What do mobile computing enthusiasts usually complain about? One major answer would definitely be the long boot up as well as shut down time of most portable computers. Apart from this, they find it difficult to get a reliable wireless connection and don’t have any option to enhance the capabilities of their laptops, netbooks etc. In order to address such issues, Phoenix Technologies Ltd has launched a unique mobile computing environment called HyperSpace. It’s basically an application that not only makes it easy to work on the portable PCs but also enhances the device’s capabilities, usability and productivity.

The main features of HyperSpace are instant-on and instant-off. The instant-on feature lets the users to instantly launch web applications such as IE, chat, e-mail client and lots more even before the operating system boots up completely. So there is no need to wait too long before you actually start working. HyperSpace also offers virtualisation technology at your fingertips. HyperSpace is embedded into the computer and can completely bypass the computer’s standard operating system, such as Microsoft Windows Vista. On some devices it can be used for switching between two operating systems instantly. Apart from this, HyperSpace also offers loads of useful shortcuts and is optimised for web applications like Google Apps. It is available in two versions, i.e. HyperSpace Hybrid and HyperSpace Dual. The Hybrid version supports OS virtualisation but the Dual version can run only one operating system. However both the versions feature instant-on/instant-off experience with battery saving options.

Woody Hobbs, president and CEO of Phoenix Technologies commented, “Stop waiting for Windows to boot or worrying about finding the best wireless connection. Instant-on computing with HyperSpace transforms the mobile experience by providing cell phone-like connectivity, ease-of-use and efficiency for key applications. In less than a few seconds, you’re up and running – browsing the Internet, emailing, instant messaging, and using other important applications. By utilizing the power of virtualization technology, HyperSpace can run side-by-side with Windows Vista on certain systems, making your computer far more power efficient, secure and frustration-free.”

Untill now the virtualization technology was confined to PC operating systems and servers only but now VMware, the pioneer in virtualization softwares has announced that the smartphones too will get the benefit of it. The company has developed a new Mobile Virtualization Platform (MVP) which is basically a thin layer of software that can be infused on mobile phones.

The underlying advantage of MVP is that it makes the phone data and applications independent of hardware. This will allow the phone makers to pace up the manufacturing as well as the marketing of the phones. From the end users perspective the benefit is that they will get hands on the newer models faster than ever before. They will also get freedom to migrate their data from one phone to another easily. The MVP is optimized to use with any old mobile phone. It can be used with even those ones having low power consumption and small memories. MVP reduces the time that is devoted to produce device specific applications because it allows the developers to use a pre-existing stack of software on different handset’s hardware.

Paul Maritz, CEO of VMware said, “VMware is excited to extend the benefits of virtualization, which we pioneered for x86 hardware, to the mobile phone market. By abstracting the applications and data from the hardware itself, we expect that smartphone virtualization will not only enable handset vendors to accelerate time to market but can also pave the way for innovative applications and services for phone users.” However some could say this is no different from the Google Android operating system recently released.