Microsoft has a plan for Smart Displays
WinInfo | at | by Mike
One of the most obvious complaints about the first round of Windows Powered Smart Displays is that the devices are expensive and easily replaced by low-end laptops, which are comparatively priced but far more powerful. To combat this problem, Microsoft and its hardware partners are working on ways to improve the platform, including some interesting ideas for making the devices useful when they're not remotely displaying your XP desktop. ViewSonic, for example, made two announcements in this vein. First, the company will offer a version of its 10" secondary display that won't include XP Professional Edition or a USB wireless adapter, shaving at least $300 off the device's retail cost (usually about $999). And the company struck a deal with Nevo Technologies to supply home-automation software for the Smart Display, giving users a secondary use for the device. Other hardware makers are working on similar plans and, for the next Smart Display revision due in late 2003, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Microsoft, and other companies are working on faster wireless technologies, ways to improve overall performance, and any areas in which customers say the experience is now lacking. Again, I'll provide more details soon on the SuperSite for Windows, along with a full review of the ViewSonic airpanel V150 Wireless Smart Display.