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Eleksen slaps SideShow on a messenger bag
SideShow ain't just for laptops anymore, Eleksen just grabbed a few of its nifty "ElekTex" fabric controls, a 2.5-inch LCD, and some SideShow functionality and pasted it all onto a hip little messenger bag. The SideShow module can communicate with your laptop via Bluetooth or USB, and the unit supports MP3 playback, photo albums, videos and more, beamed straight off your laptop's on-board memory cache. We spotted a non-working prototype of this thing last night, so be sure to check out those pics after the break.[Via Carrypad]
LG Z1 laptop packs SideShow too, but sexier this time
On Saturday we spotted the Asus W5Fe, a SideShow-enabled laptop with a bummer of an exterior bump to house that supplemental screen. However, yesterday we eyed the LG Z1, which appears to be a much cleaner design than the Asus. While we don't know much about it as of yet, we can tell you that it's got a DVD player, and at least one USB port. And like any other SideShow-enabled device, you can show off those fun new Vista gadgets that everyone is all up in a tizzy about. We're still waiting on a full spec list and how much you'll have to throw down for the pleasure of a secondary screen, but for now you can slide on over to the next page for a couple pics of it live and in person here at CES.Update: We've just got the official word from LG that this will have an Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7200 2.0 GHz, a 12.1-inch (1280 x 800) display, and 1GB of DDR2 RAM.
Dell's SideShow-enabled, Bluetooth sportin' MP3 player
We thought Dell was out of the DAP game for good once they killed off the Ditty, but our agents spied a gadget that may possibly be that SideShow-enabled Dell digital audio player we heard rumors about a few days ago. Nothing official yet, but what you're looking at is a "production-ready concept design" for a DAP that's supposed to pop into a dock on your laptop or desktop where it would double as a SideShow display. The model we spotted sported 1GB of storage, Bluetooth (no word on A2DP), and touch-sensitive controls. No word on when, or even if, this thing might see the light of day, but now we're pretty damned curious. Click on for a couple more pics.
Hands-on: Video of Asus' SideShow laptop
We got our grubby lil' mitts on Asus' first Sideshow laptop at Saturday's CES Unveiled event. Granted, we didn't have a whole load of time to give it a thorough run through, but peep the video for an idea of how a widgetized auxiliary display works while the computer is off.
Asus W5Fe SideShow laptop hands-on
We heard about the official announcement just a couple of hours ago, but we already got our hands on that new Asus W5Fe laptop that features SideShow. The first thing we went in for was (obviously) the SideShow auxiliary display, and we are happy to report it's a lot lower profile than we thought it'd be. That said, we've seen Sideshow units embedded into laptop lids without any raised plastics whatsoever, so any humpbacked growths are kind of unacceptable. It's light, but not quite as light as we'd have hoped for a 12-inch laptop -- it's certainly got some bulk -- but it's a solid feeling machine that will go nicely with your Vista install and the SideShow's a nice bonus. The jury may be out on what kinds of apps this particular install has going for it (it only had widgets for a media player, stripped down email reader, and battery gauge), but that'll undoubtedly change with time. Asus W5Fe SideShow laptop hands-on
Asus W5Fe with SideShow announced
We knew Asus was coming out with a SideShow-enabled laptop, we knew it was happening at CES alongside Vista's coming-out, and now we've got it: the W5Fe has a fat, ugly auxiliary display to accompany its 12-inch widescreen display. It also features Core 2 Duo processors, Intel 802.11a/b/g, up to 1.5GB RAM and 160GB of drive space, an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, ExpressCard port, VGA and TV-out, and so on. But we know the SideShow novelty is what's most important: that will give you a 2.8-inch QVGA display with 1GB of independent flash memory for installing widgets and even media.
Dell prepping a SideShow-enabled MP3 player?
If Microsoft has its way, you won't be able to pick up a digital thermometer next year that's not powered by its widget-tastic SideShow middleware. Therefore, even though Dell dropped out of the portable audio game this past summer, rumors that the company is working with Redmond on a SideShow-enabled MP3 player do in fact seem fairly plausible. According to Cnet's Jasmine France, the buzz around Microsoft headquarters during the final week of December was focused on just such a device, which is said to sport media capabilities along with wireless connectivity. If these rumblings do end up panning out, Dell would have a somewhat unique product on its hands -- one which would differentiate itself from the iPods, Zunes, and Sansas of the world by offering access to the nearly limitless types of data and infoswag that the SideShow platform is capable of displaying. Again, deets here are about as slim as can be, so just keep this one on your radar for the time being.
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]
Ricavision's Vista MCE SideShow remote does Bluetooth at 100-meters
Just one day after seeing the first "officially announced" SideShow remote for Vista Media Center Edition, out pops this slider from Ricavision. Their loquaciously named remote -- the Microsoft Windows Vista SideShow Media Center Remote Control -- is a confirmed IR and Class 1 Bluetooth device. That gives you a 100-meter (or so) operating radius when coupled with the included USB RC6 (IR) receiver and Class 1 Bluetooth receiver. Nice, however, what's most notable is that sweet, sweet 2.5-inch QVGA LCD display for Microsoft's promising SideShow technology; a bit of magicking that hooks the remote into a suite of Media Center "Gadgets" allowing you to extract and display information related to your media. In short, you'll have damn-near full control over your media center's TV recordings and schedules, music library, radio presets, and collection of pictures and video. Better yet, the remote works with any Gadget assigned through Vista's SideShow Control Panel like eMail, calendar, and RSS feeds just to name a few. Great, now add a touchscreen and hack that thing in half and we'll be able to carry it around in our pockets. Nevertheless, we'll have to give this, and other SideShow remotes a thorough hands-on at CES in January to see if they're worth the premium. Otherwise, you'll just be in suspense, wondering how to spend the $199 the MWVSMCRC will cost ya when hitting in April, 2007 -- that would just be mean. More product renderings after the break.Read (not live until CES in January)
Interlink unveils SlideLink: the first SideShow remote for Vista MCE
While SideShow, that snazzy forthcoming feature that lets you fire up slideshows, widgets, and other random goodies with actually booting up, has been garnering a good bit of attention lately, it's not much good without a equally flashy remote to control the action from afar. While there's been several devices parading around as Vista MCE remotes, CEPro is now reporting that Interlink Electronics -- the folks who sued Nintendo for jacking their motion-sensing technology and implanting it in the Wiimote -- is the "first company to officially announce a SideShow remote control." The firm asserts that the SlideLink will let customers "select songs, schedule recordings, navigate video clips and photographs, display TV program guides, and even browse recorded TV shows" right from the worn down cushion of your sofa. Still, we're not yet sure if this thing will utilize RF, Bluetooth, or some other short-range wireless format, and since this doesn't seem to be the company's "first priority" (see lawsuit mentioned above), who knows when we'll see this thing in the flesh.
SideShow finds a partner in Lagotek's home automation tech
If Windows Vista's various desktop enhancements and purtifications haven't managed to get you excited about the new OS, don't write it off altogether just yet. The new "SideShow" feature -- which allows for lightweight PC-powered functionality on a secondary display without actually booting or interrupting Windows -- has quite a bit of promise, and Lagotek's home automation integration seems to be a good sign of things to come. Based on the upcoming version 3.0 of Lagotek's Home Intelligence Platform, the new home automation controls tie into Vista Media Center Edition and and allow you to select "scenes" via the SideShow interface for activating certain lighting, home entertainment and other automated functions. HIP works with wireless music systems like the Squeezebox, IP-enabled video cameras, and Z-wave lights and thermostats, while Z-wave RF mesh networking and 802.11g keep it all connected. So no big surprises on the automation front, but at least now you'll be able to use one of those nifty SideShow controls built into your future laptop, desktop or remote instead of having to dedicate an entire PC interface to dimming the lights for those romantic dinner dates you've been having with your Wii.
Asus finally launching SideShow laptop
We're seriously hoping that massive bulge on the lid isn't going to remain (for long), but we're just happy enough that someone -- namely Asus -- is prepping to launch a SideShow laptop. Granted, it'll be first thing next year alongside the Vista release at CES (i.e. when we were all expecting SideShow laptops to be revealed) but still. Expect PortalPlayer and other hardware "gadget" (widget, damn it!) businesses to hop on the gravy train all the way to auxiliary display-town.
Microsoft demos SideShow-enabled products at WinHEC
Microsoft seems to have big plans for their SideShow auxiliary display technology -- besides the laptop and remote control implementations we've been expecting, they're also using the software for products that we didn't even know we needed, such as digital photo frames that overlay the picture with IMs and Outlook data. The frame, which is being manufactured by a company called A Living Picture, was one of three devices that Microsoft's senior project manager for Windows Client Greg Graceffo showed off at today's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), along with a modified Logitech G15 gaming keyboard and a universal remote from Exceptional Innovations. EI's remote, which will launch at the same time as Vista (whenever that is), looks particularly promising, as it allows the user to view program guides, RSS feeds, and other infoswag on the same gadget that can control both home theater equipment and home automation devices. As for the keyboard, well, keep reading if you're interested in seeing what an Outlook appointment looks like on a three-line LCD...
