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CNET
05-05-2025
- CNET
I Always Dreamed of Expanding My Desktop With Glasses. This Software Made It Real
The fantasy is this: I have my laptop -- or tablet, or phone, whatever's nearby -- and by plugging a small pair of display glasses into it, all the things I need can expand on a big virtual display, making seemingly infinite monitor space for myself. Why? To get more space for myself without having to carry anything big. Headphones for your eyes, in a sense. Display glasses like Xreal's and others already work as plug-in displays for lots of devices, and show a virtual monitor that can feel big and TV-like. But they can't do multi-app multitasking, and that's why my recent test-drive of Spacetop's software got me so intrigued. I can see a future forming here, if other software companies figure out a way to work better with things like glasses. Spacetop is made by Sightful, a startup that I met with several years ago when the concept was a display-free laptop keyboard base bonded with tethered Xreal glasses that became the laptop's monitor. That product never happened: instead of using custom-made Chromebook-like laptop bases with Qualcomm processors, the founders pivoted over to using more AI-focused "NPUs" on recent thin AI laptops with processors made by Intel, which Sightful's team says has offered better performance without needing to make a new device to work with glasses. "The moment we saw [Microsoft's] announcements about AI computers -- that everyone's computers, in the coming few years, are going to be AI computers -- it made perfect sense to say we can enable the audience earlier and faster than if we built our own integrated solution," Sightful's founders, Tamir Berliner and Tomer Kahan, told me when Spacetop transitioned to its new business plan last fall. Instead of a whole new "AR laptop," Spacetop is subscription software that runs on certain Windows laptops and connects with a particular model of Xreal Air 2 Ultra smart glasses. I can't shoot photos to show what I saw, but think of it as a larger-size curved space where apps can be laid out from your laptop. Scott Stein/CNET The experience: A 180-degree floating desktop What you get, running this software layer, is a curved desktop space that floats in the air, indicated by small arrays of dots, which you can open Windows apps onto, drag around, and resize as needed. It feels like a desktop for my laptop, but one that's larger and doesn't need my laptop screen at all. Provided you're OK wearing display glasses, this is the way I'd prefer to work: Making my own screens wherever I go and feeling like I've got a larger-scale office without needing to prop open anything else. Spacetop opens up the conversation around what glasses could be doing when connected with our own computers. That's the part that's missing on most phones and laptops and tablets right now. Xreal's most recent glasses, the Xreal One, already can fix a curved display in space. Spacetop's software pushes the capabilities more by having more of a handshake with the software on the laptop, which manages what apps will show on-glasses. Qualcomm began working on this type of software with Spaces, which ran on Android phones and interfaced with connected glasses. Google's upcoming Android XR software looks like it could possibly do the same down the road. Apple's Vision Pro, which can run a variety of iPad apps and float them anywhere while simultaneously mirroring a Mac monitor, is a bulky device in comparison, and you need both a Vision Pro and a MacBook to float apps around in the way that Spacetop's software enables. Spacetop's rendering isn't exactly how I saw it, but it's close enough to describe the effective experience (the field of view in-glasses is smaller, but you can turn your head to see apps all around you). Spacetop You can't do much more than open individual 2D apps up, though. That's fine for everyday work, and Spacetop's software is aimed at business subscriptions, for people who might want to get more work space beyond their laptop screen while on the road. I could see a use for this in meetings or in situations where you'd want to be looking at something in the real world while floating windows in the air around you. That might sound bizarre, but I used the Xreal One glasses back in January to take notes on my phone while watching a presentation: my notes app just hovered off to the side of the live speakers I was in the same room with. Clever details and awkward moments Spacetop's little software touches are clever. A little toolbar handles app launching, and a duplicate of your laptop display rests on the bottom of the floating desktop, lining up mostly with the actual laptop display that's open. I found that I could glance around at the open floating windows and then go down to the laptop screen and adjust settings if I needed to without feeling strange. My mouse cursor came along with me, either floating in air or appearing back on the laptop screen again as needed, mostly automatically. The glasses connect via USB-C cable to one of the laptop's Thunderbolt-enabled ports for video and audio to work. Scott Stein/CNET That doesn't mean there aren't quirks: I found the pop-up displays sometimes were slow to launch or didn't launch at all, something Sightful suggested I unplug and re-plug the glasses in to fix. There's also the limited field of view on the glasses to consider. As good as Xreal's glasses are at projecting a quality OLED display in the air, the viewing area is still limited to what feels like a boxed-out rectangle in the middle of your vision. It feels like about the same dimensions as a medium-to-large monitor, and can fit a couple of windows (or one large one) into view easily, but to see the rest of the floating apps around you you'll need to turn your head around to make sure the other parts of the curved desktop come into view. The Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses can also make your surroundings dimmer like sunglasses, or turn the glasses more transparent as needed, and they have their own speakers. Prescription inserts are needed for me to use these Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses, adding an extra layer of thickness. But there are adjustable nose pads. Scott Stein/CNET A potential future for glasses (but ideally without a subscription) The Spacetop subscription is $200 a year, on top of needing a specific pair of $699 Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses (Sightful is selling the glasses and one year of the software together for $899). Sightful needs these particular glasses because they have full-room tracking capabilities built in, which can be used in a travel mode to make sure the floating monitor stays centered wherever the laptop is. The software also needs to run, for now, on particular Windows AI laptops with Intel NPUs. I tested on an HP Elitebook. It's hardly something for the average person right now, but it does show me exactly what I really want: ways for my own laptops and tablets and phones to work better with glasses-as-displays. I think it can happen. Microsoft, Google, and Apple are going to have to wake up and play a better part. In the meantime, Sightful's Spacetop is making some things happen on its own.
WIRED
05-05-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Sightful's Spacetop Is a Better, More Practical Spatial Computing Experience
I've been eagerly awaiting the advent of spatial computing. My home office desk setup, with multiple screens and browser windows, helps me be very productive. But on the go, I'm relegated to a laptop's 13-inch screen (or packing a portable monitor), and I'm not as efficient. Spatial computing—usually driven by a mixed reality headset or smart glasses—lets you craft a multi-monitor virtual workspace, where you can place apps and browser windows around your periphery, to replicate the experience you have set up at home or the office. Or you can take it a step further because you're only limited by your imagination. Over the years, I've tested various versions of the technology, from the Nimo Planet smart glasses I used at CES to Apple's Vision Pro on a flight to Barcelona, as companies compete to sit at the forefront of the next era in computing. No one has been able to offer a reasonable experience—until now. I first saw Sightful's Spacetop spatial computing software in a hotel suite at CES 2023, before the company came out of stealth mode. The initial experience worked with a pair of smart glasses connected to the bottom half of a laptop, just the keyboard and trackpad with no display, which also housed the computer's guts. In 2024, the company debuted the G1, a polished version ready for market, but Sightful CEO Tamir Berliner says the sudden advent of 'AI PCs," which now offered enough power to drive a spatial computing experience, forced it to revisit its hardware. That leads us to today's Spacetop for Windows. Instead of a custom laptop hardware sans display and software powered by Chromium, Sightful's new approach is to provide the smart glasses and let you download its Spacetop software onto a compatible Windows laptop. It costs $899 for the glasses and the software, and after the first year, you'll be charged $200 annually for access to the Spacetop software. Despite working at a few coffee shops this past week, I've been just as efficient virtually as in my work-from-home setup. I already don't want to be without it. Work Space Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Spacetop for Windows is a piece of downloadable software, and it's designed to work with Xreal's Air 2 Ultra augmented reality glasses, which are included in your purchase. You can get prescription lens inserts for the glasses, as I did, meaning I could remove my eyeglasses to use the Xreal. If you have smart glasses from another company with similar features (namely, six degrees of freedom), you can reach out to Sightful to see if there's a solution to get Spacetop running on them. The company hopes to support a wider range of smart glasses over time.
Business Wire
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Sightful Launches Spacetop for Windows — AR Productivity Software Built for the AI PC Era
TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Sightful announces the launch of Spacetop for Windows, marking a pivotal acceleration in its mission to redefine mobile productivity through Augmented Reality. Known for building the world's first AR laptop as a complete hardware-software solution, Sightful is now bringing the power of Spacetop to the world's most popular OS with a software-only offering designed for the rapidly growing category of AI laptops. Spacetop for Windows unlocks a private, immersive, and endlessly expandable virtual workspace anywhere, enabling professionals to carry a multi-monitor setup in their backpack. Share Spacetop for Windows unlocks a private, immersive, and endlessly expandable virtual workspace anywhere, enabling professionals to carry a multi-monitor setup in their backpack. No matter where users are—on a train, in a café, or on a plane—Spacetop provides a powerful, private workspace that's invisible to those around them. 'Spacetop is exactly why AI PCs were designed - it unlocks the true power of the architecture,' said Tamir Berliner, CEO and co-founder of Sightful. 'For four years while we developed Spacetop, the number one request from users and businesses was 'When is it coming to Windows?' Today is that day. The rise of AI laptops not only accelerated our mission to use software to reach scale but unlocked huge new possibilities for what an AR workspace can do when combined with the power of AI.' Sightful becoming a software-only solution was always central to the company's long-term vision. Initially, the company developed its own hardware to deliver on the promise of productive AR—and waited for the industry to catch up. The emergence of AI PCs, equipped with dedicated NPUs alongside powerful and power-efficient CPUs and GPUs, represented a turning point. Canalys forecasts that nearly 1 in 5 PCs shipped in 2024 will be AI-capable, rising to over 60% by 2027. The market is ready, and so is Spacetop. Spacetop for Windows brings the familiar functionality of a laptop with the freedom of AR. Users can place applications anywhere in a 100'+ spatial canvas: messaging apps off to the side, giant spreadsheets front and center, documents stretched vertically, all while maintaining complete privacy. Key features include: Seamless access to popular apps: Spacetop works with consumer and business apps that power productivity every day for Windows users Push, slide, and rotate your workspace with intuitive keystrokes Travel mode that keeps your workspace with you on the go, whether in a plane, train, coffee shop, Ubering, or on your sofa Bright, crystal-clear display that adjusts to lighting for use indoors and out Natural OS experience, designed to feel familiar yet unlock the potential of spatial computing vs. a simple screen extension All-day comfort with lightweight glasses (83g) Massive 100' display for a multi-monitor / multi-window expansive workspace Ergonomic benefits help avoid neck strain, hunching, and squinting at a small display Importantly, Spacetop preserves the privacy and focus of a home office setup in any environment. Sensitive work— confidential personal or client information, legal contracts, financial data, and more—remains visible only to the user, even in public spaces. Beginning April 24th, 2025, customers can order the Spacetop Bundle at $899, which includes: XREAL Air Ultra 2 AR glasses 12-month Spacetop subscription (renews annually at $200) Optional optical lenses are also available for an additional cost: Prescription single-vision lens inserts $50 Prescription progressive-vision lens inserts $150 In addition to the launch of Spacetop for Windows, for the first time, Spacetop will be available internationally, expanding beyond the U.S. into Germany, with more countries to follow in 2025. 'Demand for Spacetop has never been limited by geography,' said Berliner. 'Now that the hardware ecosystem has matured, we're thrilled to meet that global demand through trusted international partners.' This expansion is supported by a new strategic partnership with Deutsche Telekom, who will help bring Spacetop to their large B2B customer base. Additional collaborations with SHI International Corp, and Intel, will bring new distribution channels for Spacetop enterprise sales, as well as ongoing strategic product development efforts with Intel Corporation. "Sightful's Spacetop redefines mobile productivity with a virtual 100'' workspace—empowering our B2B customers with secure, flexible, and digitized solutions for the future of work," said Dr. Maximilian Ahrens, Senior Vice President, T Digital of Deutsche Telekom. "SHI is thrilled to partner with Spacetop in launching their cutting-edge AR solution, seamlessly integrating with 2 of our largest tech partners, Microsoft and Intel, in revolutionizing the user experience in the PC world. The reactions within SHI, our partners, and customers have had while experiencing Spacetop is astounding. There's just nothing like it," said Amy Troxell, Director of End User Device Overlay Partners at SHI International Corp. The PC market continues to flourish globally, and the mixed reality boom is only getting stronger. The strategic collaboration between Sightful and Intel will bring better and smarter productivity solutions to customers worldwide. Spacetop for Windows is optimized for modern AI laptops that support high-performance spatial computing. Some of the recommended systems include: Dell XPS Core Ultra 7 (32GB) HP Elitebook Lenovo Yoga Slim ASUS Zenbook Acer Swift Go 14 MS Surface Pro for Business (Ultra 7) **note: the above is a partial list of compatible laptops - for spec reference only While PC compatibility continues to grow, Sightful expects that many early adopters are already upgrading to these next-gen AI devices. The company is also anticipating many users who may upgrade in order to make full use of a 100' mobile office anywhere, privately. Spacetop is not just a product—it's a platform. With over $61 million raised in venture funding, Sightful is building toward a future of broad compatibility, supporting multiple compute platforms, devices, and glasses manufacturers. 'We formed Sightful in 2020, based on a belief that augmented reality is the right direction to take personal computing. Massive companies like Apple, Meta, Google—they all seem to agree that AR is the future. But we're focused on delivering value now,' said Tomer Kahan, co-founder and COO. 'Spacetop is for people who need to work—securely, comfortably, and powerfully—today.' Spacetop for Windows is available for purchase as of April 24, 2025 at About Sightful Sightful is dedicated to transforming the world around us for the work-from-anywhere movement, delivering productivity and privacy through augmented reality. Founded by spatial computing veterans Tamir Berliner (PrimeSense [acquired by Apple], Magic Leap), and Tomer Kahan (Broadcom, N-trig [Acquired by Microsoft], Magic Leap), Sightful brings together a team of experts in product management, UX/UI, core software, cloud, applications, computer vision, artificial intelligence, systems, and design, along with best-in-class partners. Sightful investors include Corner Ventures, Aleph, and more, is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, and has offices in Palo Alto, New York, and Taiwan.
