Pano Logic's Mysterious Cube

Pano Logic is set to release a “virtual desktop system” that contains a built-in VDI broker and claims to reduce the TCO of desktop computing by 70%! The device consists of a chromed cube about 9cm wide, 9cm deep and 5cm high. Powered from a separate power supply, it offers two USB ports, an Ethernet port and sockets for keyboard, VGA and mouse. It connects over the network to a virtual machine running by default either on VMware ESX Server of VMware Server, although Pano’s president and CEO Nick Gault said that the underlying virtualisation technology could also be Xen or Microsoft’s upcoming Viridian.

Unlike thin clients, the Pano Logic device does not use any software or even drivers, so executives claim that it cannot be infected by malware. Moreover, the device virtualizes I/O, so that end users can plug in a USB device or printer and use it over the network. Pricing for the device starts at $20 per month per device, with perpetual licenses available.
According to Pano Logic executives, the devices perform the same functions that PCs do – virtualizing keyboard and mice movements, storage, I/O, as well as either Windows XP or Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system. The devices are designed to work with VMware Server; if a small or medium business doesn’t have it, the Pano Logic software includes a VMWare installation when the Pano Logic software installs as well. Pano can be installed on top of an existing VMware ESX deployment.

To view the device in the wild, you can visit Pano Logic’s booth at VMworld. They will have the device on display in booth 1215.

UPDATE:

Below is a new image for the Pano device.  Pretty slick if you ask me.

Read more about Pano Logic in the PCMag artice here as well as the Register article here