NComputing hopes to simplify the computer multiplex process with its USB-connected virtual desktop.  The Redwood City-based company is debuting the U170, a thin client that plugs into a PC’s USB port so that other users can share the same computer (according to the company, up to nine U170s can be connected to a single PC and “still provide a high-definition multimedia experience for every user”).

For general office applications, “you can run 30 users off one computer, no problem,” said NComputing president Stephen Dukker.  “As processing speeds improve, you only have to replace one computer.  The box – only slightly larger than a deck of cards – is  the third iteration of the technology, simplifying what was available only through an internal card or Ethernet network-based solution.”

“We own 15-20%of the US K-12 desktop market with small business and enterprise companies catching on,” said David Rand, marketing director.  LG has enabled some of its monitors using NComputing’s technology, including those displayed in its massive 100×100 monitor booth display.

The U170 will ship in February (MSRP under $99).