(sm rt kl &nt) (n.) An Internet-connected device that allows the user’s local applications to interact with server-based applications through the use of Web services. For example, a smart client running a word processing application can interface with a remote databaseover the Internet in order to collect data from the database to be used in the word processing document. Smart clients are distinguished by key characteristics:
- They support work offline smart clients can work with data even when they are not connected to the Internet (which distinguishes them from browser-based applications, which do not work when the device is not connected to the Internet);
- Smart client applications have the ability to be deployed and updated in real timeover the network from a centralized server;
- Smart client applications support multiple platformsand languages because they are built on Web services;
- Smart client applications can run on almost any device that has Internet connectivity, including desktops, workstations, notebooks, tablet PCs, PDAs, and mobile phones.
