The Sparxx Client is designed to allow users restricted access to only a business' website and to other approved websites via a Windows-based PC without fear of being hijacked by a malicious user for some "unauthorized" browsing. It also allows for the creation of a unique browser interface in order to represent a company's or product's graphical theme and logo.

The Sparxx Client's features deliver your website with a high impact to the user:

• The interface can be customized by the quantity, position and size of web browsers, video players, and graphics for control buttons and logos.
  
  
• Video playback is supported with native support for AVI, MPEG and ASF file formats.
  
  
• The interface will dynamically adjust its proportions to any resolution. This allows for a scalable interface that will run on any desktop and will maintain the overall appearance.
  
  
• The application also provides a "keep-alive" feature to ensure that if the Internet connection can be maintained, it will be constantly on. However, if the Internet connection goes down, the user will still be able to quickly view web sites due to a robust off-line browsing feature.

The Sparxx Browser also contains security features such as:

• Users will not be permitted to navigate to unauthorized sites (i.e., any competitors or Pornography websites.)
  
  
• Users cannot use the CTRL, ALT, DEL, or MS Windows keys to exit from the software under Windows 95 or 98
  
  
• The browser interface is forced to the front of the kiosk's screen so that no other software is usable on the PC while the application is running. Also, web links that would result in a new browser window being opened are forced in this window.

The ClientLauncher

Each Sparxx Kiosk is loaded with the ClientLauncher. As well as creating and maintaining the Internet connection for the kiosk, the ClientLauncher also acts as the conduit for the actual client software, which is downloaded from a server once the connection is established. This allows for near instantaneous updates of the Sparxx Client software.

With this feature, in order to update the software on all of the kiosks, it's simply a matter of posting a new version of the client software and broadcasting an "Update" command from the AdminTool. So within minutes, the new client software could be downloaded and running on all kiosks specified by the AdminTool.

The Sparxx Client runs as a service whose purpose is to send information about its status and that of the running software back to the Sparxx Server. Once the Sparxx Client registers with the server, it beacons at a designated interval to the server so that the administrator can quickly learn the functional status of the kiosks under his control, and then send any needed commands.