Google partnering with LG to bring Project Tango to the masses

Imagine what you could do with a tablet that uses a myriad of sensors and cameras to plot exactly where you are in a 3D map of your environment. Every person and object around you becomes fair game for assets in an augmented reality role playing game. You could try on clothes or redesign your living room from the comfort of your own home. Landscape your lawn before ever going to a nursery. The possibilities are endless. And thanks to a partnership between Google’s ATAP team and LG, next year they’re coming to a store near you.

When Google sold off Motorola, they kept a special group operating within the company whose focus is on building and shipping epic, next generation technology. Advanced Tech and Projects, or ATAP, is the group responsible for Project Tango. For those of you not familiar, Project Tango centers around using the combination of custom software built atop Android and custom built hardware that specializes in generating real-time 3D maps of the world around you. Right now, Project Tango tablets are available to certain developers willing to shell out a little over $1,000, but that will be changing by next year.

Today at Google I/O, ATAP announced that they are partnering with LG to release a consumer facing Project Tango tablet next year. After two Nexus and one Google Play edition device releases, it’s clear that Google has a strong relationship with LG. A Project Tango tablet seems like something Google would be keen on manufacturing itself, but by partnering with LG prices will be kept down and we should see improved availability. There wasn’t any preliminary pricing or exact availability information given, but at the pace ATAP is moving, it may just be sooner than later.

source: androidandme