Athena Thin Clients has introduced what it says is the first fanless, thin client terminal integrated directly into a TFT LCD monitor. The 17-inch T2117FM runs Linux, and is well-suited to critical care environments in hospitals, according to the company.

(Click here for larger image)

Athena claims that competing products with active cooling pose a problem for critical care environments such as intensive care units (ICUs) and operating rooms because they can contribute to “viral and bacterial pollution.” As hospitals migrate to electronic patient file systems, the demand for computing devices in critical care areas increases. The T2117FM is already being used in several hospitals, according to the company.

Athena lists the following key features and specifications for the T2117FM:

• Processor — VIA Eden, 733 MHz or 1 GHz
• Memory — 128 to 512 MB of DDR SDRAM
• Display:
  • 17-inch “zero pixel defect” TFT
  • maximum resolution, 1280 x 1024
• Storage:
  • CompactFlash socket
  • DiskOnModule socket, 40- and 44-pin
  • 2.5-inch IDE HDD (optional)
• I/O ports:
  • 10/100 Ethernet, PXE LAN boot
  • 4 USB 2.0
  • 2 serial
  • PS/2 keyboard and mouse
  • AC97 audio, mic in, line out
• Expansion — mini-PCI slot
• Options:
  • wireless LAN — mini-PCI or USB
  • internal Smartcard reader
• Power adapter — 12 VDC @ 5A

The T2117FM ships with a “special medical keyboard” with integrated touchpad. Athena says the device supports VESA mounting standards, making it relatively easy to mount to most hospital equipment carts, as shown in the photo to the right of the list of specs, above.

In addition to Linux, the T2117FM can also be supplied with Windows CE and XP Embedded, according to the company.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.