VMware's Dual OS Smartphone Virtualization Plan Firms Up

Sharky2009 writes "VMware is developing virtualisation for smartphones which can run any two OSes — Windows Mobile, Android or Linux — at once. The idea is to have your work applications and home applications all running insider their own VMs and running at the same time so you can access any app any time. VMware says: 'We don't think dual booting will be good enough — we'll allow you to run both profiles at the same time and be able to switch between them by clicking a button,' he said. 'You'll be able to get and make calls in either profile – work or home – as they will both be live at any given point in time.'" Also mentioned in February of this year, but now the company's announced a target of 2012 for mass production.

Comments

Why?

[vcgodinich]

No, really, why?

Re:Why?

[salted-fry]

When all you have is virtualization, all your markets look like... um, virtualization problems? (not very catchy, is it)

Re:Why?

[sznupi]

Virtualization is hip. Somebody at your management will be swayed.

Re:Why?

[Bert64]

That sounds like quite a disturbing trend, if the company does not own the hardware then it cannot demand you remove any data from it or enforce any kind of policies on it...
Most places I've worked explicitly forbade the use of personal equipment for work purposes.

won't this adversely affect

[Anonymous Coward]

battery life?

great, so my phone can be even slower

[SuperBanana]

The idea is to have your work applications and home applications all running insider their own VMs and running at the same time so you can access any app any time.

Are they including a free RAM upgrade kit? And why does this seem to be a hammer in search of non-existent nails?

The biggest problem I have right now: lack of dual SIM (or multi-line) support in almost any phone. I don't need to separate "work applications" from "home applications." I need to have a work number / data plan billed to my company, and a home number (with no data plan) billed to me.

*Checks calendar* Yup, it's 2009. VOIP still not possible on my smartphone...

Re:From this point on....

[jamesh]

Who the Frack wants windows on their phone?

Microsoft does.

Not sure about the customers, but I don't think they matter.

At what point does the VM become another OS?

[CodeBuster]

I know that we are talking specifically about phone based VMs here and that the issue of better OS vs VM has been discussed before, but I cannot understand why we need to virtualize any time an OS is involved. Perhaps I am missing something? If the hypervisor becomes, essentially, the operating system why is it not possible to integrate the process isolation and partitioning features of the hypervisor into the OS in the first place? Are these types of features even really needed on the more limited environments offered by phones (even smartphones)? I agree that virtualization is a valuable technology that has its uses, but sometimes it seems that virtualization and VMs are becoming the proverbial golden hammers (along with the ubiquitous "cloud" computing).

Re:open source elitism

[Anonymous Coward]

Please explain, how having to "break" your phone just to get it to do useful things makes it smart? Sounds like you are the pot(head) calling everyone else a hippie...

open source elitism or just fiscal intellegence?

[virtualXTC]

Just because the poster is unwilling void his warranty to make his phone useful and be price gouged by at&t by a mandated data plan just so he can get some of the worst 3G coverage in the nation hardly makes him an elitist; In fact, I would say he's just smarter / more fiscally responsible than you for using just what he needs with out paying for extra.