HP has just announced Sprout, a very interesting 3-D-capable computer that invites users to input their ideas on a mat that rests in front of the device's monitor. The $1,899 Sprout will be available early next month online and in some U.S. stores.

The device lets people scan and manipulate 2-D and 3-D objects.It is a unique desktop All-in-One form factor that includes a vertical 23-inch 20-point multi-touch display and a 20-point capacitive touch mat that lets you capture, create, move, and manipulate digital content with your hands. This touch mat can serve as a keyboard too, although it ships with a wireless keyboard and mouse as well.

It also includes a capture and projection system – the Sprout Illuminator – that combines multiple devices such as a scanner, a depth sensor, high-resolution camera, and projector into a single system. It has a HP DLP projector built right in. It has a four-camera sensory system that includes a high resolution camera with up to 14.6 megapixel resolution and the Intel RealSense 3D Camera for instant capture of 2D and 3D objects. This system can capture and project dimensional images.

It also includes Adonit Jot Pro stylus with very high accuracy with a magnetic attachment that allows for easy storage on the Sprout by HP monitor.

Anything sketched or written is captured by sensors in the special mat surface. And anything placed atop the mat is photographed or scanned by an overhead camera, and then transformed into digital content that can be displayed and further manipulated on the monitor.

On the inside, Sprout by HP comes powered by a 4th generation Intel i7 Processor, 8GB of memory, and NVIDIA graphics. It also has plenty of storage with 1TB.

The desktop computer is optimized for artists and designers rather than the traditional office workers.

Hewlett-Packard is also developing new 3-D printing technology, called "multi-jet fusion," which it plans to introduce in 2016. This approach lets users print out three dimensional objects cheaply compared with existing methods.Typical 3-D printers work either by laying down materials that harden quickly or by using lasers to zap a photo-reactive resin to sculpt an object.

HP's new technology employs an array of print heads to spit out an entire layer of a 3-D object at once, speeding up the process and offering greater detail, at a resolution of 1,200 dots per inch. HP says its new 3-D printing technology is 10 times faster than that in existing 3D printers, is more affordable and prints stronger products than current offerings in the market.

"As we examined the existing 3D print market, we saw a great deal of potential but also saw major gaps in the combination of speed, quality and cost," said Stephen Nigro, senior vice president, Inkjet and Graphic Solutions, HP. "HP Multi Jet Fusion is designed to transform manufacturing across industries by delivering on the full potential of 3D printing with better quality, increased productivity, and break-through economics."

Specifications

Operating System	Windows 8.1
HP Illuminator	HP Illuminator, powered by the HP DLP Projector, the HP High-Resolution Camera with up to 14.6 megapixel resolution and the Intel RealSense 3D Camera for instant capture of 2D and 3D objects, along with an LED desk lamp
HP Touch Mat	20" diagonal, 20-point touch-enabled touch mat with an ultra-resistant top coating
Stylus	Adonit Jot Pro stylus to write and draw comfortably. It can be attached magnetically to the upper-right side of the Sprout display.
Processor	4th generation Intel Core i7-4790S Processor
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GT 745A with 2GB DDR3 dedicated memory
Integrated display	23" diagonal, 10-point touch-enabled, Full HD (1920x1080) Wide Viewing Angle, White-LED backlit LCD Display
Memory	8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 SDRAM memory2x4GB (expandable to 16GB)
Hybrid drive	1TB SATA 6G Solid State Hybrid Drivewith 8GB flash acceleration cache offers SSD-like Speed & HDD capacity
Webcam	HP High Definition 1MP Webcam
Sound	DTS Sound
Wireless	10/100/1000 Base-T Network and Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 and Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n featuring Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) 2x2 MIMO technology
USB ports	Dual USB 2.0 ports and dual USB 3.0 ports, including a powered port to charge phones or other USB devices
Memory Card Reader	HP 3-in-1 Media Card Reader - Supports SD, SDHC, SDXC
Keyboard and mouse	Premium wireless chiclet-style keyboard with volume control, Windows 8 hot keys and optical mouse
sprout workspace	The app for capturing, creating and sharing your ideas