As reported by the CE-PRO magazine, Interlink Electronics is the first to announce a SideShow capable remote control. This SideShow enabled remote control will enbable customers "select songs, schedule recordings, navigate video clips and photographs, display TV program guides and even browse recorded TV shows--all right on the remote." Also, CE-PRO reports that Microsoft has swung a deal with its EPG provider TMS (Tribune Media Services) to extend the TV guide to remote devices via SideShow, no licensing hassles involved. This is big news, because if Microsoft extends TV guides information to the desktop via SideShow devices such as remote controls, etc, TIVO-like devices can become extint. Finally, Microsoft's Media Center vision is slowly gaining ground......[Read more »]

Microsoft writes "Today's applications have lots of information to share with end users. However, screen real estate is limited and organizing all of the possible information is taxing for software developers as well as end users. Furthermore, people prioritize information in different ways and at different times. ...[Read more »]

For example, when a meeting is imminent, I need to know the time and place right now. When I'm driving, I need to know how soon to make the next turn. In general, I might want to always be able to check newly received e-mail messages. Likewise, you can imagine scenarios where I might want information on traffic, flights, weather, financial transactions, and so on. Trying to get the right information to the user at the right time is a difficult problem.

For sometime now, I've been spotting some interesting concept drawings on various web sites, including Microsoft's site. They contain various visions of SideShow applications such as laptop displays, keyboard pop-up displays and sideshow enabled remote controls. For laptops a color display can be mounted onb the main laptop lid or a simpler 2x20 alphanumeric display on the edge of the unit.

For remote controls the posibilities are unlimited -- from Audio/Video applicaitons to full home automation -- everyhting can be controlled by a SideShow enabled remote control. Add the power of a x86 computer behing such a remote control and you can get automated updates from the Internet (such as Radio / TV listings) or even take more sophisticated decisions, of course assisted by Windows Vista... ...[Read more »]

Read Daniel Moth's excellent series of articles (3 so far) about Vista SideShow Gadget Fundamentals, an Introduction to SideShow, and Designing SideShow Gadgets with SCF. Despite the fact that no SideShow hardware exists commercially, Microsoft has released a good Sideshow simulator. The simulator is part of the Microsoft Vista SideShow SDK. More information abou this SDK can be found at the MSDN website. Daniedl Moth is a Software (Developer, Engineer, Consultant, Evangelist, Designer) focusing on the Microsoft platform (and in particular .NET). Indeed, Daniel's enthusiams qualifies him as a excellent Evangelist!.

One of my first web search results on Vista SideShow, was the MSDN channel 9 interview about Vista SideShow Auxiliary Devices. This is a video interview with the real guys: the developers of SideShow Dan Polivy and Sriram Viji. This is a must watch video interview, if you want to see what Microsoft planned to do with Vista SideShow and they SideShow devices strategy, this is a must see!. Click on the link below and enjoy a 30 minute video presentation, overview syle of the upcoming Vista SideShow Technologies, ranging from SideShow Gadgets to real hardware platform examples.

For years I have been fascinated by displays of all types. Starting from 2x16 alphanumeric LCDs to graphic STN/FSTN monochrome to fancy TFT / OLED or E-ink display technologies. In short, I am obsessed with pixels. One night (Oct-2006), while trying to figure out how to write a Windows Display Driver with no hardware acceleration, I stumbled into something amazing: Microsoft Vista SiteShow technology. The rest is history....