[This first-person report from Popular Mechanics describes a new laptop computer that has a large augmented reality display rather than a physical monitor. Particularly noteworthy quotes that refer indirectly to presence include that “it feels surprisingly natural to use, with the potential to usher in a new era of personal computer”; “Spacetop feels like it’s a physical display truly present in the space with you”; and “I enjoyed taking a Teams video call using the giant screen and the conversation felt incredibly immersive, like the effect you get from going to a movie theater.” The original version of the story includes more pictures and a 43 second video (also available on YouTube), and there are more first-person reports in PC Magazine, PC World and The Verge. A press release is available via BusinessWire. –Matthew]
Hands On With Spacetop, the First Augmented Reality Laptop
This computer uses AR glasses to simulate a multi-monitor workstation.
By Hunter Fenollol
May 19, 2023
Spacetop is a compact computer stripped down to just a keyboard, trackpad, and a pair of HD augmented reality glasses. There’s no monitor to be found on this device, which basically makes it just the bottom half of a standard laptop. Instead, throw the included goggles over your eyes and you’ll be greeted by 100 inches of virtual screen projected in front of you, no matter where you are. All of this room is perfect for working across multiple high-resolution windows, which are overlaid atop the real world. Spacetop isn’t a concept for the future of mobile computing. It’s already here.
I spent over an hour using the device at a private demonstration with Sightful, the startup behind Spacetop, in Manhattan last week. Not only is it real, but it feels surprisingly natural to use, with the potential to usher in a new era of personal computing. But the narrow field of view and $2,000 price tag means this is a more prosumer device and can prove to be a challenge for a startup.
Every year laptops get thinner and lighter, battery life improves, and displays become sharper. But with the average screen coming in at 14 inches or smaller are too cramped for multitasking. This is one of the reasons why I rely on a Xebec Triscreen 2 monitor workstation to add extra screens when away from my desk. Truth be told, my best work is done at home on my super ultra wide 49-inch Samsung monitor, which gives me plenty of space to fire off messages or quickly pull up information.
Upon entering the meeting room, a black teardrop-shaped laptop case sat in the center of the table. This obelisk unfolded out into a full sized keyboard, trackpad, and webcam. In the center rests a pair of augmented reality glasses. Simply throw them on and press the laptop’s power button to bring up a private, floating 100-inch screen. As I took in the eight open tabs surrounding me, the seamless navigation gave an Apple-like level of intuitiveness.
That’s because Sightful is made up of veterans who have worked on projects implemented in products ranging from Apple to Microsoft. Similar to a Chromebook, the custom Android-based Spacetop OS interface runs on web or cloud apps and has an app drawer, tray, and multiple window support. Resizing windows and juggling apps feels so familiar that I just turned it on and started exploring. There are only two new shortcuts to learn, pressing down both shift buttons to center the screen where you’re looking. And, along the function keys at the top of the board, a custom reality button collapses the screen and brings you back to focus on the world around you.
What stands out and is exclusive to Spacetop OS is that the cursor jumps seamlessly between windows so you don’t have to click on the active window, then scroll to work on it. This takes away the friction of clicking and scrolling to work between windows. I navigated through the Popular Mechanics website, then immediately jumped to look at an email on the left. At the ding of a direct message, I quickly turned my head to see the red notification appear in the corner and quickly responded, then I hopped back to my previous task. Bonus: the projected text is some of the most legible I’ve experienced from any augmented or virtual reality headset. In fact, the glasses are a modified pair from Nreal, AR display specialists who Sightful tapped as a partner. Spacetop makes some optic enhancements for a boost in resolution and clarity.
Ease of use and practical everyday functionality are two areas where augmented reality has struggled to find its footing over the years. Spacetop effectively excels in both of those areas while being accessible enough for almost anyone to pick up. While it’s easy to get wrapped up in hot new tech, it would be foolish to write this off as a gimmick. The virtual screen stays pinned in place to where you center it in reality. During my demo I got out of my chair and headed backward towards a wall where I could see all of the open tabs expanded on the large screen. Walking around the screen in a circle showed the curved backside of the digital floating screen without so much as a jitter. Spacetop feels like it’s a physical display truly present in the space with you. But my sole point of contention is the narrow 60-degree field of view. While it’s wide enough to have two optimally-sized tabs in view, any more than that will leave you turning and craning your neck as things fall wayside in your peripheral vision.
The glasses have audio built into the temples just like RayBan Stories smart glasses. This provides a private listening experience but the sound isn’t going to blow you away and lacks bass. It does, however, work well for video calls. Although you look a bit silly, I enjoyed taking a Teams video call using the giant screen and the conversation felt incredibly immersive, like the effect you get from going to a movie theater. I found that the glasses are light enough to be comfortable to wear for extended periods. Other smart glasses haven’t figured out how to accommodate for most noses or create a tight fit. Nreal’s expertise in this area comes in handy. If you wear real glasses you can even order your prescription lenses. Beyond giving you more room to work with on the go these are also an effective way to keep your screen’s contents private: Only you can see your monitor so, if you’re someone like me, who deals with embargoed information, or simply want to perform a task like online banking, you can do so safely anywhere.
Spacetop’s Snapdragon 865 chip was smooth enough for surfing ten pages on the web during my demo but definitely isn’t one of the more powerful options. If you’re a gamer or content creator who needs to animate or edit video, the system doesn’t have the chops for it yet. And if you plan on multitasking—streaming more than ten open tabs—you’ll tax the hardware. Despite some slight reservations for how future-proof this initial version will be, it works well and is fun to use. At $2,000 this isn’t going to fly off shelves or become the next iPad. Not yet. But if you are a professional who prefers a large, private workspace, then this could be a genuinely useful everyday tool. With what I’ve experienced, I can only imagine how effective this could be on a flight or train ride. Spacetop’s debut has laid a strong framework for the next step in computing, but its successor will need a wider field of view and more power to expand into a more everyday gadget for everyone.