Digital Home Thoughts: SideShow Devices Nearer, Yet Still Waiting in the Wings

"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! ;-)