Our good friend Arne Hess over at the::unwired posted up an article about Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile, something that many people have been waiting for when Windows Vista was released (recently mentioned an update to it here). Well its still not ready for the mass-market yet, Microsoft’s Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Developer Preview v0.01 is an application for both Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 Profesional/Classic/Pocket PCs and Smartphones/Standard devices that allows you to use your Windows Mobile device as a Bluetooth SideShow-compatible device. Basically using a Windows Gallery Gadget that runs on your computer as another window or remote control that allows for two-way communication between your computer and the information on your Windows Mobile device. If you do happen to fall out of the 30m range or if you shut off/sleep/hibernate your computer you can still view the content sent to the phone previously.
System Requirements
- Windows Server 2008; Windows Vista Business; Windows Vista Enterprise; Windows Vista Home Premium; Windows Vista Ultimate
- A Bluetooth-capable Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6 Standard, or Windows Mobile 6 Professional device with the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 installed.
- A Bluetooth-enabled PC. Note: this release is not compatible with computers running Toshiba Bluetooth drivers. See the “Troubleshooting” section below for more information.
Instructions
- Download and run WindowsSideShowForWindowsMobile.exe on your PC, and open the folder it was installed to.
- Connect your phone to your computer over USB and select "Open device to view files".
- If the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 or later is not installed on your device (it is not on most Windows Mobile 5 devices), install it:
- Copy NETCFv2.wm.armv4i from the installation folder to the My Documents folder on your device.
- On the phone, open File Explorer.
- Open NETCFv2.wm.armv4i in File Explorer, and follow the instructions to restart the device.
- Connect your PC to the Internet if it is not already connected.
- Drag WindowsSideShowForWindowsMobile.CAB to the My Documents folder on the Windows Mobile device.
- On the phone, open File Explorer.
- In File Explorer, select WindowsSideShowForWindowsMobile.CAB in the My Documents folder. Click OK if you get a publisher warning. The program will install on your phone.
- From your PC, pair and connect your phone over Bluetooth.
- On the device, click the Start button, click Settings, click Connections, and then click Bluetooth. Turn Bluetooth on and make the phone discoverable.
- On your Windows Vista PC, open the Bluetooth Devices control panel, and then click Add.
- Select your device and click Pair. If you do not see your phone, make sure it is in discoverable mode, and that there is a Bluetooth adapter connected to your PC and turned on.
- Select "Let me choose my own passcode", and then enter a passcode.
- A dialog box will appear on the phone asking you to enter the passcode.
- Enter the passcode and then press return. If notifications to enable other services come up, click Allow All Connections.
- When a message appears on the PC to install driver software, click Locate and install driver software.
- After the drivers install, go to your phone's home or today screen, where you will see the SideShow logo with the text not connected (you may have to scroll to see this). Select the text. If you do not see this text, click the Start button, click Programs, and then click Windows SideShow.
- If you get an error saying you do not have the latest version of the .NET Compact Framework installed, perform step 3 to install the .Net Compact Framework. Remove and reinstall Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile by clicking Start, clicking Settings, clicking Remove Programs, clicking Windows SideShow, and then clicking OK. Then start again at step 7.
- Wait a few seconds for the phone to connect. If it does not connect automatically, click the Connect button on the lower left. Your phone may take up to 30 seconds to connect. If the phone does not connect, try turning it off and on, and see the“Troubleshooting – Phone fails to connect” section in the readme.
- Choose your user account on the phone, when prompted. You can change this later by clicking Menu.
Open the Windows SideShow control panel to pick gadgets to use on your phone. You can click the "Get more gadgets online" link at the bottom of the screen to access the Windows SideShow section of the Windows Live Gallery.
The Power Point Remote control application is great. Its also pretty cool to control your Media Player via Bluetooth. I can't wait to see more gadgets like some Media Center based ones. :)