This week my Leap Motion Controller finally arrived. When I first saw it a year ago I thought what a great idea, and put in my pre-order. For a year I bragged about how great it would be to wave your hands in the air, and not have to use a mouse or a touchpad. Theoretically it is a great idea. So how is it really?
Out of the box it is a very cool little device. Leap Motion was smart enough to include two USB cables, one short, one long. A very nice touch.
When you plug it in though nothing happens. You have to read the little protective plastic to learn that you must build an account on the Leap Motion Site and download your software. That part wasn't so bad but it downloaded five different programs. I just wanted a mouse replacement.
After doing the setup and the training, I was impressed with the graphics as it shows you on the screen what the little device "sees". That part was amazing. The problem was the demo software took over my computer so it couldn't multi task. If you are expecting an important skype or email, don't set up your Leap Controller.
After the training was all finished with my Leap, I couldn't get any mouse or touchpad functions to work. After digging around I found that I had to download more software. Touchless.
The part I don't get it that the App isn't at the apple store where it should be. It is downloaded into the Leaps proprietary app on your Mac. I don't know how it works on a PC.
With "Touchless" installed and running I started the training. When nothing happened, it was back to the support website. It turned out I have too much "light" in my office. So I closed the blinds, and it finally let me set it up.
After doing some training I got used to waiving my hands in the air without touching the screen, and it worked ok as a mouse. That is about it. A lot of reviews complained about it being "jumpy". I didn't have that problem once I stopped moving forward and backwards as I made motions with my hands.
The next test was to put a keynote up on my big screen and control it using my wands over my Macbook air. This worked pretty cool. I felt like a magician waiving my hands over the hat and magically the next slide appeared. To bad it won't work with an iPad.
Moving back to my desktop Mac, I tried to control the browser window opened on my second screen. Here is where I hit the wall. The Leap only will let you work on one screen. Back in the box it goes.
If you are looking for a cool toy to do some simple screen controls, this is a huge winner. My biggest problem is humans are very tactile animals, we need to have feedback. Even the conductor has the weight of the baton to help guide his hands through the air. Poking the air just isn't accurate enough for me.
After having several HP Touchscreens before I got my Mac, I might have been setting the bar too high for the Leap. The problem is the touch motions are so good on the iPad, I just want dual 32" touchscreens on my desk.
My ending thoughts are that the Leap Controller is still a year away from being really usable and it is both, a revolutionary tracking device and a nice toy. As an addition to my trackball, if I could just point at the second screen to get the cursor to jump over there, it would be really a nice addition. For now, it isn't for me, and more likely that voice control will remain my secondary cursor controller.
Final Note - Leap Motion returned the controller no questions asked. Great Service.
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Thank you for your insights.