HP's new Sprout Windows 8.1 PC packs an overhead projector and touch mat

By John Callaham
published

As previously rumored, HP has officially revealed its new, and highly ambitious, Windows 8.1 all-in-one PC called the Sprout. It has a number of stand out hardware features, including an overhead projector and a "touch mat" that HP says will offer users very different ways to interact with their PC.

The Sprout's touch mat takes the place of the traditional mouse and keyboard. Its projector can place a virtual keyboard on the capacitive touch panel so users can interact with the PC and its applications. The Sprout also has a 3D scanner and a 14.6-megapixel camera with its 23-inch touchscreen design. Here are the quick bullet points for the PC:

  • Dual-screen Experience: A workspace designed for creative expression and human interaction with an integrated vertical HD touch screen coupled with a 20 point capacitive touch mat.
  • The Sprout Illuminator: A projection system that scans and captures real-world objects in 3D, allowing the user to immediately interact and create.
  • HP Workspace: A software platform built expressly for Sprout to take full advantage of the dual-screen experience to make working and creating seamless, intuitive and engaging.
  • True Remote Collaboration: The way collaboration should be. An interface that advances how users work, collaborate and share, with simultaneous visual and workspace connectivity, allowing concurrent creativity and content manipulation.
  • Advanced Platform: A next-generation computing platform featuring a powerful 4th generation Intel i7 Processor, 1TB of storage in an easy-to-use dual-screen interface, and a Windows 8.1 multi-touch experience.

HP says a number of Windows applications are being developed specifically for the Sprout, which it says will enable its owners to "easily capture physical objects, manipulate them in a digital environment, and collaborate and share their creations in new ways."

The HP Sprout is scheduled to start shipping on November 7 for the price of $1899.99. Pre-orders are being taken now and the general public will be able to check out the Sprout this weekend at select Best Buy and Microsoft Store locations in the US. What applications do you want to see made for the Sprout?

Source: HP (opens in new tab)

John Callaham
John Callaham
65 Comments
  • 'Sprout'...what an awful name for a computing product!
    The actual concept is interesting - but having experienced HP product support, I wouldn't really expect this to evolve into something exceptional...
    Still, at least they are trying to be different unlike most of the other Windows OEM's
  • Lol agreed
  • The only bad things are it's name and price...
  • seems nutritious
  • This right here...!
  • I said to myself what's wrong? Then it's name
  • Maybe their support will get better since the consumer and business branch are their own business
  • Wow! But the price...
  • A bit pricey...
  • Looks very interesting for creative people and businesses, but why is that screen limited to Full HD? At least, it's delivered with a real keyboard and a mouse.
  • Do you want a $4000 computer?
  • No, but a QHD display would have been nicer and not much more expensive.
  • If Apple can deliver an iMac with a 5K screen for $2400, then surely HP can build a plastic computer with at least 2560x1440 for the same price. 
  • Wow, this looks pretty good.
  • Aside from the name... This is pretty damn innovative. If I had disposable income I'd love to play around with one as a family computer or something!
  • Dafuq is dis?
  • Bellsprout
  • Where is Steelix?
  • An attempt to make Brussels Sprouts cool with the hipsters.
  • But can the virtual keyboard provide the right amount of feedback?? So which part of the mat will act as the mouse??
  • As others have mentioned... Despite the name being the worst named product in tech history, this redefines the all-in-one and I might have to pick one up.
  • I like the concept. While I don't see this to be the classical consumer device, design oriented businesses should have plenty of use cases. Scanning an object in 3D and then potentially altering it on the screen would be a nice way to speed up product redesign. Now pair that with a 3D printer which can then create a prototype and you should have a winner.
  • off topic but Microsoft showed their advt for lumia here in india and its pretty good one.
  • You people always have to mention India in every article one way or another.
  • What's ur problem?
  • My heart nearly stopped looking at the price... Gadzooks!!! One would assume the actual display supports capacitive touch, then? Given the price? Wasn't entirely clear in the article, they mostly talked about touch input with the special mat.
  • Watch the video
  • Thats cheaper compared to the next gen perceptive pixel devices
  • True. The 3D scanner seems cool too.
  • Seems organic!
  • Who signs off on such a name?
  • Willied or Sprout lol
  • Hey now! :P
  • Well, I have to say it looks interesting
  • Yeah, this thing is gonna fail.
  • So, how are your hands NOT in the way of the projected keyboard?
  • That's not a keyboard projector. That's the 3-camera system with the projector.
  • where does the dual screen come in?
  • watched the video so now i see
  • I can only think of pornographic applications. >_
  • DOA. Given HPs reputation and the all too limited use case scenarios, i believe this is the first and last version of "sprout" computers by hp
  • Looks Awesome!!!
  • good or bad, its great to see people thinking outside the box. no doubt this might fail and in 5 years time apple will do it and will be hailed as amazing and innovative
  • agree. this is a good idea (bunch of good ideas actually) but not a finished and ready-to-sell product imho
  • Cute, but my guess is that it won't last. A little too gimmicky
  • Gimmicky like the Samsung phones....
  • This is a really cool idea. I like it. Good job HP.
  • That's gonna be popular with 3D modelers!
  • Perhaps. Many of them (the professional ones) might have tailored, better (albeit higher cost) pro-tools at their disposal though.
  • I don't know... It can only scan really small things you put right under it... I am a 3d modeler and I'd rather just get a Kinect and scan objects as big as I want with the Kinect SDK. It's pretty rare that we need to model small things that can be placed on a table. Most people would like a 3d scranner to scan big objects (cars, chairs, ...) or faces, and I don't really see myself breaking my back trying to fit my face under there. Also, the video shows the scanning process like it's magic, but in reality you have to scan an object from different angles to get a full scan. I'm not so sure how this device will do it. At least with a Kinect you can move around the object you're scanning live. Also, to do 3d modeling you absolutely need a mouse and a keyboard (at least for now), so you'll always have to push the screen far away so the tablet part (if we can call it that) isn't in the way. I prefer doing 3d modeling on my Surface Pro. For the same price as this HP computer I can get a Surface Pro and an external monitor, allowing me to work on the big screen and on the go. Anyway, I think this HP thing is more like an expensive toy, and I'd be really suprised if they sold a lot of them.
  • Wak name. Dope idea. I'm not sure if having $1800 to spend on whatever would result in me coming home with this though. Maybe. Call me slightly intrigued.
  • Two problems I see: 1. Even in this demo video, the projector does not looked bright enough. 2. A projector mounted at the base, near the pad (like a short-throw projector) would have been a much better choice to prevent your hand from getting in the way of the beam. At that point, you might as well have put a second touch screen down there (and really, why not?). It would solve both of those problems and made for an experience that is a thousand times better. IMO.
  • Yeah, secondary real touchscreen would do better than this, and it will look better. It's expensive PC anyways so why not just have it instead. Another issue of this projected screen is bad on very bright room or area, it will be almost useless. Another thing how long does this projector lamp last? We know from projectors usually don't last long like monitors and TV. Very cool and innovative concept though, I hope we'll have better next version of this.
  • If it had an apple logo people would be lining up
  • Apple will release it few yrs down the road and it will be called revolutionary.
  • Where can one find the list of which best buys and Microsoft stores will have it in demo?
  • Trashcan.com or unwantedcrap.info
  • This looks like a big huge fail.
  • The Courier lives.
  • What a bizarre thing.. HP is still in the dark lost like a child trying to invent something that's completely useless and most likely will break within a month or am I missing something?
  • I like the name, so there's that.
  • This isn't that expensive really, it's about the same price as a 27" iMac, which doesn't have a touch screen or a crazy projector thing.  And the retina iMac is like $2500 base price. 
  • Sweet
  • I don't really see the point of this. It's like having a Surface Pro plugged into an external monitor, but the tablet part is crap since it's a projector and you can't move it around like you want, or use it as a portable tablet... It's also pretty much the same price as a Surface Pro and an external monitor, so why would anyone buy this hybrid device where everything is attached and can't be moved? Also, the 3d scanning part seems like magic in the video, but don't forget that to get a 3d scan you need to scan an object from different angles, so what they show you with the paper bird will never happen like they show it. It's also pretty rare that people want to scan an object that fits on a table under a projector... Most people, as soon as they get this device, will want to scan their face... They'll soon find that trying to get your face facing up on a table isn't as easy as it seems... And if they manage to do it and scan their "what am I doing look" with their hair falling back in a strange way, they'll then want to scan the rest of their head to have a full 3d head, but... oh... sorry, can't do that... If you think this device is cool, get a Surface Pro and an external monitor. It's the same thing, only much much better. And if you want to do 3d scanning, get a Kinect for PC. You'll be able to point it at whatever you want and move it around to get a full 360 scan of any object. With the HP 3d scanner you'll quickly run out of things that fit under the projector...
  • Very cool idea. Opens up new possibilities for sure.