Windows SideShow is one of those features that has been implemented in Windows Vista since day one, but no one ever finds interesting or talks about. I’m speculating the cause of that is the lack of SideShow-compatible devices on the market. Although I’m sure thats a tiny problem, right? No loving review samples to go around. 🙁

Everyone’s impression of Windows SideShow is most likely a reminiscence of the Channel9 video which featured a demo on the faux-standard SideShow demo device, the ASUS W5Fe prototype. Or perhaps the glassy digital picture frame. Ever since, everyone’s imagination has probably been confined only to a bulky looking PDA glued to the back of a laptop or executive-priced picture frames. But that’s where you’re wrong.

Here is an illustration I found in the MSDN Library which shows off very well, the potential of SideShow.

And there’s also an example of the expected interface on SideShow devices. Of course, in the hands of OEMs, that’ll get turned into a mash-up of bevels and drop shadows like Intel knows best.

But the most interesting out of all this is not what you can see, but who’s behind all this. The primary manufacturer behind the hardware technology is PortalPlayer, recently acquired by NVIDIA. You might remember PortalPlayer as the sole provider of the system-on-chip solution for all iPods until 2006 when Apple switched manufacturers. Oh the irony. But what could this mean for SideShow and Microsoft?

Could you imagine, a device that can be attached to a laptop and serve as a mini-PDA for when situations when your laptop is inappropriate, and when detached, lives a double life as a phone, PDA, media player and remote control? I know I can.

Because I write a blog, my opinions need no justification. You should even base your life and your purchasing decisions around my extremely valuable, NASA-like accurate and self-justified rantings. If you were to ask me what I thought about Windows Vista, because your own opinions are worth less than hotdogs on a stick, I’m here to tell you Windows Vista blows. Just like what this guy, Robert Rittmuller, is telling everyone else. Let’s have a look at what Robert says in greater detail.

• “(Vista has) no new features” – None at all. For the last 5 years, everyone at Microsoft went on a cooking course. Thus had to drop features to make time for icing on the cake.
• “(Vista has) no speed boost” – A dedicated performance team inside the Windows development division focused solely on how to improve Solitaire’s frame rate.
• “Microsoft provided these programs in the ‘Ultimate’ version of Vista as a weak attempt to compete with Apple’s iLife software suite.” – The biggest Windows Vista secret yet to be revealed is a home productivity suite. Because Robert has obviously used it.
• “My own informal tests on my Macbook Pro…” – Because formal benchmarks on Windows Vista are illegal, remember?
• “…excessive use of transparency” – Transparency you can even see!
• “Unnecessary eye candy is everywhere” – There are literally Aero bars popping out from left, right and center.
• “Since Microsoft decided not to build Windows Vista on the longhorn kernel” – R.I.P. Vista’s code-name kernel.
• “You can do everything promised by Windows Vista in Windows XP today” – Solitaire, check! Minesweeper, check! Notepad, check!

And of course Robert is spot on with his criticism of Windows Vista, so perceivably his next article on “Why Corporations Are Going To Hate Windows Vista” is also totally right. With straight facts like “Windows Vista lacks a ‘Start” menu'”, Robert has found a one-way ticket to successful journalism. I wish him the best of luck.

A lot of people think I’m a figment of Microsoft’s marketing team, and that’s probably true. I bet when I sleep, some Microsoft ninjas come through the window to hypnotize me. But putting that aside, you can have the opportunity to catch me and force me to talk to you at two upcoming events in Melbourne.

Ready Summit

When: Wednesday, 15th of November
Where: Crown Towers
I’m going to be at Microsoft’s Ready Summit 06 to learn about all the things I don’t know about Windows Vista. It’s also free, so why not. The sessions I’m attending in order of time are Keynote, Developer Vision, Office 2007 Development, Connecting Users with Data in new ways, Development with WSS 3.0 and Windows Vista Desktop Lifecycle Management. I’m probably going to be writing stuff with a Tablet PC running Vista RTM, so you’ll know that’s me.

eGames and Entertainment Expo

When: Friday and Saturday, 17th and 18th of November
Where: Melbourne Exhibition Centre
Boy there’s no reason not to go to the eGames expo. There’s the Wii to play with, PS3 demonstration, Gears of War and chance to win some great prizes. The Wii alone is worth everything.

So if you see me, please don’t mind tripping me over and saying hello. Then of course, I’ll sue you for negligence.

A lot of people have asked for an in-depth comparison between the many consumer edition of Windows Vista: Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate. And of course, I tell them, “Don’t look at me, I don’t have a clue.” But someone has to know, and who better to know than Microsoft.

Windows Vista ships with a new tool called “Windows Anytime Upgrade“, which enables on-the-fly upgrades to higher-tiered versions of Windows Vista with the ease of a simple online transaction. In this tool, is also a “comparison matrix” chart which helps Microsoft to tease you about all the features you’re missing out on because you’re too cheap to buy Ultimate. But of course, this chart might also help some understand and value the differences between the three editions of Windows Vista. (Excluding Home Basic N, for all the media-crippled Europeans.)

Remember, this is the matrix. Can you handle the truth?

Click image to view full-sized chart. (231KB)

For an alternative comparison matrix with Business and Enterprise editions, have a look at Ed Bott’s Secret Decoder Ring.

Blogging is hard work. Trying to get scoops is hard enough. Trying to get scoops whilst everyone else is asleep is even harder. Living on the other side of the world has its perks, but it’s a real PITA for any news technology-related.

As any returning visitor to this blog would know, I don’t link to a bunch of press releases, or even worse, link to other blog posts linking to press releases. I always try to get exclusive contents where possible.

It certainly doesn’t help when I live with a completely opposite timezone. People can even have difficulties contacting others in the same city or country. Imagine that problem magnified over 8000km of ocean. To demonstrate, my email conversations usually goes something like this:

(I learn about a gossip or rumor)
Long: Hey. Do you know about this cool thing? (I sleep)
Other: Sure do. (Other sleeps)
Long: (I wake up) Can you tell me about feature X? (I sleep)
Other: (Other wakes up) Feature X is like t3h bomb! (Other sleeps)
Long: (I wake up) What about some pictures? (I sleep)
Other: (Other wakes up) Here you go.

It would take me about 3 days to get potentially the same amount of information someone else could get during a 15 minute instant messaging conversation. In a world where information has to be timely, you can see how the novelty wears off pretty easily.

And don’t even get me started on shipping. If you live in the States, shipping media or review products is almost as convenient as ordering pizza. Whereas for me, I’d have to pray for the wind to blow in the right direction.

I’d like to applaud all the other Aussie bloggers who suffer from the same timezone consequences. I must admit, I’m fortunate enough for anyone to even read my blog considering the circumstances. I only wish I can do more.

If you haven’t heard of Photosynth before, then you’ve probably been living under a rock. But the next time you’re under that rock, take a picture, and share it with the world.

For those do remember, Photosynth is a project by Microsoft Live Labs, a research team under the Windows Live brand who are experimenting with new ways to visualize data.

Today, the team has released the public technology preview so the whole world can see what the fuss has all been about. Although the preview is only limited to several predefined ‘spaces’, and you cannot add your own photographic resources to the project, but that doesn’t make this any less interesting than it already was.

The thing that surprised me the most is the use of a web browser environment. I never thought the browser had so much power to be capable of processing such tasks, but the Live Labs team has made it possible. And this opens up a whole new range of opportunities for Microsoft and online photo services like Flickr. Flickr’s implementation of geotagging would be made complete redundant if a technology such as this were to be implemented. Everything is automated and perfect.

Without further ado, let me show you what Photosynth is about. Or you could try it for yourself. Please note, the images were not pre-cached, so everything’s pretty much live. Notice how fast it loads the pictures, and I’m 10000km away!

Video: Microsoft Live Labs Photosynth screencast (3:03min)

Soundtrack credit: Discovery (Gas 0095) by microscopics