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Dual-core SOC for thin clients runs Android locally
2010-03-19 Article Rating:  / 1
NComputing shipped a SoC (system-on-chip) designed for thin clients that will provide multimedia-enabled remote access to Windows and Linux desktops, and optionally run Android 2.1 locally. The $20 Numo SoC is based on a dual-core ARM-based CPU, and is designed to work with the company's VSpace virtualization software.
The Numo SoC apparently aims to deliver the same essential thin client experience available with NComputing's existing virtualization technology (see farther below), except with the added twist of supporting Android. NComputing bills Numo an an "ambidextrous" chip, enabling both consumer applications, such as "accessing Google from a smart TV," as well as enterprise applications, such as using Windows-based virtual desktops in bank branch offices. Consumer devices might include smart TVs, cable and satellite set-top boxes, media players, and ebook readers, says NComputing. Enterprise devices, meanwhile, could include virtual thin clients, cloud-based workstations, and network monitors, as well as mobile devices like netbooks, notebooks, smartbooks, and tablets. It's said Numo-based devices can optionally run Android 2.1 as their resident operating system for web access. When a network connection to a vSpace-enabled Windows or Linux desktop is available, the user can switch to a virtualized environment that provides a "rich multimedia-enabled Windows or Linux PC" experience, the company adds.  NComputing's Numo on sample board Numo also provides a Windows-compliant graphics subsystem, as well as device interfaces, including graphics, serial, parallel, USB, SD, I2S, and I2C, says the company. A future version will support Microsoft's newly announced update to RDP (remote desktop protocol) known as RemoteFX, the company adds. The SoC costs $20 apiece (presumably in volume), and manufacturers can develop a system board for devices for an additional $10 cost in parts, for a total $30 system board cost, claims NComputing. Numo-based devices can be licensed via a bundled, single-user vSpace license, adds the company. The first customer for Numo is LG Electronics which is developing Numo-based versions of its Network Monitors line of displays. LG was said to have shown a prototype of the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, demonstrating 31 users simultaneously using multimedia applications via a linked sub-$1,000 PC running vSpace and Microsoft Windows Server. NComputing plans to announce additional partners this summer, including PC, monitor, and TV manufacturers. NComputing background Seven-year-old NComputing sells virtual desktop software combined with ultra-thin client devices that are touted as being easy to ship and install, require minimal maintenance, and use only a single Watt of electricity per seat. The company claims its customers typically cut their PC acquisition costs by 75 percent, operating costs by 75 percent, and electricity costs by 90 percent. NComputing's current technology taps the "unused capacity" in a PC and shares it among multiple users. Its VSpace virtualization software creates a virtual desktop environment on any Windows- or Linux-based computer, and its wide range of client devices connect in various ways including via PCI add-in cards installed on a host PC (X-series), USB (U-series), and Ethernet (L-series). The latter is said to support up to 30 users per attached PC.
 X300 client NComputing claims to have deployed more than 600,000 of its thin clients worldwide. However, most of these appear to be vSpace software clients running on existing older PCs connected via hubs and low-cost add-in cards, as opposed to its own embedded client systems. The technology has a large presence in educational and government institutions, especially in emerging nations, and is said to be used by some 20 million users in over 140 countries. In the last quarter of 2009, NComputing virtual desktops won over 100,000 enterprise seats at retailers, financial institutions, call centers, manufacturers, and distribution operations, says the company. The technology is said to be involved in the re-infrastructure of India's entire Social Security and public healthcare system, which is being managed by ESIC. The deployment alone represents over 31,000 NComputing client workstations, making it the world's largest virtual desktop and cloud based enterprise application deployment, claims the company.  NComputing networking diagram using entry-level X300 devices. One PC can be shared by up to seven users via two PCI cards. (Click to enlarge) Last May, NComputing joined a United Nations program to bring 1,000 Linux-based NComputing desktops to schools in developing countries. NComputing also announced that several electric utilities in the U.S. and Canada qualified its "one-Watt" devices for purchase rebates and rate discounts. Stated Stephen Dukker, Chairman and CEO of NComputing, "We expect rapid growth as Numo is adopted by high-volume device providers across the industry." Stated Ron Snaidauf, VP of Commercial Products, LG Electronics USA Business Solutions, "Our customers are taking into account not just the purchase price of computing, but also long-term costs connected to IT support, maintenance and electricity. Combining NComputing technology with our market-leading monitors creates the optimal solution for today's cost-conscious businesses." Availability Numo is available now with volume pricing of $20 per SoC, and Numo-based virtual desktop clients will be available for purchase from NComputing and other vendors in the second quarter. Numo-powered virtual desktop clients will be shown at Interop from Apr. 25-29, in Las Vegas, demonstrating "rich multimedia functionality with VMware, Citrix, Windows, and Linux," says NComputing. The company says it will also give away over 1,000 of these devices at the show. More information should eventually appear at this Numo page, here, which was not yet live at presstime. Related Stories:
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