Sideshow and Toshiba Edge Display
Hey everyone! I am a firm believer in Sideshow and I am quite excited at what it will offer. I am waiting for a Sideshow reader impatiently because it would be the perfect tool for me. As a an academic researcher this kind of device would help me immensely!
I have a Toshiba R400 with Vista Business. As you know it has an edge display but to my great disappointment, it does not work with Sideshow. It was supposed to and that's why I'm in complete astonishment that I can't get it to work.
No matter how much fiddling I do, the edge display will not use Sideshow to communicate with other apps or gadgets.
Any of you got it working ? Is that a complete failure and utterly poor implementation from Toshiba ? An empty promise ?
[742 byte] By [
Elon] at [2008-3-1]
Elon,
Thanks for your message; I'm glad to see your excitement in Windows SideShow! Unfortunately, I don't have any good news for you. The Toshiba R400 is a very specialized implementation of SideShow which can provide real-time e-mail and calendar updates from your Exchange server through a technology called Active Notifications. While it uses the SideShow platform to implement some of this, it does not support any of the additional gadgets.
If you don't need the real-time e-mail and calendar functionality, I might suggest looking at the ASUS W5Fe or LG Z1 notebooks, both of which have SideShow-compatible displays in the lid. They work with all SideShow gadgets, but they do not support the real-time e-mail or calendar functionality of the Toshiba.
We are currently looking at being able to integrate the two sets of functionality, however there are no commitments or timelines on if/when this would be available. I know that's probably not what you were looking for, but I hope it doesn't temper your interest in the technology!
Thanks,
Dan
I thank you Dan for this reply!
The problem with the R400 is that Active Notifications does not even work at the moment, not even for email and calendar notifications. Most people I know who bought the R400 are in the same situation. I know it is not a problem with Sideshow, it is Toshiba's bad implementation of what could have been a nice idea.
My interest is not tempered towards sideshow. In fact, I am looking forward to it as I think the possibilities are fantastic: extending the PC into specialized applications that are taken care of by devices that are more fully integrated into our daily activities. A remote control on which it is possiblle to quicly check emails or any other kind of info or again a light e-ink reader for reading a scholarly article while taking notes in OneNote on a Tablet PC on the side (this is what I am actually waiting for as an ideal scenario as an academic researcher).
I just bough the R400 too quickly and I should've waited longer before I committed myself into such an expensive device.
Keep up the good work Dan, you have a strong supporter in me! I will keep informed on your progress (you guys have a blog?)
