Sidewindow - anything like this for H/PC out there?

So, I stumbled upon a neat (if not the most useful) little PPC program today. It's called SideWindow, and it's put out by a company called Innobec Technologies (http://www.innobec.com). Basically, it allows you to use a PPC as an extra monitor for your desktop machine while connected via Activesync.

Not the most useful program in the world, especially with the tiny screens on a PPC. So far, the best use I've found for it is to put my Taskbar on to the PPC screen (I have a Jornada 548 PPC), allowing me to activate the Start Menu and Quick Launch buttons with finger taps, and opening up that much more desktop space.

Unfortunately, with many new Windows CE titles out there, this one is for PPC only - H/PC devices not supported. I was wondering if anyone knew of a similar program, that *was* H/PC compatible? 240x320 isn't terribly useful for extra desktop space, but having an extra 640x240 monitor from time to time could be useful!

(Especially when I sit down at my desktop computer, with the MobilePro 780 connected and recharging, only to suddenly start poking at my desktop's flatpanel monitor with my fingers! I'm sure I'm not the only H/PC user whose done this.....)

Yes, many of us did do that ... ie poking at the screen! ... as for running on HPCs ... you can check with the other folks ...

Other Folks ... where are you?

Update: I just went back to Innobec's website today. They now have H/PC support as well, all the way back to CE 2.11 devices! I had to install the client manually and configure the shortcut (all in their Support pages), but I'm currently using my MP780 as a third monitor for my desktop box, through a network Activesync connection. Perhaps not the ideal use for an H/PC, but it's nice to put my H/PC to work even when I don't need to be mobile. I wonder if it will work with a MP800/880 at full resolution. (It *is* smart enough to figurte out it's running on an H/PC and use the full 640x240 screen instead of just 320x240.)

Intersting program. Not sure what I would use it for, but it does work nonetheless...at least partially.

I downloaded and installed the trial and it worked, but the image was rotated 90 degrees on my 900C. I then used Nyditot in portrait mode and it appeared as it should. But Sidewindow doesn't allow for inputting of the individual horizontal or vertical resolutions as it keeps the original aspect of the image your are dragging, hence I was only able to use the left half of my hvga screen.

Still, that worked fine as you can see in the screen capture. I even took my Firefox window and moved it over there, and an entire 1024 x 768 image was displayed. I then used the Sidewindow controls to "squeeze" the image down to fit the workable space...that worked too. Couldn't read anything, but it did work.

Anyway, it was something to play wth and fun for a Sunday morning....

Rich

Edited by Rich Hawley 2006-03-05 8:33 AM

I had the same problem at first (the screen was rotated 90 degrees to the keyboard). There should be an option on the PC software that says 'use Landscape mode' or something to that effect. Unchecking that box fixed the problem for me. (Since it really is PPC software, it assumes 'portrait' mode is width by height and 'landscape' is height by width. Of course on an H/PC, Landscape is really width by height.)

As for what I would use it for, I've considered using my H/PC with photo editing software like The Gimp or Photoshop. Given that I don't have $2500 for a Wacom pressure-sensitive LCD tablet monitor, it might be a cheap solution for having a draw-on monitor to do photo retouching and the like. Which is why I wonder if it would work with a MP880 at 800x600 resolution. 640x240 isn't much real estate for working with photos. 800x600 would be better.