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June 20, 2005
Mobile Tablet PC Thin Client
Motion Computing Launches LE1600TC Tablet Client. The unit is priced at $1899 and runs Embedded XP.
Motion Computing Launches LE1600TC Tablet Client
Motion Computing(R), a leader in ultramobile computing and wireless communications, today unveiled the mobile thin client version of its LE1600 tablet.
The LE1600TC includes the popular security features from Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Service Pack 2, such as improved wireless networking and an embedded firewall. Combined with the LE1600's advanced security capabilities, organizations can help ensure user, network and enterprise data are protected.
The LE1600TC includes a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for hardware-protected encryption, as well as secure digital certificate storage for authentication and secure e-mail applications. Its built-in fingerprint reader uses biometric data to prevent unauthorized access to system resources and encrypted data.
Priced from $1,899 and shipping now, the Motion LE1600TC runs the Windows(R) XP Embedded operating system. It comes loaded with Microsoft(R) Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Citrix(R) ICA(R) Client and Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer with the Sun Microsystems(TM) Java(TM) Runtime Environment, and EverNote(TM) Corp.'s ritePen(R) 2.5 handwriting recognition software with improved editing tools. Because thin client computers do not store data locally like traditional PCs, these applications connect the device to software managed and data stored on an organization's network.
The Motion LE1600TC uses the recently announced Motion LE1600 slate tablet PC chassis and has many of the same features, including its award-winning wide-viewing angle display and advanced battery management capabilities. The tablet's traditional hard drive is replaced with 512MB solid-state flash storage, allowing storage only of the operating system and essential applications.
"Our tablet client customers need the reliability, durability and rich feature set we've brought to market on the LE1600," said Peter Hunt, Motion's vice president of value-added peripherals. "This thin, light computer delivers high data security, networked data access, centrally managed administration and high system reliability -- as well as a full line of peripherals important to our customers."
About Motion Computing
Motion Computing produces slate tablet PCs for mobile professionals in vertical industries including healthcare, field sales and service, government and education. Motion is a mobile computing and wireless communications leader, combining world-class innovation and industry experience so individuals can use computing technology in new ways and places. Marketed through an experienced international reseller network and directly through its Web site, each Motion product is built to customer specifications. The company's enhanced line of tablet PCs and accessories are designed to increase productivity for on-the-go users while providing security, power and versatility. For more information, visit www.motioncomputing.com.
All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
Source: Business Wire
Posted by editor at 04:39 PM
June 18, 2005
Notebook - the thorn in the side of Thin Clients
Notebook - the thorn in the thin client's side by ZDNet's David Berlind -- Not a year goes by where Sun and others don't extol the virtues of thin clients -- devices of limited intelligence that provide access to enterprise applications. [Sun Ray 1g Ultra-Thin Client, at right.] To be a really good thin client these days, a device must support the primary protocols of terminal-based access to certain applications. [...]
Posted by keefner at 08:08 PM | TrackBack
Thin Client, Intel, Microsoft and Apple....
Interesting article on the strategy of Apple going to Intel and how one day thin clients dominate.
SOURCE -- MacIntel: The Thin Client Theory
by Chris Howard
Jun 13, 2005
If you happened to be on Mars for the last month, you might have thought you’d arrived back on the wrong planet.
Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo all switching to chips made by Apple’s ship supplier, IBM. But then Apple (or is that now Appel?) switching to Intel.
I wasn’t quite on Mars, I was in my nation’s capital (Canberra, Australia) for a week and had no contact with the internet or media. I get back and discover that IntHell has frozen over! Or is that AppHell?
Who turned off the heating? Has Hell been using PowerPC CPUs all this time - which as we know from Steve - run quite hot? Has Hell switched to the cooler Intel CPUs?
WinMacs
There are a couple of reasons I can see for this switch - Apple’s that is, not Hell’s. One is obvious. Apple can get a cut of the PC market. Sure the profits are slim but it can boost Apple’s market share significantly. Apple is a Tier 1 vendor, along with HP, Dell and IBM (although they are leaving the market). So if you only shop Tier 1, then you have a third option to replace the departing IBM.
Is this legitimate? Phil Schiller has already said you can run Windows on the x86 Macs, so why not? As an IT Manager currently buying Dell, I’d consider it, especially given the tight control over the hardware by Apple. Apple will not have a raft of configurations such as Dell has. They will still maintain a streamlined inventory. So in fact, the x86 Macs could quite feasibly become the most stable Windows PCs available! How’s that for irony?
Furthermore, if Apple can increase its market share up to 10 or 12% and even if a lot of that is Windows’ buyers, it gives them significantly more clout with Intel - something they’d lost with IBM because of their dwindling market share.
The end of the world?
Apple will still control the hardware. This is important. It’s not like Linux where if you have an x86 PC, you can run Linux on it. Yeah sure, clever folks will come out with hacks to allow you to run OS X Leopard on any x86 box, but it will be struggle to take off as there will need to be drivers for the plethora of hardware but to get drivers requires demand and importantly, a legitimate, supported OS. Apple isn’t ever going to support anything but their own x86 Macs because they’d end up with the same compatibility headaches as Windows. So unless Apple license OS X to other vendors (yeah right - when DHell freezes over), accessing drivers for non-supported x86 machines will be a major struggle and remain the domain of hackers and geeks.
So no end of the world. Apple will continue on just as they are today, making a proprietary OS and computer. Well for a few more years anyway…
If you do want the end of the world, you’re going to have to wait for thin-client computing.
Thin Client Computing
Thin client computing means the OS and applications are hosted remotely. In this scenario you will subscribe to the applications you require.
Thin client computing is Apple’s biggest long-term threat. Anyone who makes computers or OSes is under threat. This is quite possibly also a major reason behind the switch to Intel.
I’m not going to go into the what’s, why’s and wherefores of thin-client computing otherwise this article would double in size. But it is coming to a computer near you. It might be five years, or even ten, but when it comes where will that leave smaller OS vendors? Microsoft will dominate this space. It is where their future lies. They need to continue to control the OS and this is the future of the OS. And they already dominate the thin-client server space. Even Citrix, one of the biggest names in thin-client computing, requires a Windows server to run on.
Here comes Appel
So with Microsoft dominating the OS for thin-client servers and the disappearance of the desktop PC where would that leave Apple?
Enter Appel or Macintel or whatever clever moniker you’ve thought of for it. As we know, by 2010 all Mac apps will be native Intel. And that puts them one step closer to Windows versions of their applications.
But will Microsoft trump the Apple/Intel cartel and switch Windows to the PPC platform? Unlikely for the same reasons Apple are switching. What about an alliance with AMD to develop a proprietary CPU for Windows? Unlikely again as that would alienate too many dedicated users. And Microsoft doesn’t need to. They have the desktop market and the thin-client server market cornered.
So, Apple’s switch to Intel covers the bases for the next few years and the longer-term future move to thin-client computing.
Posted by keefner at 08:04 PM
Thin client kiosk terminals for India
ICICI Bank to deliver kiosk-based e-banking to rural India using thin client terminals.
ICICI Bank is teaming with Californian computer services firm Wyse Technology and Bangalore IT consultancy Comat Technologies to deliver electronic banking services to remote and isolated communities in India.
The three firms will manage a project which is being introduced by an international consortium of banks - including the World Bank - technology firms, and local government departments.
The consortium initially plan to establish Internet centres in around 5000 villages in Karnataka that will provide the local population with electronic access to financial services along with education, health care and legal services.
Each centre will house five to ten maintenance-free thin client terminals and will be connected to the Internet by either land lines or satellite links. The consortium plans to introduce Web centres to other rural areas across the country following the pilot project in Karnataka.
Sriram Raghavan, president, Comat Technologies, says: "This is the first time these communities will be able to access and interact with leading private enterprises, such as ICICI Bank, and other service providers in the insurance and education sector."
Nachiket Mor, executive director, ICICI Bank, adds: "Internet based channels are key to the delivery of financial services in rural India. ICICI Bank has over 2000 rural Internet kiosks across India and we plan to increase this number significantly to cater to people at all levels of economic development."
John Kish, president and CEO, Wyse Technology, comments: "We see this as the 'rural services' blueprint for populations in developing nations everywhere."
Posted by keefner at 01:35 AM
June 17, 2005
Tiny Thin Client Running CE 5.0
A German PC shop is shipping a tiny Geode-based thin client running Windows CE 5.0. Concept Distribution's "miniTC" measures 5.5 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches (13 x 14 x 3.5cm), and is also available as a "miniPC with a 40 or 80 GB hard drive.
Concept Distribution suggests that the MiniTC can be easily attached to the back of a flat screen monitor and can save up to 100 Euros per year in power costs over more conventional thin clients.
Features include:
* AMD Geode GX2-533 (400 MHz)
* 128MB RAM (256MB available on the miniPC version)
* 64MB Flash, can be configured for network-boot
* 40 or 80 GB hard drive on miniPC version
* Two front- and two rear-mounted USB 1.1 ports
* 100Mbps Ethernet
* VGA port supporting UXGA (1600 x 1200) video at 85 Hz
Availability
The miniTC is available direct from Concept Distribution, with prices starting at 265.64 Euros. The miniPC version starts at 346.84 Euros without an operating system license. No word on when or whether the miniTC will be available in the U.S.
http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS8263314545.html
Posted by editor at 12:18 AM
June 08, 2005
HP Thin Clients Powered by VIA
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced that the high-performance, energy-efficient VIA Eden Platform will be integrated into the new HP Compaq t5125, t5520 and t5525 thin clients.
Providing businesses with greater manageability, scalability, security and flexibility, thin clients offer a holistic cost-effective approach to corporate productivity with a network-based computing model. The new HP Compaq t5125, t5520 and t5525 fine-tune the concept with a range of smart, small footprint designs, capable of meeting the demands of the corporate environment with the high-performance, ultra-low power of VIA Eden processors.
"We are delighted that HP has adopted the VIA Eden Platform for their new range of thin client products, strengthening our presence in this rapidly growing market," commented Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "These new thin clients leverage our unique combination of power efficiency, performance and security."
The new range of HP Compaq thin clients feature the highly energy-efficient VIA Eden ESP processor with ultra-low thermal profile, enabling higher performance in a small form factor and fanless design, and feature 128MB RAM and up to 256MB Compact Flash that offers enough storage memory for most current firmware and future updates and upgrades.
"By using the VIA Eden Platform, our thin clients are using lower power for key components which will provide our customers with the lifecycles and return on investment they expect from HP," said Greg Schmidt, Product Marketing Manager, Thin Client Marketing, Imaging and Personal Systems Group, HP. "Additionally, VIA's high-performance, low-power design allows for a smaller footprint. This is a big bonus to a traditional desktop customer wishing to capitalize on the security and manageability of thin client computing in a small, reliable, and cost efficient client."
The new thin clients are expected to be available mid-June 2005.
About the VIA Eden Platform
The VIA Eden Platform is based on the ultra-low power native x86 VIA Eden ESP processor and a choice of highly integrated and power efficient VIA chipsets and companion chips. Available at speeds ranging from 300MHz to 1GHz and featuring the lead-free EBGA package that helps reduce thermal density, VIA Eden ESP processors measure a mere 35mm x 35mm x 1.5mm, making them suitable for consumer electronics, industrial and commercial devices that require compatibility with PC hardware and software. With Thermal Design Power (TDP) values ranging from 2.5W to a maximum of 7W when running at 1GHz, the VIA Eden ESP processor boasts industry-leading low power consumption from a fanless native x86 processor.
For more information on the VIA Eden ESP processor, please visit the VIA Eden ESP processor website at: www.via.com.tw/en/products/processors/eden-esp/
About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc. (TSE 2388) is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia, networking and storage silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA's global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world's top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. www.via.com.tw
Posted by editor at 11:21 PM