HP upgrades mobile and desktop thin clients

HP Wednesday announced a new mobile thin client, and software enhancements to improve the security and manageability of its desktop-based thin clients.  

HP says its 4410t Mobile Thin Client gives users notebook-quality performance while insuring businesses against loss of data by storing all data on the server rather than on the endpoint. The mobile thin client, available in mid-July at $550 and up, is based on Intel Celeron processors and preinstalled with Windows Embedded Standard operating system.

Weighing a little over 4 pounds, the 4410t Mobile Thin Client includes a spill-resistant keyboard; a touchpad; a 14-inch screen; 1GB and 2GB solid-state memory and an optional DVD-ROM drive. HP first entered the mobile thin client market in January 2008 with the Compaq 6720t, which cost $725 and up.

Separately on Wednesday, HP rolled out improvements to its desktop-based Windows and Linux thin clients that will improve security of the devices, and simplify setup and integration with VMware View and Citrix XenDesktop virtualization platforms.

While HP is integrating with third-party virtualization tools, Tad Bodeman, HP's thin client marketing director, denies a rumor that HP is exiting the virtual desktop infrastructure market altogether.

A recent Virtualization.info blog post asserted that HP will stop development of its Remote Graphics Software (RGS) and Session Allocation Manager (SAM) connection broker software, exiting the virtual desktop infrastructure market by year-end.

Bodeman says that is not true and that HP will continue to enhance both RGS and SAM. "We are continuing to invest in bringing new features to those products," he says.

On the security side, HP says its t5545 Linux-based desktop thin clients now feature a stateless security mode that protects sensitive data by storing all desktop settings remotely. "Settings are automatically retrieved upon boot and removed when the local device is powered down," HP says.

New software start-up tools called HP Easy Update and HP Easy Config will make it easier to set up HP's t5540 Windows-based thin clients and integrate them with VMware and Citrix. "The two new software start-up tools make it quick and easy for customers to identify and choose the latest image and configuration settings for their thin client, helping get new users up, running and productive faster than ever before," HP says.

In another announcement, HP said several of its desktop thin clients have met Energy Star requirements, and will begin displaying the Energy Star logo in early July.

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