Just days after launching its own cloud storage service, LG has announced the "P Series," a new line of cloud monitors aimed at company networks. Besides the monitor itself, its "zero client" work stations need only a LAN cable (which doubles as power supply), a keyboard and a mouse to work properly, cutting down dramatically on costs and allowing companies to ditch desktop and laptop computers altogether.
The monitors use the PC-over-IP protocol, a centralized, server-based model in which the host takes care of nearly all the number-crunching – it fetches the data, renders the graphics, compresses and encrypts the rendered images pixel by pixel, and then sends them over to the client machine using the low-latency UDP protocol, the same as is used for VoIP chat.
On the receiving end, the clients' only job is to decode the image and display it, eliminating the need for a CPU, memory or storage of their own. This simpler hardware setup translates into lower maintenance costs, no incompatibility issues between host and client, and a longer life cycle for the monitor. The client machines don't need to install operating systems or software updates, which are managed centrally along with the data, resulting in increased network security.
The system also adopts the Universal Power over Ethernet (UPoE) technology developed by Cisco, which feeds up to 60W of electric power via the LAN data cable. This is plenty for the monitors, which can consume as little as 15W. Virtualization via VMware enables a single server to support a large number of monitors, and lets administrators perform system updates without causing interruptions.
Source: LG
Since I should be able to access the internet with these monitors, they should work with other cloud-based data solutions such as NetSuite, which performs ERP, CRM, and Ecommerce funtions. If so, then that's great!
Why is the world rushing headlong back into a corporate controlled environment with mainframes running the show, and all you have access to is the information you are allowed at the time.. No control over what is stored, when it is deleted etc.. sure there is redundancy and data protection, but the loss of control is the flipside..
The cloud is just another name for what corporations have continued to do with their internal IT since the 1970s... The average Joe has no idea (Even "IT Joe")... Their world starts and stops with webservers "PC's" and mobile phones...
This monitor doesn´t do without a computer, it just has sufficient computing power built-in that no other computer is needed. This has a long history in of equipment variously called diskless terminals, x-terminals, sunrays, for many years. The packaging here is great, and brings down the cost of such terminals further, but the terminals still have all the elements the title claims are omitted.
I like owning my CPU, its processing and memory allocation, and above all, buying my software so I am not wide open to predatory leasing prices by the likes of Microsoft and Apple.
And yes, I'm repeating myself here.
And when there is a server or network failure, everyone stop working. :)