The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is not a phone for those with small hands or tight trousers. Rather, it's a 6.4-inch slab of a device that feels more like a small tablet with phone capabilities rather than a large smartphone in the mould of the Huawei Mate 9 or iPhone 7 Plus.
Size matters, however it isn’t everything, as the Phab 2 Pro is also the first device to run Google’s Tango augmented reality (AR) software, enabling you to do funky things like measure furniture with its camera, and make your nightmares come true by putting virtual velociraptors in your living room.
The Phab 2 Pro certainly doesn’t let its size go to waste. Its 2K IPS display offers a high-pixel density and pleasingly deep colours, making movie trailers, rugby highlights and everything in between look great. Its size also makes it great for general web-browsing and reading text, with considerably less squinting than smaller rivals.
The trade-off inevitably comes with form factor. Its solidly designed (but very heavy) body works fine when held and used as a small tablet, but its sheer size makes it a clunky smartphone. Particularly awkward is the low placement of the rear fingerprint reader, squeezed in below a 16MP camera, fish-eye lens and infrared depth sensor.
Those last two hardware features are part of Google's Tango AR experience, allowing you to run a small but growing number of AR apps available via Google Play. Tango is still in its earliest iterations though, meaning that while some of the apps are quite fun, it falls well short of being a "must-have" feature for all but the earliest adopters.
At Dh1,999, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is good value for money for those looking for a larger – scratch that, enormous – smartphone that gives small tablet functionality, or vice versa.
The addition of Tango is likely to appeal only to early adopters, and those looking for a compact smartphone should look elsewhere.
For those who believe that big is better however, it’s a very worthwhile purchase.
q&a reality, but not as we know it
John Everington explains some of the technicalities associated with Lenovo’s new Phab Pro 2:
Tell me more about Tango. Does it have anything to do with the popular British soft drink?
Tango is an augmented reality platform that has been in development by Google for several years, that uses motion-tracking, area learning and depth perception. As far as I know, it has nothing to do with the popular fizzy orange drink.
And remind me what augmented reality is and what it’s used for?
Live Science defines augmented reality as “using technology to superimpose information on the world we see.” Once a techie curio, AR exploded into the mainstream last year with Pokemon Go, providing the technology to make Pikachus appear in your office car park.
Ah, Pokemon Go, now I’m with you. So what Tango apps are available today?
They are few and far between, especially in the UAE. Google Measure lets you measure any physical object in front of Phab Pro 2’s camera with a couple of clicks, while Dinosaurs Among Us lets you create virtual dinosaurs (including velociraptors) to run around your home. Domino World, meanwhile, lets you create virtual domino courses on any flat surface.
Is the Phab Pro 2 the only Tango device available right now?
Google produced an early tablet and smartphone for developers to play around with, but the Phab Pro 2 is the only consumer device available for the moment. Asus’s Zenfone AR, unveiled at CES in January, also runs Tango, but hasn’t been commercially released at the time of writing.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
