Chip PCs - anyone using them?

[TheCrust]

As title - is anyone using these integrated "jack PCs" in their schools?

Chip PC - Jack PC EFI-6800 Thin Client

We are finishing off the refurb of our post-16 common room and putting in some IT facilities. Although I had planned to put some upgraded desktops in there, having seen these my interest has piqued. I can find one old thread on here about them in the past but nothing since.

The unit can be mounted in the trunking leaving nothing visible for the students to interfere with - just a keyboard, monitor and mouse - which is ideal for this particular situation.

Thoughts appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[EduTech]

When we looked into them they did seem pretty slow

[Shielder]

Not to mention that they are considerably more expensive than traditional thin clients.

[TheCrust]

Not to mention that they are considerably more expensive than traditional thin clients.

Ah. I noticed that - but what appeals is the fact they can be effectively hidden away in the trunking, away from "inquisitive fingers", if you know what I mean.

The area we're refurbing includes a section of workbenching around the room. If we went with these, we would mount the trunking below the level of the worksurface, stick the monitor on a wall bracket above, and all the students would see on the desk is an internet cafe-style setup - with nothing more than a keyboard and mouse to interact with.

Handy if the little scamps historically have had a bit of a wayward attitude to the kit in those areas

When we looked into them they did seem pretty slow

Really? Oh bother - that would put sand in the vaseline - in what way did you think they were slow? Startup times, or just performance generally lacking?

[Butuz]

What we need is for Axel to make their M70/M80 into Chip PCs - now they'd be worth buying!!!

Butuz

[Axel]

We have no plans to go in that direction. In terms of 'fiddling' with thin client, embedded in wall has no benefit over being securely attached to rear of monitor, neither will survive a determined attack, both keep desktop clear, our way possibly has fewer trailing cables and easier to move the 'work station' or deploy in middle of rooms...

We have future plans to offer wifi, internal speakers, and VPN clients (for home workers), all of which for different reasons would not be well suited to being embedded in walls... (We have just released a wifi thin-client)

However it's good to see another company producing something a little different and innovative and not, like many companies, simply churning out another "me too" CE/Linux/XP black box...!