In addition to the Windows-based blade PCs, HP offers a range of server-based thin clients that support a variety of operating systems. Similarly, Sun and Wyse said that embedding the Secure Global Desktop software in a thin client will allow the device to deliver applications from any source via a network server.

Blade PCs are "not really a solution in a heterogeneous environment" because they usually rely on Windows, said Greg Wolff, director of desktop infrastructure software at Sun.

One certainty is that interest in thin clients among corporate users is increasing, said Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at IDC. Thin clients, whether they're running off a blade PC or a server, currently account for just over 3 percent of all corporate desktops, according to O'Donnell. By 2009, that figure is expected to increase to about 8 percent, he said.