CALIFORNIA: The one of the biggest IT companies in US, HP, has unveiled the new and weird design of keyboard- and mouse-less PC, having a big touch pad, a projector and 3D cameras.
Called HP Sprout, it combines a 23-inch touchscreen display with an interactive touch mat – in place of a standard keyboard and mouse.
A projector on top of the monitor scans objects, and it can track a user’s hands when using a virtual keyboard below. The PC is available for pre-order online in the US, before being released in stores on November 9, and costs $1,899 (£1,180). More country release dates are yet to be announced.
The California-based firm calls the technology Blended Reality. The projector, dubbed the HP Illuminator, is fitted with Intel’s RealSense 3D technology, similar to Microsoft’s Kinect, and combines a 14.6MP camera, the projector itself, and an LED desk lamp.
This camera system means it is able to beam images on to the mat, but can also be used to scan physical objects. Once an object has been scanned, a virtual copy can be manipulated in 2D and 3D either on the touchscreen, or on the mat, using a stylus, or touchscreen controls such as pinch and swipe.
During the launch event, HP executives demonstrated how various items from pens and cups to figurines and pictures can be scanned, tacked onto existing images or video, edited then emailed or shared through social media.
And when a virtual keyboard is beamed onto the mat, the cameras can also track the location of fingers to plot what they type using its 20-point capacitive sensors. HP Sprout runs on Windows 8.1, is powered by Intel’s i7 processor and comes with 1TB storage.
