Lenovo Tech World: Intel, Microsoft Help Tell Tech Story

Lenovo Tech World is happening this week in Beijing, full of theatrics, CEOs and celebrities. Lenovo has pulled out all the stops for its inaugural event, bringing together the latest in new and upcoming technology with Chinese celebrities (none of whom I recognized).

Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing and CTO Peter Hortensius co-hosted the two-plus hour event, where the focus was mostly on additions to Lenovo’s consumer offerings, including a new Motorola smartphone and a smartwatch, a smartphone with a built-in projector. But it’s the technologies that had business applications that held my interest the most.

As promised, Intel (INTC) CEO Brian Kraznich and Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella each took to the stage to discuss collaborations with Lenovo that could have real implications in the business space. Kraznich was first, introducing Intel RealSense, a 3D sensing technology that can scan a person or thing to create a 3D image that can be printed out on a 3D printer or input into a computing environment such as a gaming (imagine putting yourself in the middle of Grand Theft Auto). What’s more, the technology understands senses and movements by sensing depth, allowing the user to manipulate computing devices with the wave of a hand. “You never have to touch a button again,” Kraznich said.

“We believe this is a platform for innovation,” he continued. “We believe the world is becoming smart and connected, and needs to work best with Intel inside. But it’s only through strong partnerships that we can realize this vision,” noting that Lenovo already has a number of devices with the RealSense technology incorporated.

Nadella, meanwhile, introduced a collaboration between Microsoft’s Cortana technology with Lenovo’s REACHit, to enable users to find any file on any device using natural language, along with HoloLens, a hologram technology that can mix digital representations with the real world.

“We are excited about the possibilities of holographic computing as a new medium,” Nadella said. “We believe it will have a profound impact on entertainment. But every industrial application built for HoloLens will change the way we perceive our reality.”

Lenovo Tech World is absolutely an event geared to consumers—specifically, Chinese consumers. But it offers a sneak peek into what’s coming. And if the future holds even half of what Lenovo had on display today, it’s going to be an interesting ride.