More news from Mobile World Congress, this time with VMware showing Engadget their VMware software that allows Android devices to be virtualized from on an Android device.
In the video below, we see a couple of standard Android devices, one a Nexus One and the other an LG Optimus Black (LG are partnering with VMware for this venture). Both are running VMware’s mobile virtualization software to enable users to basically switch between different Android installations on the fly. That might not seem a big deal at first, but the more we think about it, the more it starts to blow our minds.
Firstly, there’s the sheer speed of the app. Switching between virtual machines on a desktop computer can be a task sometimes, but on a mobile phone? Granted the footprint must be considerably smaller but the CPUs involved are slower too. Being able to switch Android systems literally on the fly is mesmerizing.
But what’s the use case? Put simply: business.
Imagine eliminating the need to carry around two mobile phones – gone could be the days of having a phone for personal use and a super-secure, locked down phone for business. With VMware’s mobile solution, a user could own one Android handset and have the standard Google experience like everyone else. Need to reply to that corporate email that’s sat on a more-secure-than-Fort-Knox server somewhere? Fire up virtualized Android environment on your phone via VMware and you have a secure setup waiting for you. No bloat ware, no apps your company’s IT department don’t know about, no hassle.
The possibilities are endless, and we’re sure this is going to be huge when VMware and LG let it into the wild.
I wonder if they need testers….
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