Citrix is something of a storied name in the IT industry, once the leader in remote desktop apps, now looking to make a big return with the Nirvana phone concept. The idea has been around for awhile, but partnership with mobile
virtualization gurus Open Kernel Labs gives it new legs. Nirvana phone is just a minimum set of fairly achievable hardware specs (528MHz ARM processor, 256MB ROM, 192MB RAM) required to facilitate remote access to a full desktop. The idea is you simply plug the phone into a monitor, then connect to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or use the phone as a touchpad), and, hey presto, you have a full desktop experience without having a full desktop. In theory you could pocket your smartphone and leave that clunky Targus bag in your cubicle, but should duty call while you're away we're not entirely sure where you're going to find a disused monitor and keyboard ripe for the plugging. Still, it's interesting tech, demonstrated remotely for you below.
posted February 2nd 2010 7:47AM
We will all be using these in 10 years.
another device to have corporate America encroach upon our time while we're not in the office... and weigh down our pants with another holstered device.
Phones with Pico projectors. Monitor problem solved.
@Raaj
Now that would be sweeeeet. Instant work station any place you go. If the phone has qwerty keyboard that detaches you are even better off. And then, like they said, use the screen as a track pad. Perfect for light to moderate use. Bring a wireless keyboard/mouse for heavy use.
@Raaj
Totally, Pico Projector ftw. Then they just need to make smaller bluetooth keyboards that can fold up and fit in the pocket (if not already created) and we're all set.
@Plazmic Flame A folding BT keyboard is being used in the video. There are several in the market, but we've only found a few the work "consistently". Also, from the pico projectors I've tried with mobile devices, most aren't ready for prime time yet. You usually need a darker room, and a clear wall to project on. Usually easier to fine a TV or monitor :)
@Plazmic Flame - virtual keyboards exist already; the problem with it being a part of the phone would be power consumption. Having it as a separate device means one more device to carry.
If a corporate environment cannot afford to provide a keyboard and mouse combo on a desk, yet can provide a landline I don't want to work for them.
As a side note; isn't it ironic that there is a landline phone in the pic, when Citrix should be designing these devices to allow for internal calls (i.e. extensions)?
Dunno.
D'you reckon it has an annoying meme-seeking killsat?
That would make it the best phone ever.
Yeah let's get back to the 50\s with dumb terminals, stupid cloud nonsense.
So now we have 3D glasses, dumb terminals, tapes for backup, tube amplifiers, nixie clocks, long wave radio, so what else did they have back then? Oh wait I know, CRT's will be invented in 2 months time.
A few years time... Everyone has a cellphone and 10 inch slate computer, virtually running off a desktop from home or anyone else computer they have access to. Goodbye laptops. Hello TRUE mobile computing. The future
looks promising.
@think before you react
What in the hell would you need a slate for? Or a desktop computer, for that matter? When your cell phone has a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 64GB MicroSD card, and runs Android...why do you need any other computer? Why not just carry that with you everywhere, and just attached a monitor/keyboard/mouse when you want to sit down and use it?
The slate will only be necessary for a larger screen like the demo stated. The slate will probably be a beautiful OLED screen with a battery the size of the screen behind it, with a small processor sandwiched in between- capable of desktop computing for a week without needing to charge;) (battery life may be stretching it though- maybe 24-48 hrs per charge.)
@think before you react
The slate would also be another device to carry around, and even worse, one that won't fit into a pocket. It's the reason why the iPad is going to be an iFail.
That is nothing new or out of this world. The N900 is going to be able to take a bluetooth mouse probably sometime this year. It already has TV out and BT keyboard input. The N95 has been able to do things similar to this on TV's for years now. The good thing is they run operating systems that are light on resource usage instead of full blown windows. Also, they run the OS natively and not through VM which is better for performance. VM's are possible on Maemo though.
The next Maemo device from Nokia will hopefully have HDMI out and skip that dated composite video. It is also possible to install an OS into the phone's memory and boot off it as a USB drive. The possibilities are endless. Because this is a VM I bet it runs as painfully slow as the OSX hack we saw for N900 the other day and that is why he doesn't record himself playing with it since windows doesn't run on ARM.
http://nokiaexperts.com/nokia-n900-tips-bluetooth-keyboard-external-display/
@Eternity well i am pretty sure you can do this on windows mobile phones also. Windows mobile phones have tv out and remote desktop client built in.
@Eternity
You've misunderstood how Citrix works. It's not running on the phone, it's connecting to a remote server (i.e. at your office) and viewing/using the desktop over an ICA connection. It should be as fast and responsive as a 'normal' PC. It's not a virtual machine running on the phone, and other than the streaming of the display, there's no processing taking place on the phone.
Ground control to Major Tom, perhaps it is possible but I recall the N95 being the first phone I had seen that did that.
@pottaargh How does that compare to good ol' VNC?
@Eternity
They are essentially the same idea.. Although citrix is used more in cloud computing rather than just a remote desktop connection.
@Eternity
ICA is far more robust and efficient than either VNC or RDP. Really though, the clever part is what is going on back at the office with the Citrix servers. VNC or RDP, you're taking sessions and essentially using taking over the remote computer. Citrix is for multi user environments, so you could have one server serving 20, 50, 100 desktops out to users. You're only limited by your licensing and horsepower of the server.
@pottaargh
I see the useful possibilities for this in a corporate environment. Personally I would never entrust my data to the "cloud". VNC is free and works just fine for my uses without me worrying about some corporation having access to my private stuff.
Tim Stevens wrote: "while you're away we're not entirely sure where you're going to find a disused monitor and keyboard ripe for the plugging"
---> anyone who works at an office that has lots of human visitors should see the benefit of a phone/pc device. We already have to leave quite a few monitors and keyboards unplugged for visitors with laptops to use (because they can't get the hang of typing on the itty-bitty keyboard and looking at the itty-bitty laptop screen). Then there are the people who show up, without a laptop, who expect you to scrounge something up so they can login to the corporate intranet while they are visiting. These people don't want to be encumbered by bringing their own laptop, BUT, they don't seem to mind carrying a cellphone --- if they can plug that into a monitor/keyboard and not have to interrupt our IT people that would indeed be "Nirvana"
Any wm device with tv-out, bluetooth and remote desktop connection can do this, only not on monitor but on tv. And years ago.
@r354798
Uhm, I don't want to use my smartphone interface running through a (proprietary) low-res, standard definition video source.
Call me when the video is running at 720p or higher, through HDMI, with an actual desktop interface (or at least something on-par with Chrome OS).
@r354798
Meh with the Tegra 2 board coming out this year you can pretty much put this on a phone and have a full browing experience with streaming 720p on youtube.
Actually the current Tegra could do this with the right software so wake the hell up...
@Hexydes This was actually running at 1024x768, not a mobile res, and was presenting a full windows desktop. Ya'll are correct, the device is irrelevant, having this type of general capability on devices in general is the value. So manufactures, start building more devices with better video output, and capable of connecting to multiple monitor types, VGA for existing overhead projectors and monitors, HDMI for newer stuff, wireless monitors so not cables are involved. And Please make it easier to connect to bluetooth mice and keyboards!!!! The hardware needs to improve to make this real!!!!
Um.... Pico Projector?!
And if you don't have a tv, you use your screen, is not big but is usable..
Are they try trick ppl into this old fasion thing! What's the point?! Nokia phones are well ahead when it comes this type of garbage! What they need to do is try to incorporate that into most of the high ends smatphone we have today that doesn't have that capability yet. They need to partner with htc and all other big mobile companys. Instead of trying to introduce it as if something we haven't seen before.
@Eternity Don't forget that there's already a VNC viewer available:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRI4n1LkpWA
It's not Citrix, but it's the same idea.
Well maybe if the Citrix app for the iPhone did anything other then show a black screen after logging in I might be slightly interested. However for the day to day grind the corporate cloud seems a bit off still.
"once the leader in remote desktop apps" Might want to fact check that. Cirtix remains the leader in the virtual desktop and application space. There is a lot of FUD flying between Citrix and VMWare. VMware owns the server virtualization space, but not the desktop and application virtualization market place.
On top of that, with THREE competing vendors offering darn near FREE server virtualization products of their own that are already at "good enough" to use status, again read it "FREE", the pricey vSphere product from a one trick pony vendor is facing an uphill challenge to remain relevant. Remember Novell, NetScape, Real Networks. Free always kills in the end.
all this would be for naught, they should just speed up the commercialization of fuel cell batteries, since bateries are the ONLY holdup nowadays to TRUE mobility
These devices work better in the dark. You know, because with the lights out, it's less dangerous.