What happened to ... [insert technology hyped by Microsoft] | The Coffeehouse

Klaus Enevoldsen
Development has never been easier nor more complicated...

What happened to SideShow? Was it ever a good idea?

What happened to Windows Vista Media Center Extenders built into televisions? What happened to low priced extenders? The current extenders are way too expensive...

Any thoughts?

stevo_
Human after all

I think their a bit..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyzuwZJtF0g

..at times Tongue Out

I guess they just want to put ideas out there and see what takes off..

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

Disclaimer: my own non-researched personal opinions. Someone who'se got the actual market data please correct me if necessary.

Klaus Enevoldsen wrote:
What happened to SideShow? Was it ever a good idea?

Good idea? Yes. But for desktops it doesn't make much sense since often the system unit is tucked away somewhere and you're looking at the main screen all the time anyway.

Laptops? It had great potential, but the sort of person who needs Sideshow functionality is the business type who already has a PDA or Smartphone which syncs directly with Exchange/RIM. The only other real market in laptops is the ultra-low priced cheap ones, but adding more functionality raises the prices, so it's a no-go there.

SideShow has potential in the server and HTPC markets for on-box displays for which there exists no standardised rich API, but AFAIK the SideShow hardware specifications aren't open. I reckon they'll silently relegate this feature to a one-liner for the next Windows relase like Active Desktop / Active Channels.

Klaus Enevoldsen wrote:
What happened to Windows Vista Media Center Extenders built into televisions?

Cost to much to implement and too few people are willing to hook their computers to their TVs to make it worthwhile. That, and the MPAA would not approve.

...and isn't the spec revised every time a new version of MCE comes out anyway? No company wants to walk on another's treadmill.

Klaus Enevoldsen wrote:
What happened to low priced extenders? The current extenders are way too expensive...

If you can afford the high price Vista Home Premium or Ultimate commands then you can probably also afford an STB. Market dynamics, people.

brian.shapiro
things go on as always

What happened to SmartDisplays?

I know they had a lot of issues originally, but will they ever be a worthwhile technology? With Wireless USB for instance? And multitouch?

It would be cool if workable SmartDisplays were released with partners around the same time Windows 7 is released

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

brian.shapiro wrote:
What happened to SmartDisplays?

Just a marketing name for slate form-factor RDP thin-clients. Went nowhere because of their high price, only works with XP Professional, and even then XP Pro was limited to 1 session, console or otherwise.

Yes, they work with Windows Server's TS suite, but why bother? If you want a portable RDP device use your PDA.

brian.shapiro wrote:
I know they had a lot of issues originally, but will they ever be a worthwhile technology? With Wireless USB for instance?

I understand they used WiFi.

DCMonkey
Monkey see, monkey do, monkey will destroy you!

brian.shapiro wrote:
What happened to SmartDisplays?

I know they had a lot of issues originally, but will they ever be a worthwhile technology? With Wireless USB for instance? And multitouch?

It would be cool if workable SmartDisplays were released with partners around the same time Windows 7 is released

Yeah, I liked the idea of those "Mira" devices. But only one company made them (Viewsonic IIRC), and they were overpriced ($800+). And they were ugly. And ....

sigh.

If if I could get a wireless remote display slate for about $300 I'd buy two. One for walking around the office, and one for home on the couch. Maybe with all of this talk of multitouch device support in Windows 7, we'll see this kind of device "re-surface" in the future.

GoddersUK
I CAN has cheezburger and you CAN'T has stop me!

DCMonkey wrote:
"re-surface"

ROFL

compugab
From Québec in Canada

http://blogs.msdn.com/sideshow/archive/2008/05/29/announcing-the-windows-sideshow-managed-api-sdk-and-runtime-releases.aspx

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

compugab wrote:
http://blogs.msdn.com/.../05/29/a...ws-sideshow-managed-api-...eases.aspx

This line represents most of the problems with Microsoft (and the recording industry) presently:

Some blogger wrote:
It has been 16 months since the release of our Managed API Beta

16 months? I don't think even Windows itself is in Beta for that long before it hits RC-status.

Apple delivers stuff as it announces them, which adds to their air of mystery and keeps people on their toes. Can someone explain just what happened here?

Klaus Enevoldsen
Development has never been easier nor more complicated...

W3bbo wrote:
Cost to much to implement and too few people are willing to hook their computers to their TVs to make it worthwhile. That, and the MPAA would not approve.

This might be true, could it be that Microsoft is shifting focus and will focus more on Mediaroom in the future? Sadly, I don't see any information on Media Center supporting IPTV.

W3bbo wrote:
...and isn't the spec revised every time a new version of MCE comes out anyway? No company wants to walk on another's treadmill.

I was hoping that the current implementation of MCX would last for many years, but with Microsoft you never know (What happened to Portable Media Center? Big Smile

).

W3bbo wrote:
If you can afford the high price Vista Home Premium or Ultimate commands then you can probably also afford an STB. Market dynamics, people.

I still think the prices are too high, they should offer a MCX without wireless at a lower price.

A few new "What happened to..."s:

Zune in Europe?
A silent Xbox 360? Big Smile

eddwo
Wheres my head at?

Whatever happened to..

"Windows Connect Now"
Storing WiFi settings on a USB Stick so you can configure multiple devices/PCs/Routers with the SSID / WPA Key without having to enter it manually via different web interfaces.

I know it exists on XP, Vista and XBox 360, but did any other Router/AccessPoint/device manufacturers ever implement it?

"PnP-X / Windows Rally"
This seemed like a good idea, an extension to UPNP so that external IP enabled peripherals could be detected and installed as with a user mode driver so that applications would be able to find them via the standard device namespace.

I know the iMate Momento photo frame uses this to connect to Vista as a Sideshow device, but is there anything else that uses it?

Native XPS Printers
There only seem to be about 3 models of printer that have XPS renderers built in, and they are all really large scale commercial models. How many years will it be before you can get a native XPS DeskJet for the home user?

Link Layer Topology Discovery
Vista uses it to create the network map, and it can be added to XP with an update, but it was supposed to be integrated into routers/switches etc so that richer information could be returned. For example if I have a single device thats a network switch router and access point it may appear on the network map as two devices connected in different topologies depending on which computer draws the map. With LLTP built into the router it would be able to declare itself a composite device.
It also doesn't seem to be built into Windows Home Server at all, which means WHS devices don't show up correctly on the network map even though WHS came out after Vista.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

Ultimate Extra's? [A]

I really wish SideShow would pick up. I'd love it if Logitech came out with a Harmony remote that supported SideShow.

Lloyd_Humph
If Blackberrys are addictive cellphones, Channel9 is the ultimate addictive website.

Well, I was thinking it could be used for desktops. There are a few gadgets out there, such as the Remote that Bas was going to purchase (thread here somewhere IIRC). The company that makes that remote also makes modules.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that SideShow either did or was going to support WM devices. That'd be useful - stick it in its dock, and it's essentially another screen to be used, and stick SideShow on it. I do believe I put a thread up about it. I'll go dig it up now.

--

Right, it was a rumour. Pity.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/23/vistas-sideshow-coming-to-windows-mobile-devices/

harumscarum
out of memory

The original marketing of .net. I remember the car commercial but can't find it on youtube. Sad

Microsoft DNA

Klaus Enevoldsen
Development has never been easier nor more complicated...

harumscarum wrote:
The original marketing of .net. I remember the car commercial but can't find it on youtube.

Microsoft DNA

When C# was launched there was a video, with a guy dressed up as Elvis and singing "C C writer", it was a funny video. A bunch of coders can get anything to work, now Elvis appears, sings a song and suddenly everything work...

Klaus Enevoldsen
Development has never been easier nor more complicated...

Duplicate post - note to self: Don't press "post" twice...

LaBomba
Summer

What about the next release of MS BOB? Embarassed

GoddersUK
I CAN has cheezburger and you CAN'T has stop me!

What happened to side show?

Well it looks like you'll be able to use your portable device with it!

VB Man
Year of the Linux MCE.

Whatever happened to the "Origami Experience" ???

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to VB Man

#Jun 4th, 2008 @ 11:06 AM

They're at version 2.0.

DCMonkey
Monkey see, monkey do, monkey will destroy you!

In reply to Bas

#Jun 4th, 2008 @ 12:32 PM

Except it doesn't seem to have shipped yet. Their blog said it was "coming soon" at the end of April.

http://origamiproject.com/blogs/team_blog/archive/2008/04/30/30869.aspx

Looks nice though. May have to check out the current line of UMPCs if I can find a local store that sells em.