When Microsoft released Windows Vista nearly a year ago, I was excited to check out all of the innovative hardware changes that had been touted. Hybrid hard disks, CableCARD tuners, SideShow devices—it was enough to make a gadget guy's heart beat faster. But what happened to all that cool new hardware? Forget the still-unavailable hybrid hard drives (they don't boost performance much anyway) and the CableCARD tuners that you'll never be able to add to your PC (thanks, cable industry). But I'm an optimist. I'm like Fox Mulder: I want to believe. So, I've been holding my breath for SideShow.
What's So Cool About SideShow?
SideShow was developed as a way to add a second, external screen to a laptop on which you could check your e-mail, or the weather, or show pictures of your family, all without opening the laptop's cover. This seems like a Good Thing. SideShow functionality comes via a combination of hardware and software; there are APIs and underlying code from Microsoft, applications with specific functions like photo browsing, and a hardware platform that consists of a processor, some memory, and a display screen. Several vendors have created reference hardware designs, such as the nVidia Preface platform. All that hardwar
The Asus W5fe Notebook with SideShow
The very first commercially available SideShow device, the Asus W5fe notebook, featured this neat external screen. On it, you can read e-mails, check the weather, and see other bits of data.
Prototype Bag from Eleksen
2007’s CES was a SideShow love fest, with dozens of companies promising products for release in the next few months. Nearly all were vaporware, including this neat prototype bag from Eleksen. The screen was intended to connect via Bluetooth to whatever device was inside of it, and was to be controlled by the company’s cloth touchpad.
Ricavision Prototype
Among the many SideShow devices at 2007’s CES, Ricavision’s prototype remote controls stood out. The devices looked polished, though cluttered. They appear to be near release, at last.
A New and Improved Ricavision
The newest revision to Ricavision’s prototypes appears much more finished. According to the company, it took a team of 32 engineers to get the hardware and software working together properly.
Philips SRM7500
Philips announced the SRM7500 remote control, the flagship in its line, at CES. The device was supposed to feature integration with Windows Vista through SideShow. Philips eventually released the product, sans SideShow support, 11 months later.
SideShow Control Panel
When a SideShow device is connected to the PC, it’s controlled through a special Control Panel applet. Through this interface, you can regulate which gadgets are available to the device. In the future, rumor has it that Windows Sidebar gadgets will run on SideShow devices.
SideShow Wake-Up Call
In order to keep the data on a SideShow device current, a subsection of the Control Panel regulates sleep behavior. In theory, you can set Windows to wake every few hours, update the device, and then resume sleep or hibernation.
SideShow Device Manager
Microsoft felt strongly enough about SideShow to enumerate it as its own class of device in the Device Manager. Here you can see the XPS MiniView listed—the name Dell came up with for the screen embedded in the XPS 420.
MK 140 Fridge Magnet / Scribbler
Ricavision created a number of neat prototypes to show off the potential of SideShow. Among them is the MK 140 Fridge Magnet / Scribbler, a portable device that functions as an electronic note pad with SideShow capability. It combines the convenience of sticky notes with wireless access to Windows Vista.
MK140 eChatter
Another neat prototype from Ricavision, the MK140 eChatter, is a small handheld portable Windows SideShow device that lets you compose e-mails and instant messages with a QWERTY-layout thumb keyboard. There have been rumors that a similar device, selling for around $80, is imminent.