Nowadays System Integrator (SI) needs to build solutions using either general-purpose yet?overcapacity components such as PC or low-cost yet purpose-specific components. They are?unlikely to strike a good balance between cost and flexibility they need. In their quest for the?right balance, SI is in constant search for new technology that can provide them with both the?flexibility of a PC and the low cost of an embedded system.
IT product development mainly involves of hardware development and software?development. The common problems for hardware development is the heavy cost and lengthy development. Such issues introduce high risk which is not easy to handle especially in the very?competitive and dynamic markets like IT markets. To circumvent the hardware development?issues and to successfully deliver the complete product on time, most software is developed?for the PC platform, which has Application Framework in place to easily facilitate developers?to create software. But this comes at an unnecessary high cost to the overall solution, as?usually PC is too big for the solutions they try to build.
In some businesses, such as Digital Signage, the products are developed on the PC or?specific PC-based devices, which are relatively costly, compared to the ability of hardware which is too big for Digital Signage application. The SI for Digital Signage business has no?alternative to the PC mainly because of the investment and lengthy development of hardware.?The same scenario is found many business areas, such as Virtual Desktop and Device Control?System, etc.
The call for a new platform has inspired The VC group, Power-All Networks, Foxconn (well?known world class electronics manufacture) to joint venture in a tech startup Power-All Venture to invent an innovation of Cloud Client Platform called Penta?. A new product can?simply be developed with Penta??Hardware, its platform and framework based on a powerful?combination of Android and Linux. As a result, all SI can take Penta??as part of their solution?which can be develop to match more specific and complicated customers? requirements and?package it under their own brand. Such innovation does open up the opportunities to develop?new form of solution for numerous applications including Digital Signage, Thin Client,?Internet TV, Video-On-Demand, Video Conference, etc.
The key and fundamental features of Penta?comprises of:
1. Optimal Hardware for better cost. Penta??is sponsored by world class manufacturer?Foxconn who guarantees both cost and quality of the product. Together with the?elegant design, PentaTM brings the cost down to the optimal level without trading off?the development flexibility of the device.
2. Energy-green. With selection of ARM CPU, the power usage become much more?efficient and result into low power consumption.
3. Compact Size. PentaTM is small, light, and easy to install with great durability.
4. Rich interfaces for variety of peripheral devices. Smaller than PC but the driver?supports are equal and more can be added to support all possible peripheral devices?over USB, WiFi, Ethernet, and HDMI. New OS upgrade can be accomplished via?Over-The-Air Upgrade Service.
5. Cloud Service/Storage Access Point. Penta??is gracefully designed to support Cloud?Computing architecture.
6. Ready for more Development. Penta Application Frameworks based on Android and?Linux facilitates developers to create free/commercial applications or Cloud-Service-?specific applications. Together with modifiable GUI, service providers can transform?Penta? into their in-house client product for their cloud service.?Penta??is indeed a revolution for future technology that will completely replace PC and?serve the business requirements in different aspects. The solution and product are now can?truly be evolved along with the fast trend in the world of Cloud Computing. For more detail?and update about Penta?,?please visit and join our group discussion
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