The Windows iPhone

(A new Wyse application uses virtualization to deliver computer desktops over the Internet)-SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Don't tell Apple, but the App Store currently holds an iPhone application that works with Adobe Flash, runs Google's Chrome browser and hosts a fully functional Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. No, Steve Jobs hasn't abandoned Apple's draconian application approval process. It's a breakthrough business application that's already climbing the lists in the App Store's business category. At VMware's ( VMW - news - people ) annual VMworld event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Chief Technologist Steve Herrod demonstrated a new breakthrough application of its View Client software. Called "PocketCloud" and developed by Wyse, it uses cutting-edge virtualization technology to serve up wholesale operating systems over the Internet. It also supports Microsoft's ( MSFT - news - people ) Remote Desktop Protocol, resulting in iPhone or iPod touch devices that can host Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and anything those operating systems can run. San Jose, Calif.-based Wyse is perhaps the largest private company in the virtualization space. It is also the biggest manufacturer of so-called "thin clients," stripped down machines that use virtualization to run the same operating systems on less hardware. The computer processing is done on the server-side, rather than on the user's side, so the machines can do more with less. With PocketCloud, Wyse is using its experience in developing software for thin clients to bring virtualization to the iPhone, a thin client of a different kind. Thanks to the success of its thin clients, Wyse is primarily known as a hardware company. But to make everything work smoothly, the company has done a lot of software development as well. From Wyse's perspective, the iPhone might be just another device for which engineers should develop operating systems and for enterprise-class IT staff it will likely solve more than a few headaches. For consumers, the long-term implication is even greater. Babak Pahlavan, a Wyse product manager who oversaw development of PocketCloud, demonstrated how to use the application on his personal iPhone from the VMworld exhibit floor. Drawing his finger across the phone to open its native operating system, he selects the CloudPocket icon and his phone presents him a handful of computers to which he can connect. One click and 10 seconds later, Windows 2003 Server appears. While PocketCloud is replete with digital bells and whistles, Wyse is trying to solve a pain point that plagues many business IT staffs. As smart phones increasingly circulate into the workplace, they become a nexus for information that IT needs to secure. If employees can access their desktops from their mobile device, then they can get work done without punching holes in their company's security policy. That, says Pahlavan, means the device is secure by design. "Say you lose the phone. It doesn't matter," he says. "Nothing is stored on the device. Everything is still on the server-side." Despite the friendly name, Wyse is not targeting the average consumer. Those behind PocketCloud's pricing strategy make the point very clear with a $30 price tag. Those looking for casual access to personal computers can use the similarly priced LogMeIn application, which gives access to computers that are not virtualized. PocketCloud also supports other virtual environments like Amazon Web Services, so technology-savvy consumers can also use the application to bring new functionality to their Apple ( AAPL - news - people ) devices. Like many an application before it, PocketCloud merely creates a personal way to interact with an Internet service. But instead of ordering something from, say, Pizza Hut, the Wyse app serves up virtual computers. That's impressive--even on a platform known for its innovations.(NOW YOU PEOPLE CAN CUM)