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Citrix Boosts VDI Offering With Products, Acquisition and Details at Cloud-based Future

Citrix Systems is upgrading XenDesktop, acquiring Virtual Computer, introducing a new type of hardware-assisted thin client and initiating a cloud project in an effort to make its virtual desktop infrastructure offering more attractive.

The company is focusing on that effort at its Synergy user conference, which opened Wednesday and runs through Friday in San Francisco.

Desktop virtualization is one of the main themes at the event as the company provides its take on how enterprises can best deal with the challenge of managing desktops and applications in a new mobile-centric world.

Project Avalon will allow enterprises to run any Windows application or desktop in a public, private or hybrid cloud. The desktop or client can be delivered across any network, to any device, according to Citrix.

"Moving to a cloud architecture enables us to simplify the installation and expansion of [virtual desktop deployments] and how people can flexibly manage and optimize the utilization of those resources. It also adds a layer of automation," said Bob Schultz, vice president and general manager of Citrix's desktop and applications business.

The platform will run on an integration of XenDesktop and Apache CloudStack, on which Citrix has developed its own CloudPlatform. The combination enables multitenant installations across multiple locations that will be able to scale to over 1 million users, according to Citrix.

The transition to cloud-based desktops and applications isn't going to be a magical moment where enterprises move everything in one swoop, according to a blog post by Citrix's Joe Vaccaro, who oversees strategy and development for desktop and application delivery in the cloud.

Instead, it will be process where enterprises place new desktop and application groups in an on-premise private cloud and possibly look at getting extra capacity from a public cloud for their desktop and app needs, Vaccaro said.

The best way to get started is to continue deployments of XenApp 6.5 and XenDesktop 5.6, and use CloudStack, said Schultz.

When Project Avalon will arrive remains to be seen. Citrix isn't announcing availability, it said.

On Wednesday, Citrix also announced the acquisition of Virtual Computer, which will help Citrix improve its XenClient hypervisor, and create the Citrix XenClient Enterprise edition, it said.

XenClient is a so-called bare-metal hypervisor for desktop virtualization. The technology holds the promise of allowing desktop virtualization to work without a network connection and letting the IT department issue laptops that come with one OS for corporate use and one for personal use.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

While Project Avalon and the acquisition of Virtual Desktop is about Citrix's future, the company also made announcements that will have a more immediate effect for users.

Working with partners such as Hewlett-Packard, Citrix is announcing a new generation of thin clients that are based on the company's HDX System-on-Chip initiative, which was announced last October.

By using optimized hardware-based acceleration rather than decoding and rendering virtual desktop traffic on a general purpose processors in software, these clients can deliver the user experience of thin client hardware costing twice as much or more while reducing power consumption, heat, and footprint, according toa Citrix blog post.

Devices based on the initiative still run a Receiver client in an embedded OS, it said.

Besides Hewlett-Packard, hardware vendors such as Atrust, Centerm, NComputing and ThinLinX are also onboard, Citrix said. The thin clients are compatible with both XenDesktop and VDI-in-a-Box.

In June, Citrix will also start distributing XenDesktop 5.6 Feature Pack 1, which will simplify printing; use compression technology to reduce bandwidth requirements for 3D content from CAD/CAM or GIS applications; and process voice and video locally. The latter will, for example, work with Cisco System's VXI Unified Communications and Lync 2010 from Microsoft.

Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com

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Tablet Outlook 2012: What's Expected from Apple, Google, Microsoft

Summer 2012 promises to be the season of tablet experimentation on a grander scale than ever.

Just about every tablet maker, including Apple, is rumored (or expected) to announce (or launch) a new tablet version within roughly the next four months. The devices are likely to be smaller in the case of Apple and bigger in the case of Amazon.

Google is expected to announce an inexpensive tablet with hardware maker Asus at the Google I/O conference in late June, while a Windows RT tablet from Microsoft and new-found partner Barnes & Noble could be on tap for late summer or fall.

Click to ZoomWith so many different reports of new tablets surfacing, it's time to take stock of what's coming.

To begin, here are some general themes seen by analysts for what's coming in the next quarter:

Apple will grow stronger, even with new competitors like Microsoft. That's not a hard conclusion to reach, since Apple took 59% of the global tablet market in 2011, according to IDC, which expects Apple to dominate the tablet market through 2016, at least.Google will attempt to regain control of a pure Android tablet. Having seen Amazon, with its Kindle Fire, and Barnes & Noble, with the Nook tablet, selling forked versions of Android that lessen dependency on Google services and apps, the company will want to step up its control over the mobile operating system it created.More vendors will lower the prices of their tablets to compete with the $200 Kindle Fire and the Nook.More LTE-based tablets will emerge, offering faster wireless connections, even though customers currently prefer Wi-Fi-only models. A move to LTE will become even more likely once wireless carriers announce shared data plans, possibly this summer, that enable users to share smartphone and tablet data, possibly even across a workgroup or a family.Tablet sizes will vary widely, with touchscreens ranging from 7 to 13 inches diagonally, although a 10-in. form factor will be dominant. The iPad has a 9.7 in. screen.

Here's what's on tap for this summer, in order of likely timing:

This month: Barnes & Noble and Amazon have already kicked off new TV ad campaigns for their current Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire models -- both of which have 7-in. touchscreens. They're hoping to appeal to people shopping for graduation gifts and to clear out inventory to make room for forthcoming models, analysts said.

May or June: Amazon is expected to launch a tablet that's larger than its 7-in. Kindle Fire, but IDC analyst Tom Mainelli said it's not clear whether it will be a 9.7-in. or 8.9-in. device.

Late June: In an announcement that will probably take place at Google I/O, Google is expected to unveil a $200 tablet called Google Play that will run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) using a Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

The Google Play would be built by Asus, possibly co-branded with Google or purely branded as a Google product. Its biggest distinction would be that it runs plain vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich, not the versions of Android seen in the Nook and the Kindle Fire.

August: Dominant tablet maker Apple is expected to launch a smaller version of the iPad, according to reports in Digitimes and elsewhere on Wednesday. These reports say the smaller iPad will be a 7-in. model, although Mainelli said it could be 7.8 in., just shy of two inches smaller than the current iPad.

Mainelli said the reports of a smaller iPad have credence. A smaller iPad, he said, "will help Apple gain traction in regions [like Japan] where the 9.7-in. tablet has been slower to take off because consumers think it's too big."

A smaller tablet would also enable Apple to offer a tablet at a lower price, possibly in the range of $299 to $349, while still maintaining to its historically high profit margins, Mainelli added.

"Once Apple owns every price point, from $299 to $829 [for the 64GB new iPad with Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity], it's going to be very, very difficult for Android tablets and Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets to compete with Apple," Mainelli said.

Even today, Apple's prices have come down, with the 16GB, Wi-Fi-only iPad 2 model selling at $399, Mainelli added. That level of pricing is attractive to "cash-strapped consumers as well as educational buyers, who are embracing the iPad in a major way in some regions," he said.

By late summer, Microsoft is expected to make clear its plans for Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets, even if the devices don't ship until fall or later. Any announcement on that topic is expected to clarify whether Barnes & Noble and Microsoft, who recently became partners, will cooperate on a Windows tablet.

Also this summer, wireless carriers, such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T, are expected to provide more options for data packaging, where one monthly data plan would cover service across multiple devices, such as a tablet with a smartphone. That kind of data packaging could open up interest in LTE-ready tablets, offering the promise of faster video streaming and browsing.

Mainelli said Verizon is reported to be the first to offer such a data package. An AT&T executive at the CTIA conference also said tablets that combine Wi-Fi and LTE for an affordable price are in the planning stages. AT&T sold out of its Pantech Element tablet, a Wi-Fi-and-LTE device with a price tag of $399. Today, an iPad with LTE and Wi-Fi costs $130 more than a Wi-Fi-only model, not including the cost of a monthly service plan.

"Once carriers start offering the ability to use one data plan across multiple devices, then LTE on tablets become very interesting," Mainelli said.

In addition to whatever new tablets may be announced in the coming months, there are other notable tablets that we know will begin shipping over the summer. They include the Toshiba Excite, the largest tablet at 13.3 in. and 2.2 lbs. It will go on sale June 10, starting at $650 for a 32GB model. It runs Android 4.0 and uses an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

While it's uncertain how well such a large tablet will sell, analysts agree that the Excite 13 is a sign of a fairly staggering amount of diversity in the tablet market.

For more enterprise computing news, visit Computerworld. Story copyright © 2011 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved.

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Microsoft's Purported Windows RT Firefox Ban: A Quick Explainer

Microsoft is giving Internet Explorer an unfair technical advantage in Windows RT (Windows 8 for ARM-based devices) that is the "first step toward a new platform lock-in," according to the Mozilla Foundation. The group behind the open source Firefox browser is complaining that Internet Explorer will be the only browser on Windows RT allowed to run in the traditional desktop environment.

That means IE will be able to integrate with Windows RT in ways that competing browsers can't, giving Microsoft's IE a leg up in terms of speed, stability and security, Mozilla’s general counsel, Harvey Anderson, said in a blog post.

Mozilla also suggests that Microsoft may be flirting with antitrust violations by freezing out other browsers from Windows RT, echoing issues that sparked the software giant's antitrust battle with the U.S. government more than a decade ago.

What is Windows RT?

Windows RT is the version of Windows 8 designed primarily for ARM-based single-panel touch tablets, but is also expected to arrive on lightweight laptops. Windows RT will have two user interfaces: a touch-friendly Metro-style interface and a traditional Windows 7-like desktop. This is similar to Windows 8 for x86 chips. The difference, however, is how Windows 8 and Windows RT handle applications.

How Does Windows 8 Handle Apps?

Windows 8 will have three application types: Metro, classic desktop, and Metro-style enabled desktop browsers (MEDB). Mozilla is already working on creating an MEDB version of Firefox for Windows 8 that allows users to install the browser once and run it on both the Metro and desktop interfaces. However, Windows 8 will only allow your system's default MEDB to run in the Metro interface. In other words, you can't run Firefox in Metro if IE is your default browser.

What About Windows RT?

Windows RT will focus on offering Metro-style apps optimized for touch devices and connected to cloud services such as SkyDrive. But there will also be a traditional desktop to run programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote (all four are bundled with Windows RT), Windows Explorer and the desktop version of IE. Legacy Windows desktop apps will not run on Windows RT.

The problem is that Windows RT does not have an equivalent MEDB class of apps, according to Mozilla's Asa Dotzler. MEDB apps on Windows 8 can access powerful application programming interfaces (APIs) that browsers need "to deliver modern capabilities and performance," Dotzler wrote in a blog post. Third-party browsers on Windows RT will not be getting the same access to those APIs as IE will have, according to Mozilla. "Without that access," Dotzler says, "no other browser has a prayer of being competitive with IE."

What is Microsoft Saying?

Microsoft has not responded to PCWorld's request for comment.

Who Cares About Windows 8 for Tablets Anyway?

It's not clear if ARM-based Windows devices are going to be an important factor when Windows 8 starts rolling out this year. Previous reports claimed that five or fewer ARM-based Windows RT devices would be available at launch. And market research firm NPD DisplaySearch predicts that Windows RT tablets will grow slowly during the first five years, going from 1.5 percent of all tablets sold worldwide to 7.5 percent by 2017.

So whether Mozilla will miss out by not being on equal footing with Internet Explorer on Windows RT is up for debate. Nevertheless, Microsoft's actions, if accurate, could give the company an unfair advantage if Windows RT becomes a popular option for consumers and device makers. And Microsoft's actions could bring up antitrust problems for the company in the U.S. and Europe, according to Mozilla.

The irony, of course, is that Microsoft's original antitrust problems in the late 1990s and early 2000s were sparked by how the company bundled Internet Explorer with Windows. But until Microsoft has had a chance to explain don't count on history repeating itself just yet.

Connect with Ian Paul (@ianpaul) on Twitter and Google+, and with Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.

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Wrapp up free gift cards for Facebook friends

APPOLICIOUS ADVISOR RATING:

4 of 5 bars PRICE: FreeTASTY: See all of your Facebook friends’ upcoming events, such as birthdays.BUMMER: Your friends will have to authorize Wrapp to use their Facebook accounts to gain access to your gift.COOL: Give free $5 gifts to popular retailers or purchase higher amounts.

Wrapp is a great app that’s likely to be passed over by many users simply for its connection to Facebook. The app for iPhone and iPod Touch integrates with your Facebook account, allowing you to celebrate your friends by sending them gift cards—for free.  Yes, that’s right. Free money.

In the app you’ll be able to see your friends’ upcoming birthdays—including ages, where available—as well as a directory of all of your Facebook friends. Want to do something nice for them? Simply tap their name and then select an item, such as a $5 gift card to Gap, H&M or Sephora, all of which are free for you to choose. If you want, you can pay to increase the value of the gift, too.

Gifts can be sent by text, email or posted to your friend’s Facebook wall. Although the latter makes sense given the Facebook integration, I’d likely opt for the other two methods, lest your gift be lost in spam.

Wrapp’s biggest downside is that it requires your friend to allow the app access to their Facebook account in order to see and redeem your gift. Considering I’d never heard of the service before today—and the wealth of Facebook scams in existence—it’s likely that many of your gifts could go unclaimed. Telling your friends about the service might ruin the surprise, but it’s probably the only way to ensure your gift doesn’t go unnoticed.

Wrapp supports gifts in the United States, UK, Norway and Sweden.

Find great games for iOS here

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Payday loan firm Wonga to lend to small businesses

LONDON (Reuters) - British online payday loans provider Wonga.com launched a credit service for small businesses on Monday, aiming to fill a gap in the market left by banks who have been hamstrung by tight lending conditions imposed since the credit crunch.

Wonga, which has made 4 million short-term loans to consumers since its launch in 2007, will offer small businesses loans of 3,000 to 10,000 pounds ($4,800 to $16,200) for periods of between one and 52 weeks.

Interest rates will be fixed at between 0.3 and 2 percent per week, depending on how risky the loan is judged to be.

Wonga uses automated risk-processing technology to give near-instant answers to online applicants, and turns down about two-thirds of applications.

It now aims to export its more popular features, including the simple application screen featuring sliders that can be dragged to the desired amount to be borrowed and repayment period, to the business world.

"We wanted it to have all the characteristics that people positively associate with Wonga in terms of transparency, simplicity, ease of use, speed ... and we wanted to bring that to small business," said Chief Executive Errol Damelin.

Wonga's business has boomed during the downturn as cash-strapped consumers who found it hard to obtain short-term credit elsewhere turned to it for loans of up to 1,000 pounds to tide them over for up to a month.

The company has been criticized for charging too much interest - it charges simple interest to consumers of just under 1 percent per day - and for targeting the vulnerable.

But Wonga says its transparency, strict acceptance criteria and low default rates, which are in the mid-single digits, show it is a responsible lender.

Because it does not take deposits, Wonga operates under a consumer-credit license, not a banking license, meaning it is not subject to the capital requirements that are currently preventing banks from lending more.

"What became crystal clear to us a year or so ago was that small businesses had maybe even more need than individuals for solving short-term cash-flow problems," Damelin, who is also one of the company's two founders, told Reuters in an interview.

"For owner-operated businesses, capital is their oxygen. That's what they live and breathe and that's what's gives them the opportunity to stay in business and grow their businesses and employ people and help the economy recover."

Unlike the consumer-loan application process, which instantly displays the total cost of borrowing, Wonga for Business will have no instant decisions or predetermined interest rates because of the larger sums at stake and variety of risk factors.

Applicants must provide information about their company and its directors, who personally guarantee the loan. Wonga says the application process can be completed in 12 minutes, and money can be transferred to the business in as little as half an hour.

Wonga is the market leader for short-term, unsecured loans that can only be obtained online. It currently operates in Britain but is considering entering other markets such as Canada and South Africa in time.

Wonga's backers include Accel Partners, Balderton Capital, Greylock Partners, Oak Investment Partners and the Wellcome Trust. The company raised 73 million pounds in fresh capital a year ago.

($1 = 0.6189 British pounds)

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)

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