VMware bringing virtualization to Android SmartPhones

VMware, the giant behind various Virtualization technologies, is stepping into Mobile Virtualization by joining hands with LG. They aim to come up with Android smartphones which will use virtualization to run two different environments - personal and business, on the same phone.

Such smartphones will be a good option for enterprises which are worried about the security issues with user-owned mobiles. With just a single click, users will be able to switch between the two modes. The technology used is similar to that of Desktop and Server virtualization. The hypervisor provides the ability to run a guest operating system( for business purpose) on the native Android OS. The whole thing will appear just like another app and will be a single click away.

Don’t know what am I talking about?

By system virtualization, I mean the capability to run an entire Operating System(a.k.a guest) on another operating system(a.k.a host). Hypervisor is the tool that does this for you. Here, using VMware’s mobile virtualization hypervisor, users will be running a completely different copy of Android(guest) on the native Android(host). This way all the configuration and apps of the guest Android will be different from the native one and hence can be optimized for Business needs.

The hypervisor will ensure that both Androids are not able to interfere with each other. Thus, isolating the business mode from the personal one.

You would have guessed by now that a user will be handling his work and home calls/messages/mails at the same time. And yes, it will have two phone numbers.

Why Android?

Well, VMware is the kind of company who wants to rule them all, but due to the open source nature of Android along with its ever growing market share made it a better choice to begin with. They do plan to come up with hypervisors on other platforms - iPhone, Meego etc.

If you think about it, mobile virtualization could be put to use in touchpads too, nothing official though. Who knows, someday you might be running Android on iOS or the other way around .

Source: VMware announcement