[Jon Westfall]

Product Category: Utility Software
Manufacturer: Innobec Technologies
Where to Buy: PocketGear [Affiliate]
Price: $14.95 USD
System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, XP64, Pentium II and later, ActiveSync 3.7.1 or later. ActiveSync 3.8 recommended. WM 5 not officially supported - however this review was done using a WM 5 device.

Pros:

Easy Setup;

Zoom feature allows ultimate flexibility;

Unofficially WM 5 compatible.

Cons:

Lack of options;

Startup time;

Unofficially WM 5 compatible.

Summary:
My desktop computer has a lot going on at any given time. While multiple monitors are nice to use, I eternally find myself switching from a multi-monitor setup to single monitor due to size constraints. Perhaps my pocket sized friend can be of aid - after all, it has a screen and can sit cradled next to my monitor. But can it really be useful as a productivity aid? Or is the work Innobec devoted to allowing it to be my second monitor reduced to nothing more than a mere novelty?
Read on for the full review!

A Real Second Monitor!
I was very curious about how Innobec pulled off this sort of setup. The idea of putting a large desktop screen onto the small size of a PDA seemed amazing enough, but the software backend seemed to be even more daunting. However, as soon as I installed SideWindow, I found out the secret - the PDA actually appears to Windows as a second monitor, allowing Windows to work with it exactly how it would work with any other multi-monitor setup. This is a clever and (relatively) bug-free implementation, much better than a custom written driver that would do the job without using Windows' built in tools.


Figure 1: Multiple Monitors - My Compaq already has 2 monitors defined (the LCD and an external). In this diagram, 1 is my LCD, 2 is SideWindow, and 3 is the (detatched) external monitor.

However, just because it uses part of the Windows display system doesn't mean that Windows trusts the software though. Those of you using the Windows built-in firewall will get a prompt to unblock SideWindow. This is because the desktop software interacts with the client over TCP/IP (via Activesync) which makes the interaction between the user and the PDA as smooth as the user & the monitor. I noticed no lag whatsoever while dragging items from one window to the other - pretty remarkable. No hesitation in this software. The software does take about 15 seconds or so to setup and run. This seems a bit slow, but given all the software does, I suppose 15 seconds isn't too long to wait!


Figure 2: Let my traffic go! Be sure to unblock SideWindow!

Zooming In and Out
To make SideWindow useful, Innobec has added a Zooming function that allows you to tune your small screen with the aid of a virtual magnifying glass. The pictures below tell the story. To get these images I dragged my "My Documents" folder over to the second window and changed the magnification from 768x1024 to 480x640 and finally to 240x320. So, depending on your usages you can either have it fully zoomed in or you can zoom out and get a bigger picture!


Figure 3: 768x1024 View (Click to see the whole picture).



Figure 4: 480x640 View (Click to see the whole picture).



Figure 5: 240x320 View (Click to see the whole picture).

Options
SideWindow doesn't have any real frills when it comes to options. The product does what it does, but doesn't add anything unnecessary. A landscape option exists, and you can reduce the depth of color per pixel to speed up rendering. However, in my tests, I did not need to reduce the color depth to get excellent performance. You can also choose to run the client on connection, and keep the backlight on continuously on the device. Nice and simple - nothing too complex here!


Figure 6: SideWindow settings.

Windows Mobile 5 Compatibility
Innobec's website does not list Windows Mobile 5 as a compatible operating system (much less Windows Mobile 6!). However, in testing (with my I-mate JasJar), I found the only hiccup came with leaving the device in landscape mode. Once I switched to Portrait mode, the software ran without a hitch. The lesson to take from this is, be sure to test this software before you buy it. While Innobec doesn't state they won't support WM 5 support requests, it probably isn't realistic to expect them to. Buyer beware!

Conclusions
Overall I'm extremely happy with the performance of SideWindow. It works as advertised and has the potential to add a lot more functionality to your desktop without requiring too much more in the way of price or desktop real estate. Innovative idea, and I hope to see Innobec continue development to WM 5 and WM 6.

Jon Westfall is an enigma of social influences and norms. Check out JonWestfall.Com for more than you want to know about him.