Lenovo and Google reveal the first consumer Project Tango device is coming this summer

At CES today, Google and Lenovo announced a partnership to bring the first consumer Project Tango device to the market. The Lenovo-made smartphone will be the first Project Tango offering that consumers will have the chance to try. Google touts that Project Tango transforms your smartphone into “a magic lens that lets you place digital information on your physical world.”

Lenovo’s Project Tango smartphone is set to launch this summer for under $500, although specific availability and pricing details remain unclear. Specs of the device are also unknown at this point, with Lenovo and Google simply stating that the screen will be “less than 6.5-inches big.”

For those unfamiliar, Project Tango was introduced almost two years ago and allows devices to use real-time mapping technology paired with a complex setup of cameras and sensors to map the 3D space around users in real time.

On stage during tonight’s CES press event, Lenovo and Google showed off several use cases for Tango. For instance, the companies showed how they could instantly map out the stage and reconfigure it with furniture such as a couch and a refrigerator.

Additionally, Google is inviting developers to create apps that take advantage of Project Tango. Developers can pitch their idea for a Project Tango app to Google, and if selected, their app will be included on the Lenovo smartphone when it ships.

Lenovo’s Project Tango device will be available this summer for under $500. We’ve got more info from tonight’s Project Tango event coming soon, so stay tuned.