Cool Technology of the Week

In my previous posts, I've described our web applications of CareGroup and Harvard Medical School that run anywhere on anything. At some point, as more and more software is offered via Software as a service providers, Web 2.0 applications, and operating system neutral thin clients, the notion of a desktop becomes a basic operating system running a browser. Such a device can be a very thin client without much local storage.

We've investigated several thin client computers in the past, but the Cool Technology of the Week is the Jack PC from Chip PC Technologies. It's slightly larger than a pager fits inside a wall mounted network port. It's powered over ethernet, offers VMware support and connectivity to Microsoft Terminal or Citrix servers. Features include

• Installable in wall, furniture or floor
• Network integrated
  
• 100% theft-proof
• 100% virus-immune
• 100% data-secured
• 100% remotely managed
• Energy saver (3.5W)

Just plug a keyboard and flat panel screen into the wall and you're up and running! Very cool.

On the subject of small PCs, one followup from my post about the MacBook Air. In a recent article about the Air in AppleInsider, I found a fascinating comparison of major subnotebook manufacturers, that aligns with my own experience

Sony targets high end consumers; it leverages its physical media engineering prowess to build DVD burners into most of its models, something that few other light notebook makers even attempt to do. Sony's Vaio line is splashy and feature rich, but isn't commonly regarded as well built or durable.

Panasonic is known for its ruggedized Toughbook line, designed to operate in rough environments. Its models commonly trade off high end performance and features for extremely light weight and compact size. That relegates Panasonic's fans to mobile business users, and makes it less appealing to mainstream consumers.

Lenovo, which bought up IBM's PC division, continues the venerable ThinkPad line as a highly regarded workhorse that delivers top performance in a thin but well constructed case -- all work and no play. ThinkPads are also known for their long usable life and their fingertip controllers rather than trackpads, something that polarizes users for or against based on their personal preferences.

Fujitsu is another leader in light and thin notebooks, but also makes more general purpose machines that borrow from its leading edge thin designs. Its larger sized lines are powerful and economical while still remaining thin and fairly light. Fujitsu also makes Tablet PC convertible machines with the flip-around monitors that have yet to prove popular because they are expensive.

Dell was not discussed in the article, but my experience is that the Latitude line, such as the D420 with a wide screen, are light, durable, and economical.

At CareGroup and Harvard Medical School, we deploy Lenovo and Dell Latitude laptops.

Here's the complete article