CloudGate

[Park@82]

Thanks Park@82. The DroidTV looks more like something I am looking for. If you add the mouse and keyboard will take it to about R2000.

np Sam. I personally would not recommend an android device as a normal desktop replacement, the whole UI was specifically developed for multi-touch screen. What is your requirements?

Avsupply has a very helpful rep here. Here is a thread if you need to ask something about it: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/596615-The-Droid-TV-thread/page51 the m8 might be overkill for what you need...

PS i dont work for Avsupply

 

[Jonathan Young]

Thanks for all the comments and questions... will do my best to help where I can. CloudGate is an Android PC. CloudWare allows you to access a CloudWare enabled Windows environment from a CloudGate (and other Android / iOS devices). Just as you can access a Citrix environment using a CloudGate by downloading the Citrix Receiver client. Installing Cloudware on an Android TV box does not make a CloudGate; the version of CloudWare on the PlayStore is for Mobile devices, and performs differently to the version we've specifically built for the CloudGate. The easiest way to see this is to download the free CloudWare app onto another Android device, and plug in a keyboard and mouse to try and work. The frustrations will be apparent, as alluded to by Park@82 above. Much of our development has been to resolve these problems, designing better Firmware, better peripheral drivers and a better quality ROM. If you're not looking for an Android computer, and just want a TV box, then as you correctly state, there are cheaper devices that perform this function, as lots of people have pointed out.

Regarding hosting prices - many companies offer hosted Microsoft products, but we'd suggest using one of the free Android Office apps like WPS (Kingsoft Office) - you can open a docx from a USB drive, edit it, and re save it as a docx without spending a cent...
CloudGate was developed as an enterprise thin client with built-in user adoption (users love Android), and then lots of technical journalists suggested we offer it as a consumer device, so we have now offered it through Takealot as an inexpensive home computer alternative.
For any other questions, I'm sure you'll let me know!

 

[Jonathan Young]

Thanks for all the comments and questions... will do my best to help where I can. CloudGate is an Android PC. CloudWare allows you to access a CloudWare enabled Windows environment from a CloudGate (and other Android / iOS devices). Just as you can access a Citrix environment using a CloudGate by downloading the Citrix Receiver client. Installing Cloudware on an Android TV box does not make a CloudGate; the version of CloudWare on the PlayStore is for Mobile devices, and performs differently to the version we've specifically built for the CloudGate. The easiest way to see this is to download the free CloudWare app onto another Android device, and plug in a keyboard and mouse to try and work. The frustrations will be apparent. Much of our development has been to resolve these problems, designing better Firmware, better peripheral drivers and a better quality ROM. If you're not looking for an Android computer, and just want a TV box, then as you correctly state, there are cheaper devices that perform this function, as lots of people have pointed out.

Regarding hosting prices - many companies offer hosted Microsoft products, but we'd suggest using one of the free Android Office apps like WPS (Kingsoft Office) - you can open a docx from a USB drive, edit it, and re save it as a docx without spending a cent...
CloudGate was developed as an enterprise thin client with built-in user adoption (users love Android), and then lots of technical journalists suggested we offer it as a consumer device, so we have now offered it through Takealot as an inexpensive home computer alternative.
For any other questions, I'm sure you'll let me know!

 

[Skerminkel]

Hi Tera,
Please do give us a call if you want to learn about Cloudgate - 011 218 8050. We'd welcome the opportunity to show we're all ding ding! I understand I'm not allowed to advertise here, but please get in touch and I can tell you all about us. I'm very interested to understand more if we've got the messaging wrong on our website.
Many thanks,
Jonathan - Head of Product

Jonathan

I only see your post now, so not sure if you will pick this up still. Here is a suggestion: see how the Afripeople (@Afriman, @Afriguy, etc.) does it on here. I suspect you know the MyBB forums well, if not under your own name, but you should really know that if you can get the forumites and general readers of MyBB on your side, it can mean the world to your product. Play along, share, but be honest and professional. Despite the flaming of businesses like Telkom and the big cell companies, most here have a soft spot for local entrepreneurs.

Good luck!

 

[mister]

What are the monthly costs involved for accessing a "CloudWare enabled Windows environment from a CloudGate?"

 

[Park@82]

Installing Cloudware on an Android TV box does not make a CloudGate; the version of CloudWare on the PlayStore is for Mobile devices, and performs differently to the version we've specifically built for the CloudGate. The easiest way to see this is to download the free CloudWare app onto another Android device, and plug in a keyboard and mouse to try and work.

Thanks for clarifying. But both (Cloudware clients) are still useless without the hosting service.

Regarding hosting prices - many companies offer hosted Microsoft products

Yet you wont be able to connect to them via the Cloudware client unless they have Cloudware server component installed on the host right?

Do you know of any home user orientated hosting providers with Cloudware support? Aren't you marketing these to home users as "Everything Windows"?

but we'd suggest using one of the free Android Office apps like WPS (Kingsoft Office) - you can open a docx from a USB drive, edit it, and re save it as a docx without spending a cent...

This can be done on an android "tv box" as well.

 

[Jonathan Young]

Thanks for clarifying. But both (Cloudware clients) are still useless without the hosting service.


Yet you wont be able to connect to them via the Cloudware client unless they have Cloudware server component installed on the host right?

Do you know of any home user orientated hosting providers with Cloudware support? Aren't you marketing these to home users as "Everything Windows"?


This can be done on an android "tv box" as well.

Thanks Skerminkel for the advice.
Mister - the monthly cost of a CW license to access a Cloudware enabled Windows environment from a Cloudgate (or a PC, Mac, Linux desktop, or an Android/iOS smart device) starts at R99 (min 10) and comes down with volume. Hosting environment pricing varies wildly, so I can't really cover here, but often users connect from home to a corporate hosted environment with no need for VPN)
Hi Park@82. You are absolutely right - you can't do anything with any remote client unless you have something to connect to. But the CloudGate is still a standalone pc. We are not expecting home users to connect to a single instance of a hosted version of MS Word, for example, rather use a free app. But a home user might want to connect to a corporate Windows environment. CloudGate is not just for consumers - it's also used by Enterprise, which is where "Everything Windows" is much more relevant.
Re using WPS (Kingsoft) Office on an Android TV box - you're right again, absolutely you can do this, but Android "expands" too much on a 22" HD screen, and you don't have full kb functionality, and these are the areas where we have worked hard to create a crisp user experience.

 

[Spontaneous Interruption]

BUMP... any myBB user reviews?

 

[Camojoe]

I was lucky enough to win a Cloudgate device/pc from NAG recently. Today I actually had time to sit down and get it going and see what it is all about.

First impressions - Not overly impressed - It is slow and kept on rebooting, often enough to be frustrating. Cannot get Chrome browser to run on it - I keep on getting errors that 'Chrome could not run' or something along those lines.

I was toying with the idea to have it run as a Netflix/hulu client connected to my home TV, but due to the repeated rebooting I have already canned that idea.

I will contact Cloudgate to see if they can resolve the rebooting issue - if they cannot... well luckily I did not have to pay for it!

The mouse interface actually works quite well - I just have to get out of the habit of double clicking.

Setup was a breeze, it boots up nice and quick and is silent - perfect for the lounge.

As I mentioned in the beginning - it felt slow. I am used to PC performance, I have an iPad and a HTC One M8 - My experience on these are better, performance wise, than to this Cloudgate android PC.

 

[Vernon]

^^
No problems with rebooting here. Works fine with Netflix/Hulu. No problems with Chrome either. So it looks like you got given a dud.
It did, as you say, feel a tad slow. Not a deal breaker for me though.

 

[panda]

Hi All, does anyone here own a CloudGate Square mini computer.
I'm referring to the device that is/was supplied from a vendor at the following web address: http://www.cloudgate.co.za/
I would like to compare notes with others, so as discover more of this device's undocumented features. Specifically, I want to replace the default Windows 7.0 operating system, and I need to find out how to boot the CloudGate from (say) a bootable USB stick, and then to install a light-weight version of Linux. I believe that a system such as Lubuntu can deliver a much better experience of the CloudGate, because it is better suited to the limited resources of the CloudGate Square, e.g. The CPU speed (1.333GHz, and Turbo to 1.6GHz), plus the RAM size of is limited to only 2GB.
I bought the device purely as a Video player for my large flat-screen monitor, but it doesn't seem to be able to cope with the task on Windows, and it keeps corrupting Windows files, with the end-result that one has to reset the whole system about once per month. Quite a hassle!
Please share some info with me.
Panda.

 

[panda]

Hi All, does anyone here own a CloudGate Square mini computer.
I'm referring to the device that is/was supplied from a vendor at the following web address: http://www.cloudgate.co.za/
I would like to compare notes with others, so as discover more of this device's undocumented features. Specifically, I want to replace the default Windows 7.0 operating system, and I need to find out how to boot the CloudGate from (say) a bootable USB stick, and then to install a light-weight version of Linux. I believe that a system such as Lubuntu can deliver a much better experience of the CloudGate, because it is better suited to the limited resources of the CloudGate Square, e.g. The CPU speed (1.333GHz, and Turbo to 1.6GHz), plus the RAM size of is limited to only 2GB.
I bought the device purely as a Video player for my large flat-screen monitor, but it doesn't seem to be able to cope with the task on Windows, and it keeps corrupting Windows files, with the end-result that one has to reset the whole system about once per month. Quite a hassle!
Please share some info with me.
Panda.

 

[panda]

CloudGate - I want to install Linux "Lubuntu" - Cananyone help?

Hi All, does anyone here own a CloudGate Square mini computer.
I'm referring to the device that is/was supplied from a vendor at the following web address: http://www.cloudgate.co.za/
I would like to compare notes with others, so as discover more of this device's undocumented features. Specifically, I want to replace the default Windows 7.0 operating system, and I need to find out how to boot the CloudGate from (say) a bootable USB stick, and then to install a light-weight version of Linux. I believe that a system such as Lubuntu can deliver a much better experience of the CloudGate, because it is better suited to the limited resources of the CloudGate Square, e.g. The CPU speed (1.333GHz, and Turbo to 1.6GHz), plus the RAM size of is limited to only 2GB.
I bought the device purely as a Video player for my large flat-screen monitor, but it doesn't seem to be able to cope with the task on Windows, and it keeps corrupting Windows files, with the end-result that one has to reset the whole system about once per month. Quite a hassle!
Please share some info with me.
Panda.

 

[Underworld]

I bought the 64 GB solid state Cloudgate Windows 10 version. Netflix (and other sdtreaming sites) streams perfect, however haven't tried it on HD yet. So far, I personally think it's a amazing piece of equipment. Replacing my DSTV with streaming services through Cloudgate is my main goal, and so far I'm happy, it delivers

 

[Jackeroo]

I have tried to install various forms of Linux on the Cloudgate Square myself, unfortunately there doesn't seems to be a way to boot into it with any bootable media.

I have also contacted Cloudgate directly and they haven't really been able to help.

Apparently their tech team are working on a way to load a Linux version onto the Cloudgate - but I haven't received feedback further from there. Will keep you posted though if I come right.