Black Boxes:
Viewsonic AirPanel V110 Smart Display
Microsoft's new Smart Display technology is simple, yet revolutionary: by sending your computer's visual and audible data to a small, portable LCD screen via wireless networking, you can create an easy way to make your computer's interface portable. Now you can carry the your entire desktop with you throughout your house, onto the couch or into the garage--even into your backyard, if you so choose. Revolutionary, sure, but the concept is not unlike the first computer you may have used at a university 20 years ago. Remember when there was a mainframe located in a backroom somewhere and all users logged on to it using a dumb terminal? Well, a Smart Display is just a sexy, wireless and portable dumb terminal for the 21st century.
This month, we take a look at ViewSonic's AirPanel V110 Smart Display, an early entry into this flashy, impressive new category that Microsoft has bet big money you'll someday want in your home. Is it right for you? And will the necessary upgrades required for your home computer be worth the investment in time and money? Let's go inside the Smart TV & Sound labs and take a closer look.
Solid and Impressive
On first looks, ViewSonic's AirPanel V110 Smart Display is very impressive. Pulling it out of the box reveals it to be solid, well-built and rugged. The unit immediately conveys a sense of usability and portability. Its design is such that it is actually pleasurable to hold in your hands and operate. This could be in part because of the "wow" factor involved in trying out new technology, but nonetheless, we were pleased right away with the V110's ergonomics.
Before we could connect the AirPanel V110 to our test system, we had to upgrade to Windows XP Pro (with Service Pack 1). ViewSonic and Microsoft were wise enough to include the upgrade to Windows XP Pro with the AirPanel V110, but you may find (as we did) that installing Windows XP Pro on the average home computer may or may not be a simple procedure. Windows XP Pro is known for being very particular as to the type of hardware it will accept. Veterans of the upgrade process will tell you it's a good idea to start with all Windows XP compatible hardware throughout your system, from the modem to the BIOS chip. This isn't always possible with legacy computers. Bottom line: make sure your computer is ready for Windows XP Pro before you purchase a Smart Display for your home.
Not including the time it took to upgrade our system to XP Pro, installation of the AirPanel V100 took about 45 minutes and was relatively painless. The step-by-step installation of the embedded Windows CE system on the AirPanel was a breeze. A bonus was the included 802.11b wireless hub, which made the AirPanel V100 a truly enclosed system with nothing else required to buy to make it operational.
On the Couch
Once configured, the AirPanel becomes the interface between you and your desktop. The panel doesn't do much actual computing itself and doesn't store much data, but instead remotely controls your computer. To test the AirPanel V110, we took it to a variety of locations throughout the house, including the living room, bedroom, backyard and garage. In all locations, its 10-inch screen was bright and easy to view. As might be expected, viewing the LCD monitor outdoors was a minor challenge, yet not so much as we initially anticipated.
To test the unit's range, we simply walked out the front door and down the street with it. At about 50 paces (150 feet), it lost its signal, but not without giving us a friendly warning first. In real terms, this means it took us about to the middle of the neighbor's yard along the sidewalk, which should be more than enough to cover most homes, unless you live in a palace--which, of course, early adopters of the Smart Display might, given the cost of the technology at this point.
Holding the unit in both hands, you have access to a pointing device on the right side, similar to a simple joystick-style mouse. On the left are a pair of clearly marked buttons which operate as the right and left mouse buttons. On the LCD display itself, you see your computer's desktop, without the wallpaper. A small cavity in the upper right of the unit holds the stylus, which you can use as a pointing and data entry device directly on the LCD panel.
To enter data, you can use the virtual keyboard with the stylus, which is easy to use and responsive or you can use the writing pad to jot yourself quick notes. You could also use one of the USB ports to plug in a keyboard and mouse, but this seems to defeat the portable purpose of this device. On the upper right of the unit, you'll find stereo headphone and microphone jacks.
All features of the AirPanel V110 performed very well. The only system that didn't perform up to our expectations was the video display itself. Gamers, who typically require higher frame rates, will want to wait until some higher-performance video displays are available before leaping onto the Smart Display bandwagon. For ordinary home or business use, however, including Web surfing, Office applications, and even simple 2D games, the AirPanel's video display was more than adequate.
The AirPanel can even be used as the primary display for your system (although you'll need another monitor during setup). If you are thinking of going this route, you'll want the accessory Docking Station ($149), which charges the battery and holds the unit in an upright, viewable position.
Worth It?
For us, the bottom line on the AirPanel was not whether it's a good, functional, Smart device: it is all three, no question about it. Instead, our main concern was with the price: $1,000 in today's world will buy you not only a display bigger than 10 inches, but an entire laptop computer to go with it, perhaps even one with wireless connectivity, allowing you much greater portability, computational power and all your files as well. Smart Display technology also limits users to one panel per computer, which is in itself a pretty severe limitation.
So is it worth it? We'll let you decide that one. Suffice it to say that we found it to be a very impressive, hopeful indicator of a future era of wireless home computing power and ease, once the price comes down significantly.
SMART SPECS
System Requirements: Windows XP Pro (included)
Inputs/Outputs: Headphone jack, microphone jack, USB (x2), PCMCIA card (for operating system only)
Wireless connectivity: 802.11b (hub included)
Viewable Screen area: 10.4-inches
Company: ViewSonic
Phone: (800) 888-8583
Web Site: www.viewsonic.com
Price: $999
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