Lenovo watchers expected the company to announce a number of new laptops when CES rolled around, but the company surprised on Tuesday when it also unveiled new products aimed at the home technology market.
"The Smart Assistant and Smart Storage line probably caught everyone off guard," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.
Lenovo developed its Smart Assistant with Amazon. Like Amazon's Echo, the Lenovo assistant uses the Alexa cloud-based voice services to respond to a user's spoken commands. It can do such things as conduct Web searches, play music, create lists and provide calendar updates.
Pricing for the Smart Assistant starts at US$129.99; the Harmon Kardon edition starts at $179.99. The units are offered in three colors: light gray, green or orange. They are scheduled to go on sale in May.
Lenovo also raised the curtain on a new controller, the Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller. The palm-sized wireless keyboard of the unit acts as both a keyboard and Windows 10 gesture-supported touchpad.
The unit is designed for convenience. Every key is within a thumb's reach, and the controller's wireless range is 65.6 feet, more than double the range (32.8 feet) of conventional wireless remotes.
Scheduled for sale in March, the 500 Multimedia Controller is priced at $54.99.
Smart Storage
Lenovo announced a new network storage device, Lenovo Smart Storage, that offers 6 terabytes of disk space. It supports dual-band wireless access and multidevice synchronization, as well as built-in facial recognition software for managing photos by faces.
Lenovo Smart Storage will sell for $139.99 when it becomes available in May.
The company announced the immediate availability of its Phab 2 Pro smartphone ($499.99).]
The Phab 2 Pro supports Tango, a technology for running virtual and augmented reality applications. For example, an app called "Measure," which is included in the Phab 2, allows users to measure interiors and real world objects.
"More than any other PC company, Lenovo has aggressively tested the waters for new categories and accessories," observed Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research.
"Clearly, more immediate revenue will come from its upgraded laptop lineup," he told TechNewsWorld. "However, it is showcasing products that take on AR, VR and smart home."
Beneficial Partnering
Teaming up with Amazon on the Smart Assistant is a good move on Lenovo's part, since the device has the highest volume opportunity of all the products in the new categories, said Rubin.
"Since it was developed with Amazon, we can bet on Amazon.com featuring it pretty prominently, helping with distribution," he added. "That's been a weak point for many of the company's previous product category explorations."
Although the companies collaborated on Smart Assistant, Lenovo may have made a device that outshines its partner's.
"With the Harmon Kardon Smart Assistant, it appears they are offering a better product than Amazon's Echo," Moor Insights' Moorhead told TechNewsWorld -- "which is ironic, because it uses Alexa from Amazon."
