Windows SideShow, an auxiliary hardware display, gives users the ability to use PCs even when they are turned off—and developers get to provide the content.
by Markus Egger
March 3, 2006
ideShow allows users to remotely control PCs and servers. It allows PCs to create interactive output on devices other than monitors so users can view useful data stored on their PCs when they are away from it. It enables users to interact with their PCs in scenarios that would previously have been very cumbersome, and allows for the creation of secondary display and interaction devices that would previously have been cost-prohibitive. The Windows Sideshow auxiliary hardware display can display information and provide interaction even when the main PC is turned off, the laptop lid is closed, or no monitor is available.
The basic idea of Windows SideShow is straightforward: provide a way to interact with a PC when it is off, or when the user does not have access to keyboard, mouse, and monitor for some reason. Imagine a scenario where you have your notebook in a bag and want to check whether you received e-mail. You need to get your laptop out of the bag, open up the lid, wait for the device to boot, launch your e-mail application, and wait for it to download mail from the mail server. It's a cumbersome and time-consuming task, just to check for new e-mail.
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ideShow allows users to remotely control PCs and servers. It allows PCs to create interactive output on devices other than monitors so users can view useful data stored on their PCs when they are away from it. It enables users to interact with their PCs in scenarios that would previously have been very cumbersome, and allows for the creation of secondary display and interaction devices that would previously have been cost-prohibitive. The Windows Sideshow auxiliary hardware display can display information and provide interaction even when the main PC is turned off, the laptop lid is closed, or no monitor is available.
