Tag Archives: Project Ophelia

Computers

Dell's Project Ophelia could be more bad news for PCs

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Dell is shipping Project Ophelia devices to early beta testers. PC sales are already suffering at the hands of mobile devices, and now Dell’s Android PC-on-a-stick threatens the relevance of traditional PCs from a different angle.

First, a little about Project Ophelia. The device is about the size of a large USB thumb drive. Instead of just flash-based storage, though, Project Ophelia packs a Rockchip RK3066 processor and 1GB of RAM, as well as both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity into that small space. It also has a microSD card slot to add additional storage if necessary.

It runs on Google’s Android mobile OS. The device demonstrated at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year ran Android 4.1 (a.k.a. “Jelly Bean”), but it seems reasonable to assume Dell will ship the device with the current version of Android before its official launch, which is expected to be the end of this year.

Project Ophelia is not a revolution that will make PCs irrelevant overnight. Android is great at what it does, but much of the business world runs on the Microsoft Office productivity suite and line-of-business or custom applications developed for a Microsoft Windows environment. Project Ophelia is rumored to be a meager $100 and plugs into an HDMI or MHL port on a TV or monitor. HDMI doesn’t transmit power, so it requires a separate USB connection when using that input.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Meet Dell's new thumb drive-sized PC 'Ophelia'

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Dell is planning to release by mid-year a computer that’s all of 3.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. It’s not much bigger in girth than a USB stick, and is similar in design.

This Wi-Fi enabled device is designed to be plugged into something, most likely a monitor or TV. It has two USB ports for a keyboard and a mouse and, alternatively, Bluetooth capability. It displays at 1080p and can support touch screens.

The device will be powered by an ARM system-on-a-chip manufactured by an undisclosed vendor.

The device doesn’t yet have a real name — Dell is calling it “Project Ophelia.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Turn any display into a virtual PC with Dell's HDMI stick

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LAS VEGAS—Dell this week unveiled a prototype of a pocket-sized HDMI stick that can turn any compatible display into a virtual PC capable of running Android apps or remotely accessing Windows apps on a cloud service or remote PC.

The concept device, called Project Ophelia, is the creation of Dell Wyse, the business unit formed from Dell’s recent acquisition of Wyse Technology. Former Wyse CEO Tarken Maner, now VP and general manager of Cloud Client Computing at Dell, expects the device to cost under $100 at launch.

The HDMI interface allows its use with big-screen displays such as HDTVs, making Project Ophelia a relatively inexpensive way to create a computer anywhere the stick can connect to a network via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Maner believes telecommunications companies wishing to sell cloud services (for example, access to Microsoft Office apps or data centers) might subsidize the device much the way they discount cell phones to customers who commit to service contracts.

However, Project Ophelia does face some significant potential obstacles. While many hotel rooms have TV sets with HDMI ports, keyboards and mice are not typically available—and if you have to bring them with you, you’ve now added both cost and bulk.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld