$129 Cloud Connect, a wireless network card, turns any modern display right into a computer; use with Android apps, virtualized PC desktops, and Dell cloud services.
Android Security: 8 Signs Hackers Own Your Smartphone
(Click image for larger view.)
Dell on Wednesday said it has begun shipping Dell Wyse Cloud Connect, a small wireless network card that may make Android apps, virtualized PC desktops, and Dell cloud services available on any HDMI- or MHL-capable display.
Initially referred to as Project Ophelia — what better symbol for the health of the computer market than the young noblewoman from Shakespeare’s Hamlet who goes mad and drowns? — the Cloud Connect device is ready the scale of a candy bar. First shown at CES 2013, it really is designed to present IT organizations with how to offer familiar applications in a fashion that’s more cost-effective, manageable, and secure than equipping employees with laptops that may be lost or stolen.
The device provides Dell with how to expand its revenue beyond the sale of private computers, a market that have been contracting as affinity for mobile devices has grown. Dell is quick to indicate that unlike the declining PC market, the smart connected-device market grew 30.4% in 2012, at the least as IDC measures it.
Cloud Connect is Android-based and offers full access to Google Play apps. It really works with Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware environments, that are primary in IT organizations. And it is able to provide remote access to OS X and Windows files through Dell’s PocketCloud service.
It’s also easy to hold around, making it a potentially more appealing option than traveling with a laptop. In a fashion, it offers convenience corresponding to that of a Google Chromebook without the keyboard, trackpad, and screen.
The absence of input devices and a display helps keep the pricetag down; Cloud Connect sells for $129. But Cloud Connect customers face the weight of bringing the required peripherals — Bluetooth or USB via Cloud Connect’s UBM mini port — or ensuring the presence of the mandatory hardware on the intended work site.
The device features a micro SD card slot which can accommodate as much as 72 GB of additional storage, and that includes 8 GB of onboard flash memory and 1 GB of RAM.
Dell says Cloud Connect is easily-fitted to mobile workers, students, digital signage, kiosks, and environments with limited space. The device may also entice those searching for a safe method to do personal computing faraway from home.
In an interview last March, Jeff McNaught, Dell’s executive director of selling for cloud computing, described the device as “a safe solution for travelers,” noting that hotel guests might opt to plug their Cloud Connect into their hotel TV to stream movies or access apps in place of purchasing a pay-per-view movie during the hotel’s entertainment system.
If that becomes commonplace, expect hotel managers to elevate the price of WiFi access.
InformationWeek Conference is an exclusive two-day event going down at Interop where you may join fellow technology leaders and CIOs for a packed schedule with learning, information sharing, professional networking, and celebration. Come learn from one another and honor the nation’s leading digital businesses at our InformationWeek Elite 100 Awards Ceremony and Gala. You can discover additional information and register here. In Las Vegas, March 31 to April 1, 2014.