Press Blogs

HP@CES: Sprout Pro takes immersive computing to new levels

By Tricia Dugan, VP & Head of Global GTM, Immersive Computing, HP Inc. — January 3, 2017

Courtesy of HP

When HP first introduced Sprout in October 2014, the world had never really seen anything quite like it.

Sprout allowed the barriers between the physical and digital worlds to be broken down by way of a fully-functional PC that included built-in cameras and projectors to enable 2D and 3D scanning and image manipulation—right from the desktop.

We even gave the concept a cool name—Immersive Computing.

Today, ahead of CES 2017, HP is continuing to deliver innovation and unveiling the next generation of Sprout Pro—a device with a new, ground-up redesign, higher resolution projection, more powerful processing, advanced 3D scanning and a precision Active Pen for drawing.

With the introduction of any new product category, there’s always a bit of a learning curve involved. Shortly after Sprout’s initial launch, users started to pick up on the concept and were enamored with Sprout’s potential and what sort of impact it might have on various marketplaces and industries.  We paid attention to how Sprout was being implemented by our customers and have zeroed in on new vertical solutions, particularly within education, retail kiosks and manufacturing.

Early reviewers praised the platform for getting the world closer to enabling a “creator economy.” Some say it was a “3D modeling playground” and others chimed in by calling it a “chameleon.” By early 2016, following a couple of small updates to the product, our customers were starting to understand that Sprout was much more than just a PC and a scanner and the feedback came pouring in.

That leads us to our next-generation of Sprout and a number of updates to the product.

 

Second-gen advances

User feedback helped drive a new approach to the Sprout Pro G2’s Touch Mat, its software, 3D capture, and of course, its powerful computing specs.

Sprout Pro has a new sleek design with a 2.2mm-thick, 20-point capacitive Touch Mat display with a sharper, near-1080p projected resolution—which delivers three times more pixels than before—and we’ve modified it from a 4x3 to a 3x2 aspect ratio to allow more document scanning options. With HD resolution now on both screens, transitioning between them as you work has become even more seamless.

On the software side, we’ve made it easier to interact with Windows 10 Pro and developed streamlined software that gives easy access to Sprout’s key features, including faster 2D scanning and, for the first time, high-precision 3D scanning. Users can simply hold and rotate a physical object beneath the camera for a much more intuitive experience. We’ve also added more powerful graphics capabilities to drive visualization apps for interactive 3D, making creations come to life. 

Courtesy of HP

We’ve also replaced the included stylus with an Active Pen, allowing pressure-sensitive digital inking for annotation and design. It makes working on the Touch Mat a more natural experience. The Touch Mat can also now recognize the difference between a hand and the Active Pen, making it easier to use the pen when your hand is resting on the Touch Mat surface.

It also now features a hefty Intel Core i7 processor, 1TB of SSHD storage, up to 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics for faster 3D scanning and Windows 10 Pro with its innovative and secure experience.

With Sprout Pro G2, we’ve set out to build an entirely new kind of computing experience, one that helps users be more creative and productive by unleashing possibilities that simply don’t exist with any other single product.

Sprout Pro by HP G2 is expected to ship in March with pricing announced at that time.

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