auxiliary
Latest
Asus ScreenDUO auxiliary desktop display previewed
Although Windows Vista has been scrutinized in just about every aspect imaginable, Asus threw out a clever deviation to Microsoft's SideShow functionality when it unveiled the ScreenDUO-equipped desktop motherboards. Unlike SideShow on a laptop's auxiliary display, this bundled in module connects directly to Asus' motherboards and includes the firm's own proprietary software to offer up useful extras on your handheld screen that Gates and Co. aren't likely to supply. The kind folks over at TechReport were able to give us a first-hand look at the stylish display, and also offered up a few suggestions of how it's best utilized. The unit itself measures about 4- x 2.5- x 0.75-inches, rocks a 2.5-inch QVGA screen, a directional pad, rear kickstand, USB port, and several buttons placed along the top and front. It was noted that Asus' software catered more towards desktop needs, and rather than providing easy access to "things like email," it offered up customized iTunes / media player controls, calendar views, photo viewers, Outlook contact lists, RSS readers, hardware monitoring applications, etc. Interestingly, the ScreenDUO was dubbed less like a secondary display and more like a "secondary interface," and while the initial list of widgets are respectable, the company's future support of the display will likely make or break its usefulness -- but honestly, where's the touchscreen support, Asus?
MSI's Mega Player 529 caught running SideShow on an auxiliary display
With the consumer release of Windows Vista growing ever closer, we're hearing an awful lot of buzz surrounding that nifty SideShow feature, which lets users take advantage of secondary displays to utilize widgets, media players, and other random (but sure-to-become-necessary) widgets, and now we're seeing a real-world implementation of SideShow on a laptop auxiliary display. According to Tech-On, MSI's Mega Player 529 portable media player has been successfully integrated into a laptop palm rest, and can utilize Microsoft's SideShow to play music, media files, open PowerPoint presentations, receive email alerts, and handle a few other basic tasks (quite literally) on the side. Purportedly relying on PortalPlayer's "preface" system, the device is said to sport a 320 x 240 resolution display, built-in DAC, 1GB of integrated memory, and a USB interface. It can also be removed from the lappie when you want to take your tunes on the go, and can reportedly last "around two to three" hours before needing a recharge, and while we've no idea how soon this gizmo (or the sleek laptop housing it) will hit the mainstream here in the States, consider our interest piqued.[Via SlashGear]
