Verizon will sell the Asus Zenfone AR Tango-infused smartphone

Asus unveiled the Zenfone AR back at CES in January, and we're still waiting for it to become available. That will happen at some point this summer. But here's a nice surprise: when it lands, you'll be able to pick up a Zenfone AR from Verizon too, aside from Asus and third party retailers.

This is the first time that a US carrier will be selling a smartphone that's infused with Google's Tango augmented reality (AR) technology. That said, the Zenfone AR is only the second such device in existence - the first being the Lenovo Phab2 Pro from last year. However, that model was much bigger, and with its 6.4" touchscreen probably wouldn't have appealed to mass market Verizon customers at all. Oh, and the Zenfone AR has another trick up its sleeve compared to the Phab2 Pro - it supports both Tango and Daydream, Google's VR platform.

The information regarding Verizon's plans for the Zenfone AR comes from Google IO's VR and AR focused keynote today, during which Johnny Lee, Google's program lead for Tango, delivered the news. Unfortunately pricing details have not been revealed yet - expect Verizon and/or Asus to come out with those in the next few weeks.

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