Lenovo unveils new cloud devices at tech conference

Multinational giant Lenovo shows off new smartphones for 'connected computing'

Multinational tech giant Lenovo unveiled two new lines of products on Thursday at Tech World 2016 in San Francisco - the Phab 2 Pro, the world's first consumer Tango-enabled smartphone in partnership with Google; and the Moto Z family, with Moto Mods, that turns a smartphone into a multifunctional device.

Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing, joined by industry leaders, fans, media and analysts, gave a Silicon Valley-style keynote speech at the packed Mosonic Auditorium. He shared the company's vision on innovation and tech transformation, including IoT and smart connectivity, the power of big data and unique user experiences, and vowed to provide customers "innovative and revolutionary" products as the leading traditional PC maker.

Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing holds up the new Phab 2 Pro phone during his keynote address at Tech World 2016 on Thursday, in San Francisco. AP

Yang spoke of Lenovo's three pillars of future technology: device innovation, device-plus-cloud connectivity and infrastructure. While Lenovo has a strong heritage of device innovation and retains its leadership in the traditional PC market, the rapidly changing landscape means entirely new concepts and categories in cloud and connectivity are emerging.

"The power of connectivity is transforming the PC from personal computing to CC - connected computing," said Yang. "We're helping lead this transformation by combining our expertise in hardware innovation with the critical back-end cloud platform to help devices listen, see, sense and understand the world."

Through building flexible, reliable and safe infrastructure, Lenovo will deliver the next generation of technology advancements, Yang said.

Launching products like the Phab 2 Pro and Moto's new Z Series smartphones in the heart of Silicon Valley shows "we're committed to this strategic technology direction", Yang said.

Lenovo is struggling with a slowing Chinese market and dwindling market share in North America. Total net loss for the company's fiscal second quarter was $714 million. Industry insiders believed it would use the tech conference this year to "show its muscles" in the smart devices sector and rejuvenate its smartphone business.

In October 2014, Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.91 billion and positioned itself as the world's third-largest maker of smartphones.

Calling Moto Z the world's thinnest premium smartphone and a "game-changing product", Yang and his team showcased the metal design, low-light camera, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor and Moto TurboPower charging. Adding the benefits of a shatterproof shield and 15-hour battery life, Moto Z Force is exclusively for the US market with a display guaranteed not to crack.

"Lenovo's newest generation of PCs paired with Intel's latest processors are becoming more powerful, versatile and mobile - and delivering amazing new experiences," said Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO, when he used the Lenovo Y900 based on the 6th generation Intel CoreTM i7 processor with Oculus Virtual Reality to demonstrate how people can be completely immersed in the virtual world of a gaming experience.

"With our continued innovation together, Intel and Lenovo are elevating virtual reality and making e-sports more personal, immersive and engaging," he added.

To encourage hardware innovation, the Lenovo Capital Fund has set aside $1 million for individuals or companies that create the best Moto Mods prototype through the Moto Mods platform by March 31, 2017.

"These devices that are as mobile and flexible in design as their users require a higher level of seamless connectivity," said Yang - no matter whether "you are at work, at home, or on the go".

The Phab2 Pro will be available globally for $499 in September. Lenovo also announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force are coming this summer in the US.

junechang@chinadailyusa.com