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Windows SideShow in Windows Vista is the new way to communicate with a small secondary display device function, the secondary display devices are independent of the computer, you can communicate with the computer, read email, check your calendar, view your digital photos, and view the current date/time, and so on. This is another Microsoft PC an innovation on the mode of operation.
Here and find this device simulator program, you can try this function after you download.

First, Windows SideShow provides an overview
Windows SideShow is used to support Windows Vista with one or more small features of auxiliary display devices to communicate, before the development name is called “secondary display (Auxiliary Display)”. The secondary display devices are independent of the computer, you can be sure are connected with computer communications, own some memory, therefore do not have to completely open computer, excessive consumption of electric energy and space. Their shape and size is unlimited, and can have a variety of functions.
SideShow devices such as laptops in close machine cover and close the computer case, users can still read the email, check your calendar, view your digital photos, and view the current date/time, and so on. Or is a Media Center remote control with this feature, through secondary screen, the user can select songs and play through the Media Center. This device is very cool, because users don’t have to turn on the monitor, you can listen to the song, at the time of the movie, from Mdia Center PC sending program information to a SideShow device, so that you can read this information, without affecting play a movie on the monitor. In addition, you can also use this view TV program guide data, and programming the remote control records.
SideShow can also have other types of devices, such as keyboards, digital photo frame with LCD display and even mobile phones.
Picture (ASUS W5Fe laptop):

In short, I think that this device has the following advantages:
1, the use of some simple application eliminates the need to open the computer or when you don’t have to open the monitor, save host power
2, in the games or movies, through the application of auxiliary equipment do simple, does not affect the games and movie watching.
3, away from the computer you can view the information you need, equivalent to the monitor’s remote control, the user more freedom.
In software, these features are how to implement it? Answer is the gadget (Gadget).
Microsoft gadgets in fact there are three types:
Windows Sidebar gadgets, Vista sidebar displays user information;
Windows Live gadget, available through the Windows Live home page displays the user’s information;
Windows SideShow gadgets, via its SideShow secondary displays on the hardware device user information.
Comparison of two gadgets before you might understand, they are all based on HTML/Javascript/CSS Web technologies, such as written. SideShow gadgets are different, it is written in native code or managed code, can be regarded as the real application.

Second, the SideShow hardware Simulator
In order to help developers test SideShow gadget code, Windows Vista SDK a SideShow hardware emulator. It emulates a SideShow hardware devices. This program runs only on Windows Vista, of course. To give you a specific experience the SideShow functionality is what I extracted Simulator programs in the Windows SDK.
Download address: http://sc.mythsea.com/wbpluto/WindowsSideShowVirtualDevice.rar
Installation:
After you download two EXE programs which extract to a folder. First have to run from the command prompt:
WindowsSideShowVirtualDevice.exe /regserver
Registering COM components used by an emulator. On a single computer, only need to register the COM components.
Then run:
VirtualSideShow.exe
To start the emulator. Will be prompted to find new hardware and automatically install the driver.
Figure:

Operation:
Due to the SideShow device is a key operation, you can use click interface seven buttons to the right of action or via the keyboard: space, BackSpace BACKSPACE to return, returns for a menu is OK. Right mouse button to click the simulation interface makes the emulator interface the desktop top, or exit the Simulator.
Use:
In Control Panel in the “hardware and sound” there, you can see the “Windows SideShow”, go in to see our facilities. By default there are two small tools: Windows Media Player and Windows Mail Inbox. Right handed the check box corresponding to the device selected, you can see the little tool in hardware.
This emulator firmware only in English, German and Japanese in three languages, so Vista in Chinese, the two small tools because it is the Chinese, running on the device screen does not display Chinese characters correctly. We want to evaluate them, by clicking the device name to the left of the Control Panel, the device display language is set to “Japanese”, this part can display Chinese characters.
In the device settings page, and we can set the device interface themes, screen brightness, automatic turn off the display, device unlock code, and so on.
Figure:

These hardware devices have not yet entered the production phase at the moment, but will be listed soon. Simulator of real hardware than practical, do you want to buy one to play?

Related articles:
Here is an article on MSDN details related to the article started writing Gadgets for Windows SideShow devices from MSDN Magazine:http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/07/01/SideShow/default.aspx?loc=zh
By the way, MSDN Magazine since November 2006, with multiple languages, including simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese version, MSDN Magazine home page “Back Issue Archive” section of line to browse to. A developer this is exciting news