IGEL will be the first thin client manufacturer to demonstrate a prototype of a multiprotocol/multimedia thin client when it exhibits at CeBIT this year. With its ARM technology and system on chip (SoC) design, including a Digital Signal Processor from Texas Instruments, this energy-efficient thin client offers exceptional multimedia performance.

IGEL Technology, Germany’s leading manufacturer of thin clients, will debut an, ARM-based multiprotocol thin client at the upcoming CeBIT 2012 show on March 6-10. Notable for its small size, low power consumption and exceptionally high multimedia performance, the device is expected to come to market in Autumn 2012. Price has yet to be finalized for the UK. Among its features will be the ability to play full-screen HD videos. This new multiprotocol thin client is based on a system-on-chip (SoC) design, much like the one recently introduced by Citrix. In addition to Citrix HDX and HDX 3D, IGEL’s new device also supports Microsoft RemoteFX.

Already proven in mobile and embedded applications such as smartphones and tablet computers, ARM technology will now be used in IGEL thin clients to bring the same advantages of high performance, energy efficiency and small size.

The new IGEL prototype is contained in IGEL’s smallest standard device housing, which is normally used for its UD2 model series. The integrated DSP from Texas Instruments accelerates the processing of protocols such as Microsoft RemoteFX and gives the prototype device a level of multimedia performance comparable to that of the top models available in the thin client sector. This high performance includes the capability to display full-screen HD video as well as render complex graphical content such as Windows Aero effects and PowerPoint presentations, as well as rich media by means of Flash Player.

A Multiprotocol Thin Client

In keeping with IGEL’s Universal Desktop strategy, the new ARM-based thin client is not limited to use with only one specific desktop virtualization solution. To ensure the greatest possible range of applications, it not only supports the Microsoft RemoteFX protocol but also Citrix ICA with HDX. Other standards will be integrated as they become available.

“The debut of this prototype reflects a lot of highly dedicated R&D work on our part,” stated Simon Richards, Managing Director at IGEL UK. “For our customers, this means getting better performance for lower acquisition and operating costs as well as safeguarding their investment. With this technology, we’re now expanding the IGEL Universal Desktop operating model by offering yet another thin client with an operating system that can be updated and that can be fully managed remotely with the included IGEL Universal Management Suite.”

“The result of our latest R&D work shows that IGEL is, as is so often the case, a step ahead of the competition,” adds Richards. “What’s more, no other manufacturer has yet been able to come up with an aggressively priced, energy efficient and high-performance device that so well combines many of today’s latest technologies.”