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(Credit: Crave Asia)

BenQ is the latest to offer laptops with an external LCD screen featuring Microsoft's "SideShow" technology, following Asus and LG.

SideShow is the feature of Windows Vista that allows playback of multimedia files, as well as email and calendars, on a separate screen without having to boot up the machine. Unfortunately, one pays a premium for this feature. For example, the SideShow LG R200-Q compared to the cheaper LG R200-G variant costs an extra $500 or so. For that price one can get a basic PDA that serves a similar function.

The BenQ Q41, however, ups the ante by adding Skype to the mix. Using the external LCD, you can connect, call and talk to your pals over the internet without booting the machine. Though it may not be the killer app for SideShow to really take off, it's a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, the other specifications for this Core 2 Duo machine does not really impress. It uses an integrated SIS Mirage 3+ graphics engine, which means hardcore gaming is out of the equation. Its memory support ends at 2GB of RAM and only has a 10/100 Ethernet port and 802.11b/g compatibility. This 14.1-inch laptop weighs more than 4.6 pounds and is rated for 2.5 hours of uptime. Hence, other than the external SideShow LCD, the BenQ Q41 is really a basic computing system. No pricing and launch date are available at this time.

(Source: Crave Asia)

(Credit: Ricavision)

If you own an estate with huge grounds, perhaps the Ricavision Wave100 remote control may interest you. This $299 magic wand has an extended 17-meter range and is capable of controlling up to 20 audio-video boxes and Windows Vista PCs. Unlike the Logitech Harmony, setup can be performed offline through a built-in infrared code library compiled from more than 1,500 brands. Other standard remote capabilities include learning function and macro programming.

The Wave100 can also stream Bluetooth audio (A2DP) right out of the box with the companion wireless transceiver integrated into the docking station. Engadget notes that another cool feature is its Windows SideShow capability, which allows e-mail usage on the fly and photo viewing on a 2.4-inch color screen. It's expected to ship in February, with international shipping available on the company's online store.

(Source: Crave Asia)

NOT the Sideshow companion

OK, so it's not made by Dell, but the tip about the portable SideShow companion device turned out to be true. And it even looks kind of similar to the iRiver Clix, which is how I pictured it originally. In fact, though, the companion device is really thin, and it actually looks almost exactly like the Meizu Mini Player. (Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get my hands on an image of the companion device, so that's the Mini Player you see at right.) The gadget I saw on the show floor at CES 2007 is made by MSI--though other manufacturers could make them in the future--and it's about the size of a credit card, albeit one that is a quarter-inch thick.

Unfortunately, the Microsoft rep whom I accosted didn't have a lot of information regarding the hardware, except to confirm my suspicion that it has onboard flash memory, meaning it can function as an MP3 player and a photo viewer (and probably a video player as well). Of course, the main purpose of the companion device is to act in conjunction with SideShow, giving you access to your RSS feeds, calendar, e-mail, and so on--no matter where you are. Plus, if you're within wireless range of your computer, you can use the unit to control Windows Media Player and PowerPoint presentations.

(Credit: Engadget)

Update: It looks like there is indeed more than one manufacturer working on the SideShow companion devices. Engadget spotted one with Dell branding out on the CES show floor. The MSI one that I saw looks exactly like the device pictured at left, except with "MSI" printed where the "Dell" is. And see how similar it looks to the Mini Player pictured above? I wonder if there was some collaboration--or "borrowing"--of design there.

(Credit: Asus)

Asus wins the prize for being the first manufacturer to cook up a laptop design that puts Vista's SideShow feature to use. The W5Fe SideShow notebook looks like your typical 12.1-inch laptop with one small addition: Embedded in the lid is a 2.8-inch LCD. It's a full-color screen with a 320x240 resolution that lets you access your data even when the laptop itself is powered down. Using the four-way navigation button to the right of the LCD, you can jump through the SideShow menu to check e-mail and calendar appointments, view pictures, choose a song from your music library, or--if you're really bored--play solitaire. SideShow updates itself when the laptop is on, loading data from the hard drive into SideShow's 1GB of flash memory for instant, anytime access. SideShow requires little battery power; Asus estimates that it will run for 140 hours on the W5Fe's tiny, three-cell battery.

The SideShow module does not look like an afterthought, but rather a neatly integrated feature. It creates a slight bump in the laptop's lid, but not so much to make this trim, 3.7-pound notebook feel or look awkward.

An Asus rep told us the W5Fe is about three weeks away from shipping, and when it does, it'll cost $2,199 and will include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 512MB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam. It uses the Home Premium version of Windows Vista.

With all the talk about Windows Vista and the new security features, Sidebar widgets and Aero interface, it's worth taking a moment to look at what new features Microsoft has cooked up for tablet users.

Tablet PCs are gaining in popularity, and the first two retail-ready Vista laptops we've looked at (the HP tx1000 and Toshiba Portege R400) are both convertible tablet models that take advantage of some of Vista's new tablet-friendly features.

Tablet users who spend a lot of time using a stylus as their input device will appreciate Pen Flicks, a Microsoft-designed system of shortcuts that lets you use a quick swipe of the stylus to navigate Web pages or documents. It's up to individual software apps to implement it, but most major productivity apps already have.

Previously, the large majority of tablets required the use of an active stylus. That means that touching the screen with anything other than the included stylus would have no effect. With Vista, Microsoft is encouraging hardware vendors to use touch-screen technology, where any object, such as a fingertip, can control the screen. We've seen this already in the HP tx1000, and other vendors have told us Microsoft is working with them to implement touch screens in future tablets.

Sideshow is a nice bit of visual flair we're going to see a lot more of this year. Vista allows computer makers to easily incorporate a second display, such as a tiny LCD screen built into the back of a laptop lid. While the laptop lid is closed and the system is in standby mode, you can use this screen to read e-mail or play media files. The upcoming Asus W5Fe has an LCD screen on the back of its lid, and the Toshiba Portege R400 tablet uses a tiny OLED display on its outer edge to display Sideshow information.