We checked out the ASUS w5fe notebook PC the other day, which uses Vista's new SideShow system to allow you access to things like music, photos, contact information and more, even when the machine is on standby. I had thought that was about all it was going to be used for (certainly the website doesn't give much else away). However, having a peek at around the Microsoft booth I found a further three gadgets that were showing off SideShow functionality,
The rep had a mobile running a prototype SideShow application for the Windows Mobile platform. With this he was able to access his computer, scroll through emails, check out photos and listen to music, all wirellessly and without going near his machine.
There was also a SideShow remote control on display, which will presumably be used with the various Media Center tool. Although the demo device wasn't in operation, I expect it will primarily be used to navigate through your video files so you can select the one you want to play.
Finally there was a SideShow Picture frame being demoed that can connect up to your stored digital photos and show them off either as a single image or in a slide show. One problem with this though, is that there are already several products on the market that do the same thing, and things like the new Kodak frames, looked a hell of a lot better and will be able to do more.
On the whole, the SideShow aspect of Vista looks extremely promising and I'm looking forward to seeing what else will take advantage of the system.
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