Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The PC Display has Left the Building

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the now-thats-an-idea dept.

Makarand writes "A new class of PC displays, called Smart Displays, that will use Wi-Fi to effectively decouple themselves from the PC will be unveiled next week at Comdex. Special software from Microsoft ( code-named 'Mira') will be at the heart of these displays allowing them to communicate with any PC running Windows XP within Wi-Fi range ( typically several hundred feet ). The surface of a Smart Display will be touch sensitive allowing you to interact using a finger or a stylus."

6 of 305 comments (clear)

  1. Gaining access to others medical information.. by Nevermine · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Think of the potential harm you can do by sniffing these networks.. Everything concerning patients in hospitals is classified information isn't it?

    1. Re:Gaining access to others medical information.. by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Interesting

      But if it's going to have to be secured as it travels through the air waves, then when it gets to the remote screen it's going to have to be decrypted, meaning the monitor will have to have enough processing power to decode the encrypted message. That really starts to turn it into a "Tablet PC" instead of a "Smart Display".

  2. Encryption? by theduck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So now some war driver is going to be able to intercept the communications between my touchscreen monitor and PC? I think I'll pass.

    --
    How can we afford to ever sleep
    So sound again
    --ebtg
  3. What i really want by bpb213 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Instead of buying some proprietary solution:
    Why not use a large lcd screen, a compact flash (or similar) HD, 128mb or so ram, and a small processor, and a PXE (network) boot over the 802.11 connection?
    (essentially a large screen, minimal hardware, networked tablet PC)

    That way the corporation can run whatever software it wants.

    As people have pointed out though, its going to be hard to display movies or games on these (or videoconfrencing for that matter)

    --

    This .sig looking for creative and witty saying.
  4. Embedded VNC! by markov_chain · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sounds like they thought of embedding a VNC client with an 802.11 card into an LCD display. It's a nifty idea, really; the concept of decoupling the user interface from devices is interesting. For example, assuming VNC was the standard remote display protocol, imagine the following scenario:

    1. The display (LCD monitor with a VNC client) broadcasts discovery beacons

    2. Devices in range respond. Your stereo, fridge, computer, laptop, handheld, watch, all equipped with VNC servers, announce themselves.

    3. The LCD monitor shows a list of discovered devices. You pick one to interact with, say the stereo.

    4. The user interface designed by the manufacturer of the stereo pops up on the LCD monitor.

    Now repeat the above with a similarly capable TV, or head-mounted display. Very cool. (Security is not really a problem, all this can be end-to-end encrypted and authenticated).

    Admittedly, the mechanism is conceptually similar to HTML-based user interfaces. Howeveer, the difference is that the VNC-based system is less restricted in what the servers can display; with HTML, the servers are restricted to using browsers and the kind of interaction they induce. Also, the HTML system, due to requiring a browser, is more heavy-weight.

    --
    Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
  5. Look people, it is useful by NineNine · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now, I know that virtually nobody on Slashdot has a job, or for the most part, even graduated from high school yet, but this *does* have real world applications. Since this was picked up by ABC news, every story they do is gonna revolve around fat ass home users on their couches. BUT, this thing does have a very practical use.

    I'd like to get a few for my store. I have PC's up front, all networked, running my POS systems. I don't really have room for them, and the wires networking them to the back room are a pain. This will be a perfect solution. I can get rid of the PC's in the front, I don't need to worry about employees tripping over wires, and I even have the touchscreen feature that I need.

    My guess is that MS had this in mind when developing this, but you can't exactly explain that to ABC News, which caters to people with an average IQ equal to that of a doorknob.