HP debuts first laptop with Leap Motion gesture controls

By Mike Flacy Published September 19, 2013

Announced jointly by Leap Motion and HP yesterday, the HP ENVY 17 Leap Motion Special Edition is a new version of the standard HP ENVY 17.3-inch laptop with a built-in Leap Motion sensor that provides 3-dimensional gesture control to users. Much thinner than the regular Leap Motion standalone sensor, the embedded sensor is located to the right of the touchpad and below the keyboard. In order to take advantage of motion control, the user places their hands above the sensor approximately six to twelve inches and perform various gestures depending on the application running on the laptop.

The laptop will come preloaded with Airspace, Leap’s application store for 3-D motion controlled software such as games, educational programs, productivity apps and creative tools. In addition, Leap will include five games, one of which has been specifically designed for HP. While the laptop includes the option of a touchscreen monitor for Windows 8 interactivity, users can also download third party software to map gesture controls to the Windows 8 interface. Hypothetically, users could navigate Windows 8 without ever actually touching the laptop.

leap-motion-sensor — Image used with permission by copyright holder

One downside to the Leap Motion sensor is that the laptop battery will quickly run out of power, so much so that HP recommends plugging the laptop in before turning on the sensor. To turn the sensor on and off, HP has included a shortcut on the keyboard. Regarding the other specifications for the laptop, it comes with a 1,920 by 1,080 IPS display, up to a 2TB hard drive, up to a Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, HDMI out and a Nvidia graphics card.

Recommended Videos

The HP laptop will be available for preorder on October 16th, 2013 starting at a base price of $1049.99. Of course, Leap Motion is looking beyond the HP laptop to integrate the motion sensor into more devices. Within a statement released by Leap Motion, CEO Michael Buckwald stated “With our new micro sensor, there’s tremendous opportunity to integrate into other form factors like keyboards, smartphones, tablets, head-mounted displays and more.”

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Topics

Laptops

Computing

Back-to-school desk upgrade? Start with one of these monitor arms

Whether you're studying, coding, or gaming after class, these are the monitor arms I'd happily recommend.

The Best Monitor Arms for Back-to-School That I'd Actually Recommend - HUANUO FlowLift Dual Monitor Stand

Dorm rooms and study desks have one thing in common: they run out of space fast. Between textbooks, notebooks, keyboards, coffee mugs, and laptop chargers, a monitor's stock stand often ends up taking more room than it should. A good monitor arm instantly frees up valuable desk space while also putting the screen at a much more comfortable height, making long study sessions easier on the neck and shoulders. Whether it's a simple single-monitor setup or a dual-screen workstation, these are the monitor arms I'd actually recommend for Back-to-School.

Amazon Basics Single Computer Monitor Stand

Computing

WhatsApp Web finally lets your laptop handle calls instead of forcing you back to your phone

Other new features include Waiting Room, QuickHD, and background Noise Suppression.

Adult, Female, Person

I've lost count of how many times I've had to awkwardly grab my phone mid-task just to take a WhatsApp call my laptop couldn't handle on the web version. Today’s update changes that for good.

So what's actually rolling out today?

Computing

Researchers have built a tool that can identify the AI used to make a fake video

Every AI video generator leaves behind subtle, distinct patterns, and this new tool learned to read them.

fake-ai-video

AI-generated videos have gotten so realistic that spotting a fake is difficult enough on its own. Figuring out which AI model actually created it is even harder. That's exactly why researchers at UC Riverside built a tool that can do both. It's called SAGA, and it can trace a fake video back to the specific AI model that generated it.

The project was led by UC Riverside doctoral researcher Rohit Kundu and electrical and computer engineering professor Amit K. Roy-Chowdhury, in collaboration with researchers from YouTube and Google DeepMind.