Yet another company reared its head in the increasingly crowded network computer world at Comdex this week. WebSonic Inc is a newly-formed subsidiary of monitor manufacturer ViewSonic Corp. It has was founded by some people from fellow NC and terminal maker Wyse Technology Inc and was showing the beta version of its first thin client device at the show. The D5.0 Corporate Communicator, as it’s known, is based on Digital Equipment Corp and Advanced RISC Machine Ltd’s 233MHz StrongARM RISC processor and was running the VxWorks operating system, from Wind Rivers Systems Inc. It featured Netscape Communications Corp’s Navigator and can run Windows 95 and NT applications via Citrix Systems Inc’s ICA protocol. The version we saw was running off Citrix’ WinFrame multi-user NT sever, although it will also support Microsoft Corp’s rival Hydra when it’s ready. The D5.0 also has the usual 3270 and 5250 terminal emulation and a Java virtual machine will be included by the time it is scheduled to ship in January. The D5.0 stands upright, a bit like the model from network Computing Devices. But is has three other models up its sleeve. The first integrates a thin LCD display into the same form factor as the D5.0, but it is not expected to be available until at least next summer. Before that the company plans to launch a tablet form version, incorporating an infra-red connection and a pen-based interface, although it also has a keyboard. There was only a mock-up on show at Comdex, although it is promised for around February. Around the same time, the company expects to have ready a small device that clips onto a belt, with voice recognition software included using voice-over-IP technology, and a small screen, although company officials said one prospective customer wants it without a display. The base configuration of the D5.0 is expected to cost between $700 and $750, with a mouse and keyboard, 10BaseT Ethernet support and 8Mb RAM. A floppy drive would be extra, but there’s also space for an IDE hard drive of up to 3.2 Gb. Santa Clara-based WebSonic is headed by president and chief executive David Brooks, who was formerly vice president of advanced development at Wyse.
