Wyse ships thin clients with embedded Wi-Fi
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(InfoWorld) - Wyse Technology is selling a line of thin-client computers with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, making them easier to deploy in public places like airports and hotel lobbies. The V-Class systems announced Wednesday include embedded hardware and software for connecting to 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks. Previously, adding wireless capabilities to the clients meant plugging in a Wi-Fi PC Card or USB (Universal Serial Bus) adapter. Thin clients are networked computers that typically have no hard drive and rely on a central server for their applications and storage. They've gained traction with some businesses because they're considered easier to manage than full-fledged PCs, and they consume less power, although they are also less flexible. Embedding the Wi-Fi components in the client is better for use in public places, where they would otherwise be easier to steal. The wireless technology also makes it simpler to use the terminals in places that lack Ethernet or other wireline technologies. "We see these being used in environments like airports, schools, and other public areas where you don't always have Ethernet," David Angwin, a Wyse senior marketing manager based in the U.K. The clients don't support the 802.11i protocol because a standard has not yet been finalized. When it is approved, customers who have already bought the wireless V-Class systems may be able to have them updated by Wyse to support the newer protocol, Angwin said. Existing V-Class systems could also be upgraded to include embedded wireless capabilities, Angwin said. V-Class is Wyse's highest-performing family of thin clients. They're offered with three operating systems: Windows CE, Windows XP Embedded and Linux. For security, the new wireless clients support the WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) and WPA2 protocols for network authentication, as well as WEP (wired equivalent privacy), EAP (extensible authentication protocol), RC4 and TKIP (temporal key integrity protocol) standards. The clients are on sale now in North America and are in the process of being shipped to other parts of the world, Angwin said. In Europe, they are priced at Â£325 ($612) or â¬479 ($608) for the Windows CE version, Â£349 or â¬513 for the Wyse Linux version, and Â£397 or â¬583 for the Windows XP embedded version.
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The laptop thin client from Wyse has no disk drive or fan, a relatively long battery life, and a full-size keyboard.
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Mobile processor is designed for use in thin and light notebooks.
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Intel Corp. INTC.O this week is  expected to introduce a chip that adds support for a relatively  obscure version of Wi-Fi, analysts said on Monday, in a move  that could help ease congestion on wireless networks.
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Wibree is cost effective and more power-efficient than Bluetooth.
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Broadcom announced today a new addition to its Intensi-fi line: the groundbreaking BCM4322, not only the smallest and most cost-effective 802.11n solution available now, but also the first to enable Wi-Fi products to achieve over 200 Mbps of actual wireless throughput.
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Chip maker wants you to know about the benefits of a wireless network.
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In an effort to push mobility into thin clients, Hewlett-Packard is adding a laptop with minimal storage and wireless networking features to its lineup.The HP Compaq 6720T Mobile Thin Client has 1GB of internal flash storage and will be more of a terminal than a full-blown PC, with data storage and system management handled from a remote server, the company said Thursday. The laptop boots off Windows XP Embedded OS in the flash module.Because data isn&#39;t stored on the laptop, there is less risk of a company losing data, said Thai Nguyen, HP worldwide product marketing manager for thin clients. The thin-client laptop is also managed from a server, diminishing management challenges such as issuing software updates, Nguyen said.Along with better security and easier system management, thin-client architecture uses less power than traditional PCs, said Klaus Besier, vice president for thin clients at HP. The thin-client laptop does not have a fan or moving parts such as a hard drive.The product is targeted at vertical industries such as health care and insurance, Nguyen said.Weighing 5.4 pounds (2.45 kilograms), the laptop is powered by an Intel Celeron M processor. It includes 802.11a/b/g wireless networking, wired networking, integrated graphics, three USB ports and two PC Card slots. It includes a DVD-ROM drive and stereo speakers.The laptop comes with terminal software, including HP Session Allocation Manager, which establishes a secure network connection to remote servers.Priced starting at $725, the 6720t thin client will be available in North America and Japan later this month.Users may not be inclined toward the HP thin-client laptop, said analyst Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. Terminal users such as financial brokers prefer powerful thin clients that support multiple monitors, and mobile workers want something like Research in Motion&#39;s BlackBerry, he said.The biggest problem with the HP thin client could be its lack of mobility. &quot;You don&#39;t want a situation where you can&#39;t use it unless you are connected,&quot; Kay said. With minimal storage and no network connection, it would be useless on an airplane, for example.HP could be experimenting or demonstrating the laptop as a new concept to the thin-client market and as a predecessor to future HP products, Kay suggested. &quot;It&#39;s an odd product. It won&#39;t be all that successful,&quot; Kay said.However, the thin-client laptop isn&#39;t aimed at &quot;mobile warriors&quot; who spend a lot of time on the road, said Tad Bodeman, director blade PC and thin client solutions at HP. &quot;We&#39;re not trying to replace every laptop PC,&quot; he said.The laptop works better in environments like hospitals, where nurses walk around with laptops on carts wirelessly pulling patient data from a central server, he said, adding that it may also be useful within an office environment. The laptop minimizes the risk of data loss related to theft and gives corporations a device that is low in cost to support and maintain.Bodeman declined to comment about HP&#39;s plans for future thin-client products.HP competes with IBM and ClearCube Technology in the thin-client hardware and software space.
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SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 6  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing, today announced that Harvard University's Physics department has replaced its PCs for graduate students with Wyse S50 thin-clients, the world's smallest Linux-based thin client.
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Remote PCs are challenging Citrix and WTS, claims IGEL Server-based computing schemes such as Citrix and Windows Terminal Server now have a serious rival in the shape of VDI, claimed German thin client developer IGEL Technology, as it added VDI support to its desktop devices.â¦
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NEW YORK - Coming soon could be a wireless broadband world in which consumers get to pick any smartphone or other device and load any software on it - not have to take what the wireless carrier wants to sell.
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Intel has unveiled a new Centrino chipset that supports three  Wi-Fi standards, along with new wireless software and improved security features.
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Start-up Dust Networks takes the covers off a low-power wireless system for linking sensors in walls, remote cameras and other places.
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Tiny 802.11b adapter will work with Zire 72, Tungsten T3 handhelds.