Pointgrab’s motion sensing tech coming to more laptops, we go hands-off

Jun 25th 2010
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Yeah, so we haven’t been the biggest proponents of motion sensing laptops — it’s sort of hard to see the point when you’ve usually got your hands on the keyboard or touchpad to control the screen — but apparently Pointgrab’s software is gaining some traction. The software, which works with any 2D webcam, is currently being shipped on Fujitsu Lifebook AH laptops in Japan, but it’ll be expanding to other markets soon. In addition, we were told another laptop maker would be preloading it “before the end of the year.” Interesting. We got to spend some time with the Lifebook AH500, and we have to say the software / webcam combo does work quite fluidly — all we had to do was wave at the screen to bring up the company’s menu for opening programs or controlling media. And it was super responsive to our wax-on / wax-off movements to control the volume. But regardless, it’s still really hard to imagine when we’d actually use this on a laptop… though, get it on a nettop, HTPC or all-in-one and we’ll be all ears (or hands in the air!). It’ll be interesting to see which laptop manufacturer feels differently and snatches up Pointgrab’s tech soon, but until then check out the gallery and video after the break to see us (awkwardly) wave at a 15.6-inch screen.

Gallery: Pointgrab hands-on