This review is part of a group test of Windows XPE-based thin clients

Igel Technology’s Premium series is aimed at compute-intensive applications such as SAP and finance software. It features a beefy specification and enterprise-friendly features such as a built-in smartcard reader for secure user authentication.

The 5610 XP Premium is the largest model of those reviewed here, but even so is less than a foot high when mounted upright in its plastic stand. It is a solidly built unit that appears to be constructed from pressed steel.

With its 1.3GHz VIA C7 processor and 256MB memory, the Premium is one of the most powerful of the systems covered here. It also has 1GB of Flash memory, which leaves plenty of room for local applications and drivers.

Igel supplies the Premium with a built-in setup tool that enables a user to change the language, keyboard locale, and display settings, without needing to login with administrator privileges.

Also included in Igel’s image build is a Thinprint client. Thinprint is a server-based system that supports driver-free printing in networks operating Microsoft or Citrix thin client environments.

For access to server-hosted sessions, the 5610 XP Premium includes RDP and ICA clients. Our review unit also included the Ericom PowerTerm application that can emulate a variety of text-based terminals.

The 5610 XP Premium ships with a smartcard reader fitted to the front of the device as standard, which allows the system to support user authentication by smartcard for organisations requiring extra security.

A flap covers two USB ports at the front. Two more are located at the rear of the device, plus serial, parallel and PS/2 connectors. It also features PCI and PC Card slots to support extra hardware.

The 5610 XP Premium supports both VGA and DVI display outputs, both of which can be used simultaneously. The maximum resolution under VGA is 1920x1440, while the DVI output can be used for resolutions up to 1600x1200.

Next review: Wyse V90 Dual-Video