Spacetop AR laptop puts the screen on your face

When laptops became commonplace in the early 1990s, workers were suddenly untethered from their desks and able to complete tasks in coffee shops, hotel rooms and other remote workplaces. Laptops have certainly improved dramatically in terms of weight and performance since those early brick-shaped portables, but there has always been a problem: users are limited to a smaller screen when working remotely.

While portable screens do exist, they just add weight to laptop bags and start to challenge the idea of ​​having a truly mobile office.

To solve this problem, an Israeli company called Sightful has just released a laptop that uses a pair of connected AR glasses to completely detach the screen from the laptop and place it in the air — no matter which direction the user looks. where.

The glasses, called Spacetop, can project a screen up to 100 inches (254 centimeters) into whatever environment the user is working in. This is achieved by using two tiny 1080p displays, creating the illusion of one full 2K display. Using a proprietary operating system called Spacetop OS, the setup will allow multiple windows to open side-by-side on a virtual screen called a “Canvas” – which eliminates the need to layer multiple windows on top of each other, like a traditional laptop screen on the shell.

Since the screen can only be seen by the user and not others, Spacetop also offers a new level of privacy when working in public places, even if they are as cramped as an airplane seat. Also, since the glasses are transparent, there is no risk of missing what is going on in the world around you while using the system.

foresight

“Sightful’s focus on the immediate utility of improving human productivity is a personal passion of mine,” said Eden Shochat, an equal partner at Aleph, a venture capital firm that provided part of the $61 million that Sightful has raised. “Instead of trying to convince the world that we need to live in a virtual universe or create a whole new way of working, they focused on building products that people can use now.”

The video below gives you an idea of ​​what Spacetop’s virtual screen looks like.

As far as specs go, the Spacetop will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset with an Aredeno 650 GPU. This combination is often used to power phones, which makes sense considering Spacetop OS is based on an open-source Android variant. It will have 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of onboard storage; built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1; and, the manufacturer says, two USB-C outlets, one of which can be used to turn the machine on in less than two hours Charge from 0 to 80%.

The combined keyboard and glasses weighs 3.3 pounds (approximately 1.5 kg), and the system measures 1.57 inches (4 cm) high, 10.47 inches (26.6 cm) wide, and 9.8 inches (24.9 cm) deep. The goggles come with built-in earphones.

You can see the technique in action in the video below.

Sightful is currently offering 1,000 people interested in owning one of the first Spacetops the chance to sign up for their platform website And, while the company’s press materials don’t mention the price, 9to5Mac’s Seth Weintraub — who has to try — reported It will sell for $2,000.

During the registration process, you’ll be asked a series of questions not only about your general use of the laptop, but also about your vision. When I indicated that I wear multifocal glasses, I was told that I would not be a candidate for the system’s first release. However, the registration process does indicate that accommodations will be provided for those with vision correction in the form of custom lenses on eyeglasses.

While there’s no outlay required to sign up, if you’re wary of spending $2,000 on a somewhat experimental laptop, you might be encouraged that not only is Sightful backed with a ton of venture capital cash, but the founders have a lot of money in spatial computing. Also has rich work experience. Tamir Berliner worked at MagicLeap and PrimeSense acquired by Apple, and Tomer Kahan also worked at MagicLeap and Broadcom and N-trip acquired by Microsoft.

The company has no word on when the Spacetop glasses will start shipping, so signing up for the early release would be a viable way to stay informed.

The promotional video below gives you a closer look at Spacetop.

source: foresight