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All posts tagged "vista"


Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Going Vertical

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 08:00 PM

So, I've been experimenting both at home and at work with switching my monitors to portrait orientation. I've found that even on a widescreen monitor, putting two windows side by side does not always quite cut it, but it is pretty easy to work in portrait orientation with one window above the other. On a standard monitor, like I use at work, the portrait mode is much better for working with typical office applications.

Overall, I really like the setup, but have a few issues that may make me revert, at least on my home machine. First off, Windows Media center will not even open when you are in portrait mode. Granted the experience is optimized in landscape, but it seems shortsighted that the software should not even open. Second, is there any way to move the Vista Windows Sidebar to the bottom of the screen? I know it is called the sidebar, but it would be nice if there were options other than left and right. Any suggestions?


Thursday, June 5, 2008

Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Developer Preview

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC Software" @ 06:08 AM

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...&DisplayLang=en

"Windows® SideShow™ for Windows Mobile® is an application for Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PCs and Smartphones that allows you to use your Windows Mobile device as a Bluetooth SideShow-compatible device. This enables you to use your phone as an extra window into your PC. You can both access your computer’s information from your Pocket PC or Smartphone, and control the computer through a gadget interface. While the phone is out of range, or when your computer is off, you can continue to view content sent to the phone previously. This makes it easy to send information to the phone that you'll need later on."



Last year, I trekked over to Beijing with fellow MVPs and other technical community leaders to meet with the Microsoft Research and Windows Vista teams. There, we discussed the direction that Windows Vista was going to take over the next few years. Microsoft obviously wanted to make the user experience better, but they wanted (needed?) ideas. While a great deal of the week-long meeting focused on the product itself, we did spend some time discussing how it could better communicate with the rest of Microsoft's products, and most importantly, take advantage of them. For the most part, it was all about Windows Mobile, and I was brimming with ideas. Can you see where this is heading?

Yes, we discussed Windows SideShow, which at the time was one of Windows Vista's most impressive features, yet sadly, one of the most underused, too. Not everyone has a digital picture frame or a laptop with an in-lid display. But a lot of us have phones, and if you're reading this, it's probably a Windows Mobile phone. I often wondered why Microsoft didn't endow its own mobile product with SideShow support right off the bat. Some third parties cooked up their own solutions, but adoption was far from widespread, and I was sincerely hoping that Microsoft would realize their oversight and rectify the situation by releasing an official solution to bring SideShow to Windows Mobile.

So, here we are, a year later and Microsoft has heeded advice and finally released a developer preview. It's at v0.01, so don't expect it to be rock solid, but it'll still give you a taste of things to come. Our pal, Arne, has given it a test run and likes what he sees. Maybe you will too. Download it, install it, and let us know what you think.


Thursday, May 15, 2008

SideShow Devices Nearer, Yet Still Waiting in the Wings

Posted by Tim Williamson in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 06:00 AM

http://www.gearlog.com/2008/05/side...ill_waiting.php

"Am I the only one getting hot and bothered by the prospect of SideShow devices? No matter, I'll blog anyway! The gizmos were conceived of as a second, external laptop screen on which you could check your e-mail, or the weather, or show pictures of your family, all without opening the laptop's cover. But there was exciting talk of other gadgets: independent gizmos that can talk to and access data on your main PC from anywhere in your house. They were one of several hardware innovations that I thought really made Vista stand out."



We've heard about Windows SideShow technology for a while now (about the time Vista was announced I think?), but have there been any devices released that use this technology? Well it looks like there's at least one company out there close to releasing a SideShow device (a universal remote to be exact). In addition to standard universal remote functions (multi-device compatibility, macros, etc.), it also has SideShow built-in, which I guess means it has a data connection to a PC which allows you to pull down email, view pictures, listen to music, and do other cool stuff (using "gadgets") without being at your PC. This sounds like a neat feature, but if you're buying this Media Center remote, wouldn't you already have a Media Center PC setup in your living room? Why wouldn't you just access your pictures/videos/emails right on your TV? So I'm not sure how practical this is. Is this a case of looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist? Or maybe it's simply a case of W?BIC! ;-)


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