Device includes range of communications options: a dialup modem, Ethernet port, an integrated 802.11b/g NIC, and PCMCIA card slot.
Neoware today introduced for mobile users a notebook-style thin client, with several wireless connectivity options.
Because it links to server-based applications, the Neoware m100 Thin Client Notebook never stores corporate applications or data locally. If the device (less than $800) is lost or stolen, nothing is lost but the device itself.
Of course, that also means to be useable, the m100 needs a reliable and continuous connection, with as much bandwidth as possible, to the corporate network. Users have a pack of connectivity options: a dial-up modem, Ethernet port, an integrated 802.11b/g network interface card, and PC card slot that can accept a cellular card, including the better performing ones such as EV-DO Revision A.
“It’s not for everyone,” says Diana Wong, Neoware’s product manager for the m100. “It’s for those who need to be mobile and who have high data security requirements.”
As wireless network connections improve, in terms of bandwidth and coverage, thin client computing is becoming more feasible for mobile users.
And more innovative, with some vendors able to reduce the client device to a USB thumb drive.
The notebook-style terminal weighs about 5.5 pounds, and has a 15-inch LCD TFT XGA display, with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. It has five USB 2.0 ports, along with various connectivity ports and slots already mentioned.
The device can run Windows XP embedded (XPe) or Linux, in a combination of flash ROM, 512MB, and DDR2 RAM, 256MB. What’s missing is a hard driver, fan or other moving parts, Wong says.
“We wanted it to look and feel like a traditional laptop,” she says. “So we provided the 15-inch screen and the full keyboard.”
Users connect to remote server-based applications by either the Citrix ICA client, and the Citrix Presentation Server (formerly MetaFrame) or Microsoft’s corresponding RDP and Windows Terminal Services.
The lithium-ion battery can support up to six hours of use, according to Wong.
The m100 notebook thin client costs $799 for the XPe version. The Linux version, priced at $759, will be available in the near future.
