NEW DELHI, INDIA: NComputing, a provider of ultra-low-cost computing appliances— announced that it had further cut down the cost of computing with its new X550 desktop virtualisation kit.

Each X550 kit delivers a rich multimedia computing experience to an additional five users on one PC for a list price of only $449. With a second X550 kit, a total of eleven users can all share a single PC.

Recognising NComputing’s revolutionary technology, the Consumer Electronics Show organization (CES) named the X550 an Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award honouree.

The CES merit is the latest industry accolade NComputing has received, joining a list of awards from the Wall Street Journal, The Tech Museum of Innovation, Gartner, Frost & Sullivan, and Deloitte.

Stephen Dukker, CEO and chairman of NComputing, said: “Our mission has always been to slash the cost of computing. With the global economic crisis, the need has never been greater. Businesses, schools, factories, and governments worldwide are facing severe budget constraints and the X550 is the perfect solution because it delivers computing access to employees and students at a fraction of the cost of standalone PCs—and with the same performance. The X550 joins the highly successful X300, which supports up to seven users on one PC.” 

The NComputing solution is based on a simple fact: Today’s PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer’s capacity.
NComputing technology creates multiple virtual desktops on a single PC so that many users can tap the unused capacity and share it as if each person had their own computer. Each X550 kit includes five NComputing XD2 access devices, a PCI plug-in card, and the award-winning vSpace virtualisation software.

Unlike other desktop virtualisation solutions, the patented and highly-efficient X550 delivers rich multimedia and full-screen video. 

Joe Jenkins, IT director, Natomas Unified School District, said: “Our IT budget couldn’t keep up with our need for PCs. With NComputing, the choice was easy—we saved on our upfront costs and saved even more on ongoing support and maintenance. We’ve been using the X300 and now we look forward to deploying the X550 for even better savings and performance.”