Asus intros SideShow-ready motherboards

While CES graced us with laptops aplenty touting SideShow capabilities, Asus is bringing the secondary display love over to the desktop realm with its latest lineup of motherboards. The M2N32-SLI Premium Vista Edition and P5B Premium Vista Edition each come Vista-ready and support Asus' own ScreenDUO technology, which "provides a second display panel to enable the user to conveniently view important information without having to start up the PC." Users purchasing the boards actually get the secondary display in a bundled package, but there's no word on if (or how) you can connect your own screen in the future. Nevertheless, the boards also feature AI Remote, AP Trigger, TPM support, and the firm's Accelerated Propeller to reportedly "shorten boot times and program initiation" while in Vista. Asus is lookin' out for both the Intel and AMD camps, as the M2N32-SLI provides socket support for AMD Athlon 64 FX processors, while the P5B plays nice with Intel's Core 2 Quad chips, and although pricing information isn't readily available, these mobos should be hitting shelves shortly to coincide with the Vista release.

[Via 64-Bit-Computers]

[Paris K @ Jan 24th 2007 11:04AM]

Wow motherboards have surely gone a far way since the last time I was looking to buy one for my PC. This one has a remote that lets you switch it on and off and supports ReadyBoot meaning it has integrated flash mem(doesn't say how much though).

[Buck Jones III @ Jan 24th 2007 11:07AM]

SideShow is getting more useful devices every day. I would like that remote to turn on the computer and start up programs from the couch. Vista is gonna be a great update.

[Christian Martin @ Jan 24th 2007 11:26AM]

I did wonder what it would take to enable SideShow on the desktop.

Now to get answers on swapping the screen, and when these will include PCI-E 2.0...

[Karl @ Jan 24th 2007 11:42AM]

Thing is, this doesn't require another motherboard. The sideshow device is just another USB device.

I hope we can get them separatley.

[Lonnie McClure @ Jan 25th 2007 4:11AM]

As sideshow devices begin to be sold separately, some manufacturer will decide they can greatly expand their market if they include an application with it that gives it some functionality under 2000/XP.

[Phoenix Enigma @ Jan 24th 2007 12:11PM]

Neat little trick, but for anyone who's going to shell out for Vista and a new mobo, where's the decent chipset? nVidia's 5xx chips, come on, that's weak. Where's my 6xx chips?

[Buck Jones III @ Jan 24th 2007 12:33PM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_SideShow

Windows SideShow can do many many things.

[danielyallop @ Jan 24th 2007 12:39PM]

ahh thanks, i didnt know it works when in standby ha thanks

[danielyallop @ Jan 24th 2007 12:58PM]

heeheh damn it says in the article "displays without pc on" LOOOL damn...how the hell did i miss that...oh well thanks for explaining lol

[danielyallop @ Jan 24th 2007 12:57PM]

someone please explain the point in slideshow?...if you want to view a picture and are on your PC or laptop anyway..er..why not use the pc screen?

[Ayle @ Jan 24th 2007 12:40PM]

Sideshow is for displaying information of your gagdets like the weather or the rss feeds without actually turning on your computer.....It doesnt work with a regular second monitor( I tried).....

[Mile @ Jan 24th 2007 1:07PM]

According to the article, slideshow can be wireless. I could see this being usefull for a home desktop - Aunt Betty sent me an email and rush over to view it, perhaps. But if it's tethered? I have my desktop running 24x7, so big deal.

Can slideshows be touch screens? That would open up some cool apps, imo.

Anyway, the cool plus factor is still there and overpowers the useful negative factor, so yes I will have one on my desktop, but right now I think it's killer only for laptops.

[TheCount @ Jan 24th 2007 1:08PM]

This is a very cool feature, especially since it can work over bluetooth as well. I know the Microsoft-bashing media and the uninformed have been out to ruin Vista for a while now, but Vista is actually looking pretty good as a successor to XP.

[John Doe @ Jan 24th 2007 8:10PM]

The media doesn't need to ruin Vista. Microsoft has done that all on their own over the last 5 years. I mean seriously, when a company is a year to a year and a half into development of their next spiffy OS, and they drop the code base and start from scratch using Server 2003's code...it says something...and not in a good way.

PS- I think its funny as hell that I can spot a Bush supporter, or at the very least I'd lay money that TC is one, simply by reading people's comments. Just goes to show what type of person has the herd mentality. Move along Bossy. Its feeding time at the trough.

[Oddmanout @ Jan 24th 2007 6:26PM]

Does anyone know if the forecast ability to use a pocketpc for your sideshow display actually came to fruition, and if so can said knowledgeable person throw down a link ?

Thanks!

[TODAYinTECH @ Jan 30th 2007 3:39PM]

http://www.makezine.com/extras/41.html

[TODAYinTECH @ Jan 24th 2007 7:51PM]

I came across an article a long time ago that showed how you could use a pocketpc as a screen, and extend your desktop to the screen. I use Konfabulator to display some usefull information without blocking my main screen. It is very useful, doesn't have the access to data when the PC is off, but very cool feature for people who don't have Vista. And since I found that I didn't use my keypad so much, I molded the screen into my keyboard, and use the numbers and the top of the keyboard when I need to (you could also use one of those usb calculator/keyboard device on the rare occasion you need to enter alot of calculations). In another project, I was able to add a screen to my desktop phone to the right of the handset and above the keypad. I think these motherboard are sweet.

[TheCount @ Jan 25th 2007 1:33AM]

And I'm willing to bet that you'd go broke on a trip to Vegas. Bush supporter? Not only are you wrong, your reason for taking so ridiculous a leap is moronic.

If I wanted to go with the herd, I'd go fall in line right behind you.

[codywatson @ Jan 24th 2007 11:16PM]

Looks like the cable for the screen is really short. Are the motherboard's ports not generally on the back of the computer, or am I going insane?