Marko Hammond asked:


In this age when everything is hectic, conveniences matter a lot. And with the new feature from Microsoft Vista, having information at your fingertips has become even better. With the advent of the Windows SideShow, viewing and downloading information from one PC to another has never been easier.

The new Microsoft Vista Windows SideShow comes with a feature akin to a picture frame. This wireless-based Vista mechanism supports a secondary screen on your computer. The Windows SideShow from Microsoft Vista can be used to view information from your mobile or desktop computer to a wide variety of devices like on a keyboard’s display, a display embedded on a laptop lid, or one that’s built into your remote control. This Microsoft Vista technology allows users to download information from a computer to another device, keep it for display and have it on standby and ready to be referenced.

With the new Microsoft Vista Windows SideShow, you can check your calendar, scan top news stories or view your Windows Mail inbox without having to turn your computer on. The extra display also allows you to view essential information whether you laptop is on, off or in a sleep mode, saving you both time and battery life. You can also look up appointments and contacts on the secondary screen. Selection and navigation through the accessible functionality is also easy with the little buttons located next to the screen.

The information displayed on a stationary LCD screen is courtesy of an Auxiliary Display Controller (ADC). The LCD screen may be of any size a device designer needs. Screens may range from monochrome panel of a computer’s external surface, on a remote control or on a mobile phone. The Microsoft Vista’s SideShow uses Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in order to convert information to a type that allows efficient display on the small screens on mobile devices.
The Microsoft Vista tool also has the capacity to use gadgets and mini programs to pull out information from your PC to other devices. Turning gadgets for each of your devices can be turned on or off using a fundamental site in Control Panel called the Windows SideShow. Using the Microsoft Vista tool, you can use gadgets to run on a device that’s Windows Sideshow-compatible and update that device with information from your PC. This gadget then allows you to view information from your computer whether it’s on, off or in the sleep mode.

The Microsoft Vista’s SideShow currently supports a variety of devices that take advantage of the new technology in the display of quick and efficient information. Examples of such devices include: displays embedded in keyboards, displays attached to a laptop, cell phones, remote controls, digital picture frames, televisions, alarm clocks and other display panels. Basically, the devices function in two modes. The State S0 mode is when the computer runs in the normal condition while the display interacts and shows live data. The State S3 mode is the state when the computer is standing by, hibernating or in low power mode.

The SideShow feature provided by Microsoft Vista is available in the following editions: Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate.