1985 – 2013retired
Blockbuster Video
“Be kind, rewind — the whole world did, and then the world moved on”
“It streamed your email to tiny screens before tiny screens did that themselves.”
Windows SideShow, codenamed Auxiliary Display, was Microsoft's way of pushing email, instant messages, and RSS feeds from your PC to a nearby or remote secondary display. Unveiled in 2003 as part of Longhorn and shipped with Windows Vista in 2006, it promised new mobility scenarios and power-saving perks, with modules for battery, calendar, email, wireless network, and Windows Media Player. For its believers, it was
It even cached information for offline use or when your PC slept — thoughtful to the end. But as Microsoft's mobile ambitions shifted, SideShow faded away, quietly retired in 2013. What it left behind is a fond memory: an era when gadget dreams were generous and every laptop lid might have had a second life.
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“Be kind, rewind — the whole world did, and then the world moved on”
“It told friends where you were, back when that felt like a gift instead of a leak.”
“Glass and steel, held call until it didn't, and taught us all how to FaceTime.”