Leap Motion Launches Its Motion-Controlled App Store
Leap Motion Launches Its Motion-Controlled App Store

                                
            Motion control for your computer is only a month away.Leap Motion is quickly nearing the late July release date for its controller and, starting this week, it will be rolling out the next phase of its beta test (which includes an app store -- more on that below), to its early access developer community of over 10,000 developers.Gearing up for the big release, the company also has plans to open up its developer portal to the public later this week, giving developers who are interested in Leap but aren't currently in the beta the ability to get familiar with Leap’s developer tools and plan for development once their device arrives in July.If you’re not familiar with Leap Motion, be dazzled: The Leap Motion Controller brings motion control to your computer, reminiscent of the way Tony Stark interacts with his computers in Iron Man.
With the controller, you can navigate through your Windows 8 Start screen by waving your hands in the air, and launch and play games on your PC without ever touching the keyboard.“We have the only technology in the world that is able to track 10 fingers, two hands, with a lot of accuracy,” Michael Buckwald, co-founder and CEO of Leap Motion told Mashable.Leap can track movement to a 100th of a millimeter, which Buckwald says is hundreds of times greater than the state of the art motion tracking devices. The technology isn't even available in devices valued at millions of dollars. The Leap Motion Controller will cost $79.99.Demos to Die For
    


            
            
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One of the big changes from the Leap Motion Controller we saw several months ago and what’s available today comes in the form of applications. Leap has developed a demo for the controller that lets you see on the screen what the controller sees. One demo even goes as far as to show how the Leap Motion Controller sees your hands: an astounding display that shows each individual finger and can detect even the smallest turn of your wrist.There are quite a few games that take advantage of the controller. I had the opportunity to play Boom Ball, a ping-pong style game in which you use your hands to hit a virtual ball into a pile of blocks to knock them down.I also saw a Jenga-style game called Block 54, which allows you to use two fingers -- just as you might in a real-world situation -- to pull out blocks from the game. It was a demonstration of just how accurate the leap Motion Controller can be, and what you could potentially do with it.Airspace
    


            
            
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Another new addition to Leap is Airspace, a discovery platform where Leap Motion Controller owners can look for new apps to use along with the controller. On your computer, apps are stored in a desktop launcher called Airspace Home. Home will house all of the apps you download to use with the controller, but will also bring in any apps you might already have on your computer that are taking advantages of the Leap Motion API. For instance, the traditional Google Earth app can already be explored using Leap Motion, letting you fly high above the city of your choice for an earth experience like no other.The Airspace app store is where developers will ultimately sell their apps. Buckwald says that apps will be a mix of free and paid. Prices for apps will range from 99 cents for some games, to over $500 for some professional programs.Currently the store has around 50 apps available, a number which is expected to dramatically increase as the device gets closer to launch time. A number of big-name publishers such as Corel and Autodesk have also committed to making applications for the platform.Leap Fund
    


            
            
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The advances Leap Motion is showing off now are only just the beginning. Highland Capital Partners, which led the Series A investment for Leap, recently announced the Leap Fund, a $25 million investment initiative for the company. With the fund, Highland will be investing in entrepreneurs and developers who want to create tech and applications that take advantage of Leap Motion’s technology platform.The Leap Motion Controller is available now for pre-order for $79.99. The device is expected to ship to pre-order customers on July 22, and will also be available after launch at Best Buy stores nationwide. HP and Asus have also made plans to include the technology in some upcoming PCs.What do you think of the Leap Motion Controller? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.[nggallery id=5613]
                    
                    