HyperSpace Now on Intel Desktops and Nettops!

A revolutionary operating environment, HyperSpace™ now provides instant on and off capabilities for Intel desktops and nettops. HyperSpace is being distributed on Intel® Desktop Board D945GCLF and Intel® Desktop Board D945GCLF2/D945GCLF2D featuring the integrated Intel® Atom™ processors 230 and 330.

With HyperSpace, as soon as you power on, you can immediately start surfing the Web, checking email, chatting, accessing online content and websites – all without having to wait for Windows® to boot.

The partnership between Phoenix and Intel means that millions of users of nettops and other low-cost, light-weight computing devices powered by Intel's market-leading Atom processors can enjoy the same high levels of efficiency, satisfaction, and ease-of-use that HyperSpace has been providing laptop and netbook users.

The distribution agreement pairs the leading maker of processors for PCs, notebooks, netbooks and nettops with the groundbreaking HyperSpace computing environment, which delivers instant on, always-connected access to the Internet and key productivity applications.

Growing demand for nimble, light-weight computing devices has fueled demand for operating platforms like HyperSpace that offer a dynamic user environment.

HyperSpace dramatically simplifies and improves the computing experience in multiple ways to enable users to achieve new levels of productivity. HyperSpace boots up and powers down in seconds, giving you immediate access to important web-based applications.

Here’s a list of key HyperSpace features on Intel desktops/nettops:

Instant On/Off
HyperSpace “Instant On/Off” capability allows you to start your computer and immediately have access websites like Facebook, without waiting for Windows. HyperSpace has the world’s best instant-on time from cold boot. Shutting down is fast, too.

Fun and Easy User Interface
HyperSpace has a simple and attractive interface that provides one-button access to your favorite online content.

Stronger Security
HyperSpace is walled off and protected from viruses, malware, and other external threats like keyboard loggers and phishing sites. Even if a rogue application attacks and disables Windows, you can continue safely using the Web. Furthermore, your personal information is better protected when you shop online using the HyperSpace browser.

Extensible App Store
HyperSpace offers applications through Phoenix’s App store framework, which will allow the eStore catalog to be continuously refreshed with new applications. Besides the bundled applications that are offered with the base instant-on Webtop, Phoenix offers two application packages:
• The HyperSpace Productivity Package offers a Microsoft Office 2007 compatible suite that allows users to perform most office tasks in HyperSpace.
• The HyperSpace Entertainment Package features applications to play audio and video content.

RE: "Why Google Should Cool It with Chrone OS"

Check out this blog posting at LatestToy.com: Why Google Should Cool It With Chrome OS. The author examines the theory behind using a web browser-based operating system and Google's offering that is "an OS that enables us to do less."

Here's why the writer thinks Phoenix's HyperSpace™ may be a better solution:

"For comparison, Phoenix Technologies offers a mini OS called HyperSpace, which some netbooks are already shipping with. HyperSpace runs parallel to Windows as an instant-on environment allowing netbooks to perform internet-centric functions without actually booting into Windows. Functions include multimedia players, browsers, internet telephony, e-mail and IM.

Sounds a lot like what Chrome OS is going to be, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s almost the same idea, only Phoenix Technologies is a lesser-known company (which developed the BIOS that boots many Windows computers today, by the way) and is taking a humbler approach — offering HyperSpace as an optional, complementary OS rather than a full-blown substitute for Windows. It’s an approach that could lead to greater results if embraced by an incredibly powerful brand like Google."

Learn more about Phoenix HyperSpace here: www.hyperspace.com

"Can Phoenix's HyperSpace™ Become the Ultimate Instant-On OS?"

Rob Williams, editor of the Techgage.com site, attended the Intel Developer Forum last month in San Francisco and wrote in a recent blog about testing HyperSpace - Phoenix Technologies' instant-on operating environment at the company's booth.

Williams was very positive about HyperSpace saying:
"...[You can] access the HyperSpace desktop just as you would on a notebook that came with the software pre-installed. As for functionality... you won't have to worry there. Currently, there is support for light gaming (think Web games), the Internet, video and image viewing, DVD playback and even the ability to edit office documents. It's definitely the most robust instant-on OS I've seen to date."

Read the entire posting on Techgage.com:
http://techgage.com/news/can_phoenixs_hyperspace_become_the_ultimate_instant-on_os

Tectonic Shift

Did you catch yesterday's Phoenix Technologies' announcement?

Intel nettops are going to feature HyperSpace™ the "revolutionary, instant-on computing environment, with Intel(R) Desktop Boards featuring the integrated Intel(R) Atom™ processors 230 and 330 . These Intel motherboards with HyperSpace technology will be available worldwide in CYQ42009."

The deal between Intel and Phoenix means that millions of nettop users and other inexpensive, lightweight computing devices powered by Intel's market-leading Atom processors will be able to enjoy the same high levels of efficiency, fun, and ease-of-use that HyperSpace brings to laptop and netbook users.

The guiding philosophy behind HyperSpace is to make using a mobile computing device as easy, quick, and reliable as using a mobile phone. The thinking is that this will lead to a "tectonic shift" in the way we will use our mobile PCs...and long overdue.

Phoenix Tech and McAfee Announce Partnership

McAfee, the world's largest dedicated security technology company, and Phoenix Technologies, the leader in PC 3.0™ products, services and embedded technologies, are partnering to develop a product for HyperSpace™ - Phoenix's groundbreaking instant-on computing environment for notebooks and netbooks.

By combining McAfee and Phoenix technologies, the companies plan to provide PC owners with new levels of protection from viruses and targeted attacks as well as online malware and spyware intrusions.

HyperSpace, a Moblin-compliant, instant-on computing environment features applications that are certified by Phoenix to ensure the integrity of the computing environment. Contents of the hard drive remain walled off from the Internet and are therefore protected.

The explosion in Web 2.0 applications, including social networking sites with cloud-based applications and functionality, has created new vehicles for launching malicious attacks, according to McAfee's "2009 Threat Predictions." By adding McAfee's technology into HyperSpace, computer users will have additional protection from online threats.

Read the press release here:
http://investor.phoenix.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=404573

What is Virtualization and Why is it Good for Your Laptop?

The PC is about to gain a new capability that will make it easier, safer, and faster to use. This new capability is called virtualization and it will help solve many of the frustrations that computer users face, including waiting for the computer to power up, the risk of viruses and identity theft while using the Internet, and the mysterious “crashes” that many call the “Blue Screen of Death.” Virtualization can even help extend the time a laptop will run off of its battery.

The best way to understand virtualization is to realize that computers work in layers. At the bottom layer are the chips, boards, peripherals, and other physical devices collectively known as “hardware.” Just as a bus is not transportation without a driver, however, this hardware is not a computer without software to control it.

The software layer most closely connected to the hardware is a program called the Basic Input Output System, or BIOS. This software is so critical to getting the hardware to do anything at all it is built into every computer, stored in a special memory chip. Because this is software stored in hardware it is often called “firmware” to indicate the mix.

One of the firmware’s jobs in running the computer is to read from the computer’s disk drive another piece of software called the operating system (OS), which for many users is a version of Windows®. The OS, once loaded, works on top of the BIOS and takes over control of the computer’s behavior. The OS then handles all the graphics, sounds, peripheral devices, and Internet connections as well as allowing users to run application programs such as e-mail, web browsers, media players, and the like. This layer of software is what determines how users interact with their computer.

HyperSpace™ Applications -A key characteristic of digital computers is that any computer can be programmed to behave like any other computer or even like several independent computers all at once. Virtualization takes advantage of this characteristic by programming a laptop computer so that it can load and run several independent operating systems concurrently. This makes the laptop behave as though it was two or more “virtual” computers in one box. The program that does this is called a virtualization engine (VE) and it fits between the BIOS and the OS. One such VE is the HyperCore™ program from Phoenix Technologies, which runs both Windows and the HyperSpace OS.

Advantages of Virtualization

Having two “virtual” computers operating concurrently in a laptop is different from running two programs concurrently under Windows. Under a single OS, applications, viruses, and other software can misbehave in a way that wreaks havoc with the rest of the programs, causing the computer to freeze up, crash, or even begin doing harmful something in secret like sending rude messages to everyone on your e-mail list. With virtualization, the behavior of Windows and any of the applications it is running has no effect on the behavior of the second virtual computer. If Windows crashes, the “other” computer keeps running without a hitch.

This independent behavior provides a host of benefits to users. For instance, by having one of the virtual computers run a simplified OS with some basic applications such as email and Web browsing built in, users can get:

Instant-On Operation – The virtual computer running the smaller OS can load and begin running almost immediately, without waiting for Windows. Tests have shown, for example, that this second virtual computer can connect to the Internet and begin downloading email within 30 seconds turning on power. Windows can take several minutes simply to load itself, and then you have to add in the time needed to load and activate the Windows email program.

Enhanced Security – The VE can act as a supervisor for all activity within the computer, preventing any action that might cause harm. If a virus asks Windows to erase critical files, for instance, the VE can prevent Windows from carrying out that request.

Enhanced Reliability – If Windows crashes, the other virtual computer will continue operating. This allows users to access applications on the second computer even though the first has stopped functioning, giving an opportunity to take action rather than simply facing a blue screen. Useful applications on the second virtual computer might include interactive messaging with technical support, diagnostic routines, or software to save work in progress that might otherwise be lost as a result of the crash.

Longer Battery Life – By running the most-used functions under the smaller OS, users can save power and thus extend battery life. All they need to do is put Windows to sleep or even shut it off and work from the simpler OS when they do not need the versatility and performance. By halting Windows the smaller OS is then free to turn off any hardware it is not currently using, such as the hard disk drive, reducing demand on the battery.

Simpler Operation – Windows provides tremendous capability and many optional features, but sometimes all you want from your laptop is a basic little function like playing some MP3 files. Virtualization allows the second virtual computer to provide simple functions for such times, while keeping the richness of Windows available when wanted.

Conclusion

Virtualization, the technology that allows one computer to act like two, opens up a new way of using the laptop computer. All the versatility and performance that users expect are still intact, but a second, friendlier option has been added. Desired activities such as web browsing and media playback become quick and easy instead of ponderous and complex. Viruses and crashes lose their sting, and users can feel secure that no matter what goes wrong with software something will still be working. Two heads are better than one and virtualization gives you just that for your laptop.

The Moblin Weblog

Check out The Moblin Weblog and yesterday's posting by Alan Zeichick:

Phoenix Technologies is the one of the premiere behind-the-scenes companies in the computer business. The company’s Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code and chips have powered PCs for decades. The coolest software from Phoenix is called HyperSpace(tm), and Phoenix will now “align” HyperSpace with Moblin.

Phoenix describes HyperSpace as “a compact and secure application environment on the PC that runs side-by-side with a traditional OS such as Microsoft Windows Vista. This new environment gives PC users the benefit of having key productivity and lifestyle applications available ‘instant-on’ on their PCs in a very predictable fashion, while at the same time being able to run all of their Windows applications at full performance. Using applications on HyperSpace such as a DVD player while Windows is in suspended mode, enables PC users to extend their PC’s battery life.”

That’s the Windows story — currently, HyperSpace only works with Windows XP and Windows Vista. However, Phoenix says it will now be focusing on Moblin-based Linux, running on netbooks and nettops.

Alan went on to quote from our press release about our alignment with Moblin. He summed up his posting with a "Pretty neat, eh?" The answer to this is obvious: Yes, indeed!