HP has updated the original Sprout it launched in 2014. And it's added "Pro" to the title.

Our quick take

HP emphasised that Sprout Pro will fully leverage the upcoming Microsoft Creator Update that's all about letting people effortlessly scan objects and manipulate them in 3D using just a Windows PC. HP scanned everything from a croissant to a dog statue, and it made sure to show us how Sprout captured all the fine details, including the lines of a barcode sticker. HP also demoed how one could manipulate and rotate scanned objects.

While doing so, it admitted that HP is really targeting businesses with the new Sprout Pro. It wants manufacturers and retailers and start-ups and other types of business to use this machine to enhance their workflows - whether that be designing 3D objects or scanning 3D objects. It even told Pocket-lint that General Electric in Europe has been using the new HP Sprout Pro, though it neglected to tell us why.

There's no word yet on how much the Sprout Pro G2 will cost, but HP said it will be more forthcoming in March. The HP Sprout from last year costs $2,199, so the new Sprout may have the same starting price - or it could be more expensive now that it's meant for businesses.

HP Sprout Pro p

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HP Sprout Pro

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The Sprout is an all-in-one with a projector and camera extrusion, and it comes with a mat for you to get all interactive with it. The original version was aimed at creatives who wanted a neat setup that would allow them to do more with the space in front of their computer. The Sprout's 20-inch, touch-enabled mat lets you draw on it, touch it, and put things on top of it to scan - and everything will appear on the PC's actual 23-inch display.

The new Sprout, technically called the Pro G2, features a "higher resolution projection, more powerful processing, advanced 3D scanning and a more accurate precision active pen for drawing compared to the previous model," according to HP. It's also black now and has a larger 23.8-inch display and a bigger 21.3-inch Touch Mat. We tried out the new Sprout at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

We really liked the new palm rejection software, which registers your hand and allows you to scribble without any interference. But the main thing we enjoyed in the demo was the 3D-scanning feature. Sprout can scan whatever you place on or above the Touch Mat. The Pro G2 has the same camera as the old one, but now it can do "quick 3D capture capability" to recreate an object in under three minutes, HP said.

The HP Sprout Pro has also been updated to include a suite of apps called WorkTools, so that users scan and manipulate objects in 2D and 3D in an interactive clipboard. It also has a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GTX 960M graphics card, and a new active stylus (the old one was passive), the latter of which lets the Pro G2 differentiate input from your hand and the pen, which is handy (heh).

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