A Martha Stewart Living Invitation to the Sprout by HP event (Part 1)

Warning: Put your glue gun down and step away from the mouse!

Wikipedia defines a geek as a person that utilizes new technologies to do interesting things. A nerd as someone that knows all about new technologies as well as popular culture, and collects those things and considers them “cool”. Dweeb: Someone confused about exactly what technologies really are, and has less discretion in what they think is cool.

I’ve never seen so many Geeks and Nerds in one place at one time. And, yes, there were a few Dweebs mixed in as well...I guess I would be one of them. Now if you’ve read the definition of a Dweeb, they have less discretion of what is cool...but let me tell you, I know what’s cool, my morning at the unveiling of Sprout by HP.

I was invited by Martha Stewart Living to attend an event announcing the new Sprout by HP, a 3D-scanning, multi-display all-in-one PC. Why me? Because HP is trying to reach a creative audience. I don’t even know how to use a PC - but I was looking forward to learning more.

The event was held downtown in a large open space across from the HP offices. Breakfast goodies were served as guests, press and speakers mingled. The first part of the presentation was to announce HP’s new 3D printer, the second on the HP Sprout, the third and final part - the unveiling of the technology and to see firsthand, Sprout in action.

The design is built around a concept HP is calling “blended reality” that blends the 3D physical world with our 2D digital one.

I am such a hands-on kind of gal. I’m a crafter, a maker, a tinkerer. So, I was skeptical on what the HP Sprout could do for me, especially since it’s a PC and I’m a true-blue Mac user. Well, I was pleasantly surprised.

The HP Sprout has a giant touchpad which is the primary point of interaction and a downward facing projector/camera that scans objects and then lets the user manipulate them in 2D or 3D. Cool.

I’m thinking to myself, “hmm, my needle felted animals are so sculptural and 3D, once scanned, they would be represented in their more natural form." Cool again. I could then manipulate them, by rotating, reducing, enlarging and even removing the background art by tapping, pinching and dragging all without a mouse or keyboard (there is a virtual keyboard if needed). I like the idea of using my hands instead of a mouse.

Erin Furey, Associate Crafts Editor of Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings was there demonstrating the HP technology in conjunction with the Martha Stewart CraftStudio app, which comes with the HP computer. How cool is that? She was scanning real butterflies in Sprout, then designing with them in the app. I watched as she dragged images from the main screen to the Touch Mat...like magic. Then she hand-wrote a message right on the Mat, changed colors, resized, and more - no keyboard or mouse was used.

I think that designing flyers and invitations will be so much easier, all with a touch and pen input. In other words, a more hands-on approach. This would definitely speed up my workflow.

The HP Sprout was built for people like me or as one of the speakers said - “so that the crafter in Maine can put away her tube of glue.” The HP Sprout will enable all of us to create...hands-on. And, I think that's a cool thing. 

Yummy breakfast; big crowd; hands-on demonstrations; posing with fellow bloggers, Diane Henkler, Jessica Shaool and Ron Coughlin, Sr Vice President and General Manager Consumer Personal Systems/HP; Erin Furey drawing away...

 

In the meantime, Martha Stewart Living has extended a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to create my own project using Sprout by HP.  I can’t wait to try it and tell you all about it. Stay tuned. 

#sproutbyhp