Using a ppc as an external display

[jedediah]

I recently came upon an old (very old) ipaq. Everything seems to work on it, but the battery life is pittiful, meaning that twenty seconds after I take it off of the base, its dead. Its one of the iPaqs without the ability to change the battery, so I'm not real concerned about getting it up and going again, but I was hoping to put it to some use . . .

I was thinking that it would be nice to use as a sort of "external display" for my main desktop. Something where I could write an application on my desktop, then have the iPaq listen for those messages and display it on the screen. My main question is this: what do I need to develop something like this for the pocket pc? Will windows mobile 2002 allow me to do this easily?

As far as programming the actual application, I've done a fair amount of programming throughout the years, but I have never actually written anything for a pocket pc. I probably still have the .NET studio installed if that will help. However, I've been working in linux mostly lately, so if there are any resources about that angle, I would appreciate that as well.

Thanks!

[Darius Wey]

Before you consider developing this, have you checked out applications like VirtualDisp? (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34723) Or are you after something a little different?

[OSUKid7]

I think he meant to use a Pocket PC as an actual secondary display, like when you have two monitors connected to one computer. That would be awesome, but sounds incredibly hard to program, since you would have to make a custom display driver for Pocket PCs. I also don't know how practical it would be. Can you really fit much information on a 3-4 inch screen that you would be looking at on your main PC? If you would listen for certain commands/programs, and, for example, display your IMs on your Pocket PC screen while still surfing on another, that would be more useful, but again, incredibly hard to program.

I'm not quite sure what you're going for either, but good luck. :)

[Darius Wey]

I think he meant to use a Pocket PC as an actual secondary display, like when you have two monitors connected to one computer.

I don't get you now, since that's exactly what VirtualDisp does. :?

[OSUKid7]

I don't get you now, since that's exactly what VirtualDisp does. :?
Really? I thought it was more like Multiplicity (http://www.stardock.com/products/multiplicity/) and Synergy (http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/), which let you use the same keyboard and mouse on other computers via your network. That's different from adding a second display to your PC, which just expands your screen real estate.

[Darius Wey]

I don't get you now, since that's exactly what VirtualDisp does. :?
Really? I thought it was more like Multiplicity (http://www.stardock.com/products/multiplicity/) and Synergy (http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/), which let you use the same keyboard and mouse on other computers via your network. That's different from adding a second display to your PC, which just expands your screen real estate.

Oh, do you mean two displays showing exactly the same screen on each? When you mentioned this: "I think he meant to use a Pocket PC as an actual secondary display, like when you have two monitors connected to one computer.", I thought you were referring to the dual-display shared monitor concept.

Anyway, having duplicate screens wouldn't really allow for the functionality he/she's after. If one wants to drag something from one screen to another, then that's where the expansion of screen real estate comes into play. And if I'm not mistaken, that's where VirtualDisp may be worth a look.

[OSUKid7]

Oh, do you mean two displays showing exactly the same screen on each? When you mentioned this: "I think he meant to use a Pocket PC as an actual secondary display, like when you have two monitors connected to one computer.", I thought you were referring to the dual-display shared monitor concept.
No, what I thought jedediah meant was something like having two monitors connected to a PC -- not the same content on both, but rather the other option in Windows, which allows you to expand to this desktop, and for example, display/maximize one program on monitor A while still having another program opened/maximized on monitor B (which may be a Pocket PC).

Anyway, maybe I'm not understanding it correctly. :| Care to enlighten us jedediah? :lol:

[Darius Wey]

Anyway, maybe I'm not understanding it correctly. :| Care to enlighten us jedediah? :lol:

Actually, I think I'm the one confused now. Looking through VirtualDisp has made me think that it now does something totally different to what I first thought. :roll:

It's early morning... Time for my daily dose of coffee. :morning: :lol:

[OSUKid7]

It's early morning... Time for my daily dose of coffee. :morning: :lol:
Late at night here. ;) Ah gotta love the Internet. :D