vista Do you own (and / or use) a device compatible with Windows SideShow?

[Ian W]

I am wondering if there are any Neowinians who own (and / or use) a device compatible with the Windows

[Ian W]

I must admit that I am disappointed that there are no replies to this topic. There must be some Neowinians who have used the technology?

To some Windows SideShow may seem like a poor attempt by Microsoft within the mobile space, but it was innovative and enabled many new scenarios which predated the

[siah1214]

Sounds like a bunch of stuff that my smartphone already does, so I guess it would have made sense in 2006 but not now.  Microsoft should have just invested more time into their smartphone business instead of wasting their time with this. IMO.

[TheReaperMan]

I did own a remote that used the tech.

 

It worked great with MCE then microsoft killed the software and that was than paperweight 

[theyarecomingforyou]

Sounds like a bunch of stuff that my smartphone already does, so I guess it would have made sense in 2006 but not now.  Microsoft should have just invested more time into their smartphone business instead of wasting their time with this. IMO.

Exactly. I didn't even know the functionality existed and smartphones completely replace and surpass its functionality.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

I thought this was really cool when it came out.  I think either Asus or Acer made a laptop that supported it, but never used one, myself.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[binaryzero]

Pretty sure I saw some sort of display on top of a Dell tower desktop that played with that sometime in that era. 

[WndSks]

Perhaps in two years time when MS gets their inevitable smartwatch clone out on the market but the API will probably be different... 

[DConnell Member]

Perhaps in two years time when MS gets their inevitable smartwatch clone out on the market but the API will probably be different... 

 

The Band came out last year!

[neufuse Veteran]

never saw actual hardware in the wild myself... always wondered who if anyone made stuff for it

[Eric Veteran]

The Band came out last year!

 

Pfft... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timex_Datalink came out in 1994. Clone? Nah. 

[DConnell Member]

Pfft... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timex_Datalink came out in 1994. Clone? Nah. 

 

Good point. How'd I forget the Datalink? It was my college graduation present!

[WndSks]

The Band came out last year!

Yes that's true but you know how this goes. Somebody makes something. Apple makes a better version. Everybody tries to emulate the Apple version

 

MS were too early with both TabletPC and MediaCenter and they never caught on, a couple of years later and everyone is using tablets and streaming/media sharing...

[DConnell Member]

Yes that's true but you know how this goes. Somebody makes something. Apple makes a better version. Everybody tries to emulate the Apple version

 

MS were too early with both TabletPC and MediaCenter and they never caught on, a couple of years later and everyone is using tablets and streaming/media sharing...

 

The Surface is completely different from the iPad, apart from general shape. The didn't emulate - they took the idea and improved. Kind of like how Apple always claims they do.

 

And like Eric pointed out, Microsoft beat everyone to the smartwatch by about 2 decades!

[Ian W]

Hello,

 

I thought this was really cool when it came out.  I think either Asus or Acer made a laptop that supported it, but never used one, myself.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

I believe that you had referred to the ASUS W5Fe?

Pretty sure I saw some sort of display on top of a Dell tower desktop that played with that sometime in that era. 

Dell XPS 420?

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

The ASUS unit, I think.  By the way, here's an Intel prototype from 2009 that places three miniature screens above the keyboard:  http://www.itpro.co.uk/615496/intel-shows-off-four-screen-laptop

These days, I think people are more likely to use their smartphone to glance at things so Windows SideShow is no longer of as much interest.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

 

[Ian W]

The ASUS unit, I think.  By the way, here's an Intel prototype from 2009 that places three miniature screens above the keyboard:  http://www.itpro.co.uk/615496/intel-shows-off-four-screen-laptop

Thank you for responding, Goretsky.

There were quite a few interesting devices / prototypes designed for Windows SideShow, including:

• An e-reader with a cache for on-the-go reading
• A refrigerator magnet that allowed one to write notes on the display and to "retain these notes on the device or send them to the Vista-based PC for further processing"
• A communications device with a "QWERTY-layout thumb keyboard, letting you compose email messages and IM conversations on a 5” WQVGA LCD display. You can also use the device as an audio headset for voice communications"
• USB auxiliary displays
• Digital picture frames that could display other information
• A handbag with an auxiliary display that would allow one to check information without having to open the handbag, turn on laptop, et cetera
• And of course remotes for Windows Media Center

These days, I think people are more likely to use their smartphone to glance at things so Windows SideShow is no longer of as much interest.

I just wish that the feature would have received widespread adoption.

[binaryzero]

Yeah that XPS looks familiar, I dunno, way to long ago, touched thousands of PCs since then.