Apple’s new iMac with 5K retina display might be one of the
best AIOs to get these holiday season due to its incredible display but it’s
not the only product that could make waves in the market in the coming weeks.
HP’s new Sprout PC is also launching next month, and unlike the one from Apple,
the Sprout is trying to capture consumer interest in an entirely different
manner.
Instead of trying to compete with power and resolution, HP
is placing its bets on innovation. For starters, the Sprout has what it calls
an Illuminator consisting of a DLP projector and a depth sensing 14.6MP camera
with Intel’s RealSense capturing technology.
With the projector, the machine can beam images into a flat
surface with the help of a special accessory to act as a second screen allowing
users to interact with the computer’s interface using their hands. At the same time,
consumers can scan real objects by simple placing them under the camera and digitize
them for use on special projects.
The 20-inch Touch Mat features a 20-point-touch enabled
surface that works pretty much like a capacitive touchscreen but has an
ultra-resistant top coating. HP has also created special software to work for
the Sprout’s unique interface which mainly consists of swipes and gestures.
Looking at the rest of the Sprout’s specs, it does have an
Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GT745A with 2GB DDR3 dedicated memory,
a 23-inch Full HD LCD display with 10-point mult-touch, 8GB of RAM, 1TB Solid
State Hybrid Drive with flash acceleration, a 1MP webcam and Bluetooth v4.0.
The HP Sprout will go on sale next month for $1899 but is
now available for pre-order on the company’s website.
