HP ships pair of thin-client PCs
updated 02:05 pm EST, Fri January 26, 2007
HP Thin Client PCs
HP this afternoon launched a pair of thin-client PCs for businesses, schools, and others that need only basics for their computers. The Compaq-branded t5135 and t5530 are scarcely larger than a paperback and contain no fans, HP said, making them small and quiet enough to hide behind a flat-panel screen or otherwise out of sight. Being thin clients, the devices only need enough memory and performance to reach the network and have no writable storage of their own: just enough flash memory is onboard to hold the OS, which saves all its settings on a central server.
The two models share the common platform of 128MB of RAM, 64MB of flash memory for the OS, and a Via Eden processor, with models split by performance and OS: the base t5135 uses a 400MHz CPU and Debian Linux, while the faster t5530 doubles the clock speed to 800MHz and runs Windows CE, giving it enough strength and support for media players and other more demanding tasks. The t5135 ships at the beginning of February for $199 and should be followed a month later by the t5530 in March for $299.
