Google's Project Tango AR-phone Lenovo Phab 2 Pro launch pushed to November

Google's commercial Project Tango AR (Augmented Reality)-phone Phab 2 Pro, which has already missed the release deadline twice, will be delayed further by a month, says the company.

The Phab 2 Pro was originally unveiled in June at Lenovo Tech World 2016 event in San Francisco in June. It was supposed to go on sale in August, but it was postponed to late September. Now, it is expected to hit stores in November, reported CNET, citing Clay Bavor, head of VR, Google, who was present at the launch of the Pixel phone series.

It costs $499 and interested consumers can log in to Lenovo's official e-store website and register for the device.

What is special about Lenovo Phab 2 Pro?

For those unaware, Phab 2 Pro is the world's first smartphone to include Tango—an advance mobile technology from Google that enables augmented reality (AR) gaming and utilities.

It took more than three years for the developer team to turn Project Tango into reality. Google's pet smartphone project is the brainchild of ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects), a division of Motorola Mobility that has now been acquired by Lenovo. Since the inception in 2012, it has been tested in numerous real-life applications, specifically 3D-based GPS navigation system and augmented reality gaming.

On the social front, it will be a boon to visually impaired people, as it can be used to give accurate navigation guidance when blind people find themselves in an uncharted place or a building premise. For instance, while shopping for groceries, the smartphone can take you directly to the shelf containing the product you are looking for.

As far as gaming is concerned, users will be able to play character games using their own house as the gaming arena.

Other applications include mapping and navigation in underground tunnels especially during exploring uncharted caves as well as sunken ships under water.