spain. An exact price for the headset hasn’t been given, with Lenovo saying it’ll be under $450 USD for North American customers.
By the time Lenovo launches the Mirage VR S3 companies looking for standalone VR solutions will have quite the selection to choose from. As mentioned, Pico recently launched its Neo 2 and Neo 2 Eye headsets, Oculus for Business officially arrived in May using Oculus Quest plus there’s the HTC Vive Focus Plus on the market.
As this area of the industry continues to grow, VRFocus will keep you updated.
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The Virtual Arena: Educators Learn Their VR
Out-of-Home entertainment, and Immersive Technology industry specialist Kevin Williams reports in his latest Virtual Arena column on the further growth in recognition that virtual reality VR is receiving from the Enterprise sector. Moving from entertainment, he now covers the major developments VR is having in shaping the future Education Technology scene.
The British Educational Training and Technology Show (BETT) was held last week at London’s ExCel exhibition convention centre – representing the leading trade event representing the Education Technology (EdTech) and training scene – drawing some 800 corporations to the event, that covered multiple halls of the London venue and attracted some 34,000 industry professionals. The latest trends including touchscreen, tablets, 3D Printing, programmable robotics and smart learning technology were presented.
This column previously covered the 2018 BETT show and how VR was immerging as a possible EdTech trend – but with BETT 2020 the event cemented this movement, with a vast array of new developments and applications for this technology, and growth of previous early adopters.
Yet again, the biggest presence of VR at the show was from Avantis – the company had powered into VR and was one of the first to offer educators a dedicated package. Proving successful with its ‘ClassVR’, comprising a 3DoF mobileVR headset, combined with its software package – Avantis was celebrating over 1 million students having used the company’s ClassVR platform to-date – with over 30,000 classrooms operating the system across some 60 countries. A system that took much of what had been achieved with mobileVR in 2016 and packaged it into a reliable and compelling solution for the education sector, becoming a world leader deserving much more recognition.
Another exhibitor that has grown its investment into VR since our 2018 coverage was Redbox VR – providing a versatile and robust solution for schools to be able to field VR for education. Redbox VR has also partnered with the leading providers of VR based educational content. Fielding not only its own mobileVR powered headset but also working with the latest developments including from Pico.
The Redbox VR platform supports content such as the 360’ educational virtual trips using the Richo Theta camera. And part of the RiVR Link (“classroom in a Box”) offering a turnkey VR solution, and Google Expeditions platforms. But also revealing its partnering with MEL Science, provider of the ‘MEL Chemistry VR’ educational experiences; the group proudly promoting winning the prestigious BETT Award for 2020 – “innovator of the year”, for their work in this field.
Some aspects of VR promotion had changes since our previous feature – Google though still heavily committed to the education sector had dropped its investment in VR headsets to focus on the content. As with the suspension of the Google Daydream VR system, no VR was represented on the corporations’ vast booth at BETT 2020, but the company was still fully committed to immersive education through their Google Expeditions platform – offering virtual field trips to students.
Likewise, the VR presentation on the Microsoft booth at the education show was muted – rather than the bewildering array of Windows MR headsets seen two years ago, the company promoted the virtual learning systems on only one provider, with the Samsung Odyssey on display giving an example of the education content. Along with seeing VR as a major educational tool, the corporation was also promoting the use of its videogame content as a teaching tool with ‘Minecraft Education Edition’ being played avidly on the stand. (“edutainment” a factor in the deployment of virtual education).
There was no visible presence from Acer, Asus or Dell VR headset at BETT this year – but there was still much interest in VR as an educational platform. Lenovo has a major presence at the EdTech event, promoting its computer and tablet technology in schools – but along with this the corporation as grown its VR education operation, announcing recently a significant investment with their ‘Lenovo VR Classroom’ kit that supports the Lenovo Mirage Solo headset (schools having access to plug-n-play VR setup). Lenovo was presenting its technology on the booth with the Oculus Rift S (developed in partnership with Oculus), the system running educational content using CAD designs. The VR Classroom 2 platform looking beyond just mobileVR towards the high end of PC VR.
Lenovo was also represented on other booths through the show, with Oculus Rift S headsets being put through their paces – these exhibitors chose to promote the application of VR through entertainment. The Unity booth showcased their educational content development – but also hoped to educate the educators towards what VR has to offer the future classroom, running on its booth an Oculus Rift S and Beat Saber. Another exhibitor using Beat Saber and the Oculus Rift S was Nutanix.
No official Oculus presence was at the education showcase – but the corporation has been increasing its investment in Enterprise, and education and scientific development is a major part of this new interest. Only one Oculus Quest was seen in operation at BETT, on the Konica Minolta booth, the education service provider running the Quest as an example of how virtual lessons could reshape education.
Another VR headset developer represented at BETT 2020 was HTC – residing on the Korean Pavilion at the show, the exhibitor VRANI promoted its ‘Kooring XR Coding Adventure’, a virtual experience created to help students in programming. The company brought examples of the virtual lesson running on the HTC Vive Cosmos, and the standalone HTC Vive Focus Pro headsets. The ‘Kooring XR Coding Camp’ offers innovative education through multiple users, employing “virtual textbooks”.
On the HP booth, working in partnership with Intel, the company brought examples of its new HP Reverb headset as well as its new backpack PC – offering a new and immersive education platform for schools and colleges. The ability to utilize this platform to navigate the virtual environment in free-roam a growing application in design as well as education (not to mention also in location-based entertainment (LBE)).
HP also partnered on their booth with Springboard VR – a specialist in VR content distribution and commercial licensing that also provides a ubiquitous content management platform for commercial deployment. The company may be more familiar to readers for their presence in the VR arcade scene – but recently has promoted investment in VR education content, offering a VR content and management platform for schools, museums and libraries, offering the latest licensed virtual educational content. The company showing its latest virtual lessons on the HP platform during BETT.
BETT 2020 had a much more international reach, and with that, the impact of VR from an international standpoint in EdTech was revealed. One such example was on The Norwegian Classroom booth at BETT which along with the promotion of advancements in the Norwegian education system, they were running demonstrations on the Lenovo headset – running the vreducation.no. This represented work by Norway University into utilizing VR to support mathematical assignments and offer a unique and compelling education tool.
The Sultanate of Oman – Ministry of Education was one of many that ran mobileVR headsets demonstrating the deployment in schools utilizing this innovative technology. Even the UK government represented VR in their marketing promotion for the hard work that the Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) did towards promoting the leading role that British developers have had in expanding this new area of EdTech.
Exhibitors from across the UK and the globe all included VR applications hoping to find homes in the education system, with companies such as Entab InfoTech, Apelab, and Medicus XR. The ability to create compelling and immersive content was demonstrated by Flyover Zone Productions, using a mixture of drone footage and 360’ immersion had created ‘Rome Reborn’ – “a virtual field trip to Ancient Rome”. Created as mobileVR content offered to schools as a virtual field trip to a historic landmark, it offers an experience for the students that brings their history books to life.
One of the many interesting exhibitors at BETT was a Chinese developer of a simple and effective Eyesight and Colour Blindness testing system. The company selling their units to be used in schools and hospitals, the simple test allows for the sight of both eyes to be tested in a quick and easy examination that supplies at the end a printed receipt, able to detect issues at a young age, quickly and effectively. With the deployment of so much virtual display technology, this kind of system seems a very sensible precaution.
And finally, following on from our 2018 coverage, another speculation that immersive projected environments (representing another aspect of the virtual reality scene) would become a growing aspect of the education sector was proven by a plethora of new systems. Examples included several surface and floor projection system – as well as the use of motion-tracked projection walls for digital sports.
In conclusion, it’s only the beginning of the year and already we have seen at CES, EAG and now BETT – enterprise applications of VR are at the forefront of sold investment. The direction of the virtual reality community has migrated from the niche of the consumer PC hyperbole and has started the long and productive lifecycle of achieving its true potential. Regarding its deployment in EdTech, the 2020 education sector seems to be working hard to find the best way to deploy this new tool in educating the future workforce.
Lenovo & Pico’s Standalone ‘VR S3’ Headset for Enterprise to Launch in Q3 2020
Lenovo today announced its next standalone headset, the Lenovo Mirage VR S3, is set to release sometime in Q3 in select countries. Built in conjunction with Pico Interactive, the headset is targeting education and enterprise customers.
Update (June 1st, 2020): Originally thought to be called the Lenovo VR Classroom 2, the company today announced that its next standalone headset, Lenovo Mirage VR S3, is set to ship to enterprise customers sometime in Q3 of this year.
Starting at “under $450,” the 3DOF standalone will be first available in North America, China, Japan, the UK, France, and Spain. The original article, now including name correction, follows below:
Original Article (January 21, 2020): With the so-called Lenovo VR Classroom 2 Lenovo Mirage VR S3, the company is offering up a complete package to educators, which includes hardware, content, device management, training, and support—all of it intended for middle and high school students.
The company says in its education-focused site that the headset will help teachers and administrators “easily integrate virtual reality lessons and field trips into their curriculum, leading to inspiration and meaningful learning outcomes.”
As for the hardware itself, Lenovo seems to be going a bit retro in the tracking department, as both the headset and single controller are 3DOF, which not only will keep students sitting at their desks due to the lack of room-scale tracking, but will also likely lower the overall cost of the hardware.
Lenovo says it will include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 running an Android-based OS, 1,920 × 2,160 per lens resolution display clocked at 75Hz, and an integrated 4,200 mAh battery charged via USB type-C. The field of view is said to be 110-degrees, which is more or less standard at this point; overall it basically sounds like a slightly beefier Oculus Go.
According to a press release, Lenovo VR Classroom 2 Lenovo Mirage VR S3 will launch sometime in Spring 2020.
Deflated Daydream ambitions notwithstanding, the Chinese tech giant is garnering itself a name in VR/AR product design and manufacturing. It recently partnered with Facebook to create Oculus Rift S, the inside-out tracked hardware refresh of the company’s PC VR headset, unveiled a new prototype AR headset for business travelers, and partnered with Finnish headset creator Varjo to certify a line of Lenovo workstations for Varjo’s super high-resolution commercial VR headsets.
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Lenovo Files Standalone Headset With US Regulator, Details Suggest Low Cost
Consumer electronics giant Lenovo just filed documents for a standalone headset with the FCC. The FCC is a US regulatory agency with responsibility over wireless frequency use.
Lenovo’s Fourth VR Headset
This wouldn’t be Lenovo’s first standalone headset. Back in 2018 the company partnered with Google to deliver the Mirage Solo, which launched during the same week as Facebook’s Oculus Go. The headset featured positional tracking, but the controller (like Go’s) was only 3DoF, acting as a laser pointer.
By all accounts the Mirage Solo did not sell large volumes on the market. This is likely due to the fact that it was twice the price of the Oculus Go while not providing the 6DoF tracked controllers of PC VR and Oculus Quest or any ports of major PC VR titles.
For PC VR, in 2017 Lenovo released a low cost PC VR headset based on Microsoft’s Windows MR reference design, which interfaces with the Windows MR platform. Last year, Facebook released the Oculus Rift S PC VR headset, which is built by Lenovo.
Low End Hardware?
Since the FCC is responsible (in this context) for regulating wireless emissions, the filings reveal which WiFi and Bluetooth frequencies the device supports.
The document states that the device uses 802.11n (WiFi 4), but doesn’t list 802.11ac (WiFi 5). It also doesn’t show as having Bluetooth LE (Low Energy). Oculus Quest supports both WiFi 5 and Bluetooth LE, according to its filing.
This may indicate it is a low end device, making significant tradeoffs to optimize for cost. Oculus Go, Facebook’s low end headset recently reduced to $150, also does not support Bluetooth LE.
But What Platform?
Hardware is only one aspect of a VR product. The hardware needs to run a software platform and have access to a store filled with content to be appealing to consumers. On PC, any manufacturer’s headset can interface with Valve’s SteamVR, but there is no such platform openly available for standalone headsets.
So what platform will this headset actually run? We don’t know yet, but we can speculate based on what we know about the standalone VR market.
Google Daydream
The Mirage Solo ran Google’s Daydream VR platform, which is based on Android. But Google no longer updates the Daydream platform and stopped sales of its Daydream viewer for Pixel phones, and the newest Pixels don’t even support it. Additionally, the company removed Google Play Movies & TV from the Daydream store. Virtual reality hasn’t even been mentioned at Google’s I/O conference for years now.
It is possible, however, that the success of Oculus Quest renewed Google’s interest in VR and that it partnered with Lenovo to launch a competitor.
Another Possibility: HTC Viveport M
In China, HTC offers its Vive Focus and Vive Focus Plus headsets to consumers, running the Viveport M store powered by the Vive Wave SDK and platform. This platform is also offered to other manufacturers within China.
It is possible HTC is planning to bring this platform to the west. But doing so would require the company to invest significantly in content to compete with the Oculus Quest’s library, and it is unclear whether HTC has the resources for this.
What About Facebook’s Oculus?
This headset could also be an expansion of Lenovo’s VR partnership with Facebook. The Oculus Quest store is filled with popular VR titles like Beat Saber, Job Simulator, Superhot VR, Vader Immortal, VRChat, Rec Room, and many more.
Even at $400 the Quest is out of reach for many consumers. Lenovo’s specialty is in building low cost hardware, so it is possible the company could be offering a more affordable alternative to Quest.
It is also possible that this is intended to replace Oculus Go as a media viewer, given the lack of WiFi 5 and Bluetooth LE in the listing.
None Of The Above?
Of course, it is also entirely possible that Lenovo’s new headset will be targeted at enterprise rather than consumers, in which case it would just need core system software and an SDK for businesses to integrate with their custom software.
Furthermore, it could be a totally new VR platform that is yet to be officially announced.
We’ll keep a close eye on Lenovo in the coming weeks and months to bring you any new information as to what this headset actually is.
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