I came across a bunch of smart client links today, perhaps these will be of interest to some of you.

Beta versions of smart client patterns and practicies guide, including suggested usage of the Offline Application Block

The just-released Smart Client Developer Center on MSDN

Some marketing-speak about business value of smart clients

I know “smart client“ is a contenious term, so here's how the MSDN dev center describes what smart client is all about:

• Improved Reliability in Heterogeneous Network Environments
• Increased Performance and Scalability
• Develop Applications Faster
• Access to Local Machine Functionality (such as DirectX)
• Integration with Existing Desktop Applications and Systems
• Ease of Deployment and Security
• Mobility Support and Data Synchronization Capabilities
• Native XML and Web Service Support
• Better User Experience and User Interface
• Flexible Data Access and Local Caching of Data