Tadpole Leaping Over Pano, Wyse?
You are forgiven if General Dynamics is not the first company you think of when the subject of conversation is thin client computing. After all, GD is one of the biggest defense contractors in the world, so you are much more likely to conjure up images of jet fighters and various weapons systems. And you probably do not associate the sprawling multi-national company with a product named Tadpole, but that is the name of GD's ultra thin client. Not "Project Tadpole," just plain old "Tadpole."
GD has in fact just released four new versions of the Tadpole family, which the company is quick to proclaim provides "PC-like" performance that includes local and global networking and high-speed computing capabilities. The company makes all the expected claims for its thin clients: no hard drives, memory OS or app software that can lead to security problems associated with stolen computers and viruses, and of course, they're green.
The Tadpole M1000 weighs a mere three pounds and was created for use by distributed, very mobile users, as well as general purpose computer users. From here on, things get heavier: The Tadpole M1500 high performance notebook includes all the capabilities of the M1000, and throws in a 15-inch LCD screen that enables high-def multimedia, video and 3-D imaging. The Tadpole Pulsar is a wireless desktop unit "configured for complex operations including dual displays, optical networking, high-definition multi-media, and 3-D imaging." At the top of the line weight-wise is the Tadpole Pulsar Premium, a "wireless desktop unit for general purpose computing."
Dave Miles, GD director of marketing, sees the M1000 playing a crucial role in the "big push" for virtual desktop solutions, and simultaneously declares his support for Windows 7, which he calls a "great opportunity" to refresh current desktops or push everything to the data center.
"We're talking about complete desktop replacements for up to thousands or tens of thousands of customers," he says. "Because everything is on central servers, customers expect two-to-three times longer refresh cycles because servers can be swapped out." Refreshment is not all that common around Miles' part of GD. According to him, the company is still supporting products that are 10-to-13 years old.
Posted by Bruce Hoard on 07/12/2010 at 12:48 PM