This article was published on April 16, 2013

Leap Motion Controller and AirSpace app store to come bundled with future HP devices


Leap Motion Controller and AirSpace app store to come bundled with future HP devices

Leap Motion announced today that it is collaborating with Hewlett Packard (HP) to bring some of its expertise in 3D motion-control to a number of “unique” new products.

The partnership is starting small, bundling the new Leap Motion Controller with a number of currently unspecified devices. It’s almost certainly for laptops and desktop PCs though, given the nature of the peripheral. Leap Motion revealed that in the future, however, HP will be releasing a new line of  built-in gesture controlled devices.

Supported HP devices will come pre-loaded with AirSpace, the app store built by Leap Motion to offer a number of unique and robust experiences straight out of the box, covering video games, music, education, art, productivity and more.

The Leap Motion Controller is like nothing else available on the market at the moment. The tiny USB device is about the size of a Pez dispenser, but it manges to cram in a pair of cameras and unique software application to interpret the user’s gestures.

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The result is an experience straight out of Star Trek. Users can manipulate specific software apps or the computer’s Web browser simply waving their fingers in the air. It’s a compelling interface because, similar to the introduction of touchscreens, there’s almost no learning curve and all of the actions are incredibly intuitive.

Pre-orders for the Leap Motion Controller are set to go out on May 13, although it will be available from Best Buy stores in the United States on May 19. It will cost $79.99, although users who obtain it via a HP product will have that hidden within the overall price tag.

Productivity tool Clear for Mac is a notable app that announced Leap Motion Controller integration earlier this year and joins a number of other high-profile developers such as Zepto Labs, creators of Cut the Rope and Disney.

We’ve reached out to HP and Leap Motion to find out exactly which HP devices will come bundled with the controller, and will update this post if and when we hear back.

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