We've heard rumors about it and even seen some third party apps that bring Vista's SideShow tech to Windows Mobile devices, but Microsoft has finally made the obvious crossover an official reality with the release of the Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile Development Beta. It's still in early, early stages (the version number is 0.01), but if you're feeling particularly courageous you can install the beta on WinMo 5 and 6 devices that use the Microsoft Bluetooth stack and have the .NET Compact Framework installed and have them function as SideShow devices when in range of your machine, and access previously-sent data when you're away. Let us know how things go in comments, won't you?

[Via the::unwired]

Devices supporting Vista's SideShow functionality aren't exactly flowing like water yet (seriously, when's the last time you saw someone sporting a W5Fe?), though that's not necessarily for a lack of interest. The functionality's plenty cool, it's just not really an overnight job getting enough manufacturers on board to support the concept and transform the consumer electronics landscape into a Vista-interfacing armada of small screens. If you had to boil it all down to exactly two things Microsoft could do to take SideShow from an ultra-niche market to ubiquity, though, let's be honest: they'd have to be to add Windows Mobile and iPhone support. Indeed, official WinMo support is a standing rumor, but in the meantime you can grab Ikanos Consulting's Go Gadgets beta, which supports installation and control of SideShow gadgets over pretty much any form of mobile connectivity you can throw at it. Turns out these guys have been hard at work making a general HTML renderer for gadgets, too, and have specialized it to look snappy on mobile Safari -- hence the iPhone and iPod touch support. This one isn't quite ready for public consumption yet, but if WinMo's how you roll, you can sign up for the beta now.

Read - SideShow on the iPhone
Read - Go Gadgets for Windows Mobile

Word on the street (er, internet) is that Microsoft's oft-ignored Vista component, SideShow, could be making its official way to your favorite Windows Mobile-flavored device before long. If you'll recall, SideShow acts as a kind of mini-OS which is distributed to devices separate from a PC, such as remotes or external displays on laptops, and can be used to access information like contacts, maps, calendar appointments, and e-mail messages in a low-power, always-on state. Apparently, in a new SDK beta which the SideShow team "showed" off recently, features like a UI designed for portrait QVGA displays, a universal driver that supports USB and Bluetooth communication, and new Bluetooth menu commands have led some folks to speculate that the system could be coming to mobile devices sometime soon. Of course, this all unconfirmed rumor at this point, so don't feel compelled to believe it.

[Via the::unwired]