HP's Sprout is a 23" 1080p touchscreen all-in-one PC powered by a Core-i7 4790S and a GT 745A, fairly run of the mill as far as that form factor goes, but it also includes the so called HP Illuminator. That device is part of the stand and sits above the top of the screen, it has a DLP projector paired with an Intel RealSense 3D camera as well as a more traditional 14.6MP camera. The DLP projector is used to project a virtual workspace onto a 20-point capacitive touch mat placed in in front of the Sprout, not only increasing the area you have to work in but offering some unique interface options.
With the RealSense camera you can easily scan 3D objects and save them as .obj files which makes the partnership with Dremel make more sense, scan a real life object and then start printing it from their 3D printer, the Idea Creator. The touch mat will also work with the Adonit Jot Pro stylus included with the system for those who prefer to use one when creating and can also help with creating in so called blended reality. MAKE has a video of the device that will have you making 3D objects like you were a Dimac master named Barry. For our overseas readers, if you happen to have an HP store somewhere near you then you can pop in and try the Sprout to see if it is as impressive as it sounds.
"It’s a powerful concept, and today at MakerCon, HP’s Sprout division (a MakerCon and Maker Faire sponsor) announced a partnership with Dremel to help move toward a full-cycle approach. Dremel’s 3D printer, the thousand-dollar Idea Builder, was featured in Make:‘s 3D printing issue last year, and performed well."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Computer Chips Made of Wood Promise Greener Electronics @ Slashdot
- TSMC to beat Samsung in 10nm race @ DigiTimes
- Silicon rumour-mill says Avago's next acquisition target is Broadcom @ The Register
- Microsoft tosses Office, Skype portball to 20 Android makers @ The Register
- iPhone 7 release date, rumours, price and specs @ The Inquirer
- From Gates to FPGA’s – Part 1: Basic Logic @ Hack a Day
- Netgear Powerline 1200 @ HardwareHeaven
Acceptable CPU, but the
Acceptable CPU, but the discrete GPU needs to be better, and hopefully multi-adaptor in DX12 will help the graphics a little, hopefully this concept will stick around once AMD starts branding Zen based APUs with HBM for the Graphics/workstation market, and hopefully AMD will include an Affordable Zen APU Fire pro SKU, so home based consumers could benefit from the better graphics drivers.
AMD did have a budget Firepro APU, but that was for the overseas market. Hopefully the rumored full workstation/server grade APU, with HBM/Greenland graphics can be made into a professional grade SKU, with similar functionality. HP has something to offer with this design, they just need to offer a higher level SKU for professional users.