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Thin-client maker Neoware on Oct. 17 announced its first-ever line of notebooks, which the company hopes will appeal to security-conscious professionals.
The company, based in King of Prussia, Pa., will start taking orders for its Neoware m100 thin-client notebook later in October, said Diana Wong, director of product marketing.
The company has had success with its line of thin-client desktops, and Wong said the time seemed right to offer a line of notebooks that would appeal to those users concerned about security.
Wong said the new notebooks will appeal to users who need access to secure data from outside the company.
“We really see this appealing to [workers] who move from conference room to conference room and need to have regular access to their laptop,” Wong told eWEEK. “We see the notebooks appealing to people who work from home or might need access to company data from their hotel room.”
Neoware is not the only vendor trying to offer thin-client notebooks and desktops as secure alternatives. Thin-client vendors Wyse Technology, Hewlett-Packard and others have continued to tout the benefits of their thin clients when it comes to security.
Much like a standard thin-client desktop, the Neoware notebook houses the key components, such as the memory and the processors, in a centrally located server.
The notebook can the access the companys server through either an Ethernet, USB, built-in Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
The notebook can use a number of different applications, including: ICA (Integrated Communications Adapter); RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol); XDM (X Windows Display Manager); SSH (Secure Shell); and terminal emulation. The notebook can also use open-source applications such as Firefox, NoMachine and Tarrantella
The Neoware m100 notebook also features a VIA processor, 15-inch display and a battery with a six-hour lifespan. The notebook also supports Microsofts Windows XP embedded operating system, as well as Linux.
The Windows-based notebook will sell for $799 and the company has started taking orders for those machines. The Linux-based notebooks will be priced at $759.
The Linux-based notebook will debut in November but have a limited availability. Wong said those notebooks will become widely available in the first quarter of 2007.