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.
