Smart Display

In computing, Smart Display (originally codenamed Mira) was a Microsoft initiative to use a portable touchscreen LCD monitor as a thin client for PCs, connecting via Wi-Fi.

This article is about the touchscreen computer project by Microsoft. For smart speakers with screens, see smart speaker.

Smart Display was announced in early 2002, released in early 2003 and discontinued in December 2003, having never achieved more than negligible market penetration.^[1]

Technology[edit]

The Smart Display was a battery-powered 10" or 15" LCD monitor with a touchscreen (similar in size and shape to a Tablet PC), connecting to a PC over an 802.11b WiFi network, with input via Transcriber (similar to Graffiti) or a pop-up soft-keyboard for text entry, and built-in speakers. Some models had a docking unit with wired PC, keyboard and mouse connectors.

The display ran Smart Display OS or Microsoft Windows CE for Smart Displays, based on Windows CE and .NET. The remote technology was based on Windows Terminal Server. Smart Display OS 1.0 would only connect to a Windows XP Professional host system, although some reported that any version of Windows could be remote-controlled using NetMeeting.

ViewSonic was the first manufacturer to bring Smart Display to the market, with the airpanel V150 in early 2003. This included a 15" 1024×768 LCD, a 400 MHz Intel XScale processor, 32MB ROM, 64MB RAM and 802.11b wireless, and a USB wireless hub for the host PC.

In Smart Display OS 1.0, the display would lock the host PC to it while in use. Microsoft variously attributed this to licensing issues (that Windows XP Professional was licensed for one user per running copy) and resource management problems.^[1] The requirements of licensing – not to allow the devices to work standalone, not to allow the device to connect to the host PC while the PC's main screen was active and not to allow multiple Smart Displays to control one PC – were widely derided in the press.

[2]

Only one Smart Display could connect to a host PC at a time, preventing multiple devices being used in households with access to only one PC.

[3]

Although the devices had similar CPU and memory specifications and operating system to a large , weighed as much as a notebook and had similar battery life, they provided no standalone functionality and were not usable without a host PC. Analyst speculation^[4] was that Smart Display was crippled so as not to risk cannibalising the Tablet PC market.

Pocket PC

Video streaming was not possible – the connection was not fast enough and contained no enhancements to facilitate video.

Remote Desktop Protocol

Microsoft had intended the smart displays to sell at around 500,^[3] but the devices eventually reached the market at $1000–1500, whereas comparable notebooks were around $600.^[5]

US$

Analysts flagged the problems with the Mira initiative very early on, as soon as it reached their notice in early 2002.

Cancellation[edit]

After having signed up several LCD manufacturers to work on the initiative, some of whom (such as LG) had Smart Display 1.5 products ready for early 2004 release, Microsoft finally announced the cancellation of the initiative on Monday 22 December 2003.

LG stated it would persist with Smart Displays even without Microsoft's assistance, although no products eventuated.^[7]

It has been suggested that the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC), code-named Origami, is the evolution of the Smart Display.^[8]

Smart Personal Objects Technology

Miracast

(Microsoft press release, 26 June 2002)

Microsoft Unveils Windows CE for Smart Displays Naming

Archived 10 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine (Matthew Broersma, ZDNet UK, 28 November 2002)

Microsoft Mira hung up on licensing

(WindowsForDevices, 26 June 2002)

Meet 'Mira', a .NET-based smart display device technology

(David Pogue, The New York Times, Thursday 2 January 2003)

STATE OF THE ART: And Now, the Portable Desktop PC, Up to a Point

Archived 6 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Rupert Goodwins, ZDNet UK, 15 April 2003)

ViewSonic airpanel V150

(Yoo Hyung-jun, ETNEWS [Korea], Tue 23 December 2003)

Microsoft Abandons Smart Display Project, Stranding Domestic Monitor Makers

(Computer Gripes, 6 January 2004)

Smart Display Gripes

Archived 10 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine (Matt Loney, ZDNet UK, 6 January 2004)

Microsoft dumps Smart Display

Archived 7 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine (Matt Loney, ZDNet UK, Tuesday 6 January 2004)