Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 brings augmented reality to the workplace

The jury is still out on whether or not smart glasses are going to be a new trend in tech. Google kind of failed with its Google Glasses, but one could argue that maybe the world just wasn’t ready for such technology back then, but could we be ready now? That’s a gamble that Lenovo is looking to make.

The company has announced a new device in the form of the Lenovo ThinkReality A3, a pair of augmented reality (AR) based smart glasses that they claim has been designed for enterprise users in mind. Unlike the Google Glass, which did not require a physical tether, the ThinkReality A3 will need to be tethered to either a computer or a Motorola smartphone via USB-C.

This means that the glasses are more or less a display where the processing will be mostly done on a computer or smartphone. According to Lenovo, through the use of AR, users will be able to create virtual monitors which means that you can expand the number of screens you see at once, even if you’re working on a single-screen computer.

This will help users boost productivity, at least in theory, as they’ll be able to see multiple items on their screens at once, whether it be emails, multiple applications, and so on. It will also aid privacy because only you, the user, can see what’s being displayed and that people walking around you won’t, so it could actually be useful if you’re out in public.

The ThinkReality A3 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 chipset and will sport an 8MP RGB camera, and dual fish-eye cameras to help with room-scale tracking. There is no word on pricing, but it is expected to be available mid-2021.