This week at our iForum Singapore event Adam Jaques and Gordon Payne demonstrated an early version of the Citrix Receiver for the Android operating system.

UPDATE August 3rd: See the announcement and demo: http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/adamj/2009/07/29/Citrix+Receiver+for+Android+Demonstration+Video

I'm excited about this, first because it's being developed in Citrix Labs, and what's more in Citrix Labs Sydney. I'm more excited because it brings Citrix ever closer to ubiquity on the smart phone - we have a client for Windows mobile, a receiver for the iPhone, an alpha receiver for the Blackberry, and soon a receiver for Android.

This is really important for Citrix and for our customers because the age of Smartphones has begun, and the mobile device, and mobile experience, will never be the same again. Citrix is helping make this happen by making the Smartphone enterprise friendly by bringing 'every' enterprise application to the Smartphone, no matter what variety; be it Windows, web or other.

For many, the Smartphone will be (or already is) the major connection to the web, the Internet and to the work environment. This brings new challenges for information and security management in every organization.

To address these challenges Citrix Labs is working closely with Open Kernel Laboratories to bring cutting edge laptop management approaches to the world of the Smartphone. In much the same way that the XenClient initiative (originally Project Independence) is bringing new capabilities for laptop management, there is an opportunity to combine the new Android Receiver, secure virtual cell technology from OK Labs, and a management infrastructure to create separate personal and enterprise cells on a given Android device. This is an ambitious goal, but one that could open up a new age of Enterprise managed mobile devices.

In a press release in May, Martin Duursma (VP of Citrix Labs) put it like this:

"Working together on mobile-to-enterprise virtualization (M2E), Citrix and OK Labs will enable handset OEMs, MNOs, or enterprises to deliver enterprise applications and content to any mobile device through an OK Labs implementation of Citrix Receiver for the OK Labs mobile phone virtualization platform," said Martin Duursma, Vice President, Citrix Labs. "Today's announcement broadens the Citrix vision of Project Independence for local desktop virtualization and desktop computing and applies it to enterprise application and desktop delivery into mobile devices."

Steve Subar (CEO of OK Labs) puts it like this:

"To address the security requirements of enterprise IT and the personalization preferences of mobile workers, mobile-to-enterprise virtualization (M2E) will enable a secure corporate cell on a mobile device where the receiver function is protected from the security breach of a personal cell. This solution will enable mobile phone users and Corporate IT to leverage best of both worlds - open, unfettered access to personal consumer applications and data with secure, controlled access to enterprise applications and desktops. In addition, M2E will make possible the centralized remote management of the corporate IT cell across all user devices."

My view - we're in for a gloriously interesting next few years with rapid changes coming from consumerization married with Smartphone technological innovation. With the Citrix receiver providing EVERY enterprise application on EVERY Smartphone, Citrix is definitely along for the ride.

Are you?

As a mobility evangelist at Citrix, I can't wait for the release of an iPhone app that allows me to connect to our Citrix backend with the iPhone! Only one problem. I don't have an iPhone. Actually, I don't want an iPhone. I'm currently hooked on the Sprint HTC Touch Pro with its full VGA screen, external keyboard and it works today with XenApp (will follow up with a blog on this device later).

Update: Sprint HTC Touch Pro review with videos using XenApp now at Sprint HTC Touch Pro, Ready Today

Ya the iPhone is cool, the HTC Touch Pro is cool, but to me the really cool thing is that XenApp enables you to leverage a unified application delivery infrastructure to deliver applications and data to whatever device makes sense for your business and users (here's the opening for comments from BlackBerry and Android fanatics, so give us your feedback!).

I recently had the pleasure of briefly meeting Russ McGuire, Vice President of strategy for Sprint and leading strategist and visionary in the telecom industry. Russ is the author of the book, "The Power of Mobility" and in it he introduces McGuire's Law ( http://mcguireslaw.com ):

"The value of any product or service increases with its mobility."

This really hit home with me, being that is exactly what XenApp does for Windows applications with mobility. XenApp increases the value of the applications it delivers by allowing them to be delivered to non-Win32 based mobile devices that these applications were never intended to be consumed on (Windows Mobile, Symbian and iPhone comming), thus increasing their mobility and value.

At the end of the day, a mobile device that is used to access business applications and data is a business tool. Companies need to decide which tools best meet their business needs, and in some cases, this means allowing the end user to make the decision, even if just to keep them happy Having a unified application delivery strategy that crosses the boundaries of all of the different mobile device platforms is a must to ensure your company gets the best TCO and ROI out of the applications you have already purchased and you stay competitive in an ever increasing mobile business environment.

So are you an iPhone fanatic, if not what's yourPhone?

1- What is your personal preference for a business mobile device? And why, give us your comments below.	Choose
Android
BlackBerry
iPhone
Windows Mobile
Symbian

2- Does your company currently support Android mobile devices as a business phone?	Choose
Yes
No

3- Does your company currently support BlackBerry as a business phone?	Choose
Yes
No

4- Does your company currently support iPhone as a business phone?	Choose
Yes
No

5- Does your company currently support Windows Mobile devices as a business phone?	Choose
Yes
No

6- Does your company currently support Symbian devices as a business phone?	Choose
Yes
No

7- Does your company currently give you the choice of which business mobile phone to use?	Choose
Yes
No

8- In your opinion, which mobile phone platform is the best for a business to standardize on (please submit comments below as well)?	Choose
Android
BlackBerry
iPhone
Windows Mobile
Symbian