After being completely underwhelmed by the iPad launch, it has fallen to Citrix of all companies to renew my enthusiasm for mobile devices. A little over two years after Chris Fleck (Citrix VP of Community and Solutions Development) first introduced me to the idea of using a smart phone as a laptop replacement, Citrix announced this morning the latest iteration of its Nirvana Phone concept.
The first iteration of the Nirvana Phone took at its core idea the notion that the then current generation of smart phones (think first generation iPhone) were approaching the level of performance needed to run the Citrix Receiver successfully. If that was the case then with the addition of a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard and a HD video out connection it would be quite possible for your phone to become your always connected mobile thin client. Of course it didn't escape attention that if this idea took off it would most likely result in Citrix selling a few more XenApp and XenDesktop licenses.
Two years later we are still waiting for the Nirvana Phone, all of the individual parts are available all that we are lacking is for someone to assemble them all in a single compelling package, and that is where today's announcement starts. Citrix working together with OK Labs (who I mentioned in my last post) have released a reference architecture document describing a second generation Nirvana Phone that builds on the core concept but updates it to take into account the latest developments in mobile hypervisor capabilities.
I have to stress the word concept, Citrix is most definitely not in the mobile handset business (although OK Labs most definitely is, albeit in a very specialized area). Think of this more as a conversation starter than a clear statement of direction of things to come from Citrix.
The Nirvana Phone concept extends Citrix’s vision for mobile application delivery beyond the point I described it in my last post. Instead of writing a separate Citrix Receiver for each mobile device operating system, the Nirvana Phone has at its heart the OK Labs OKL4 Microvisor, with the Citrix Receiver implemented as what is in effect a virtual appliance running directly on the hypervisor. This brings with it two key advantages; firstly Citrix could now, in theory anyway, provide a single Citrix Receiver for use on all phones running the OK Labs Microvisor (and that's a quite staggering 500 million devices). Secondly by running the Citrix Receiver in its own virtual machine it is significantly more secure than it would be when running alongside many other applications. The second point might not be off too much concern today, but as the number of open ecosystem App stores such as Cydia and the Android Market increases so does the risk of malware gaining a foothold on smart phones. At some point corporate IT will have to wake up to this risk and a secure Citrix Receiver may be just the thing they are looking for to marry the needs of security with the convenience of mobile applications.
Anyway, here's a short video of Chris Fleck demonstrating the Nirvana phone.
How cool is that.
The demo is is real, there's no trickery involved here. That phone is a standard smartphone, although perhaps only recognizable if you are outside the US. Even so, I'm afraid you can't go out buy a working Nirvana Phone today. While the hardware is off the shelf, the firmware has been hacked somewhat to install the Citrix Receiver.
What are the chances that we will see a Nirvana Phone for sale any time soon? Well, the OKL4 Microvisor is embedded in smartphones such as the HTC G1, G2, and the HTC Hero, the Motorola Droid and Cliq, the Palm Pre, and the Toshiba TG01OK . Most significantly the OKL4 Microvisor powers the world's only commercially-available fully-virtualized smartphone, the Motorola Evoke QA4. So the core technology is already operational in the field, and it becomes a matter of detail to get the Citrix Receiver integrated with a production platform - that and find a mobile wireless operator interested in offering it as a service.
I almost forgot, Citrix and OK Labs are hosting a joint Webinar on the Nirvana Phone on February 9th.
