By Stevie Smith Nov 6, 2007, 13:33 GMT
According to Woody Hobbs, the chief executive officer of Phoenix Technologies, today’s mobile computer users should not have to sit patiently during the protracted system boot-up process, they should be able to access their software applications from the moment they hit the power button on their portable hardware.
Phoenix Technologies introduces its HyperSpace technology designed to bypass Windows and allow mobile PC users to access software applications without applying a full system boot. Credit: Phoenix Technologies.
Without merely existing as a broadly sweeping statement of criticism without any form of substance, Hobbs and Phoenix Technologies may soon be in a position to deliver exactly that level of speedy access to on-the-go users via newly developed HyperSpace technology.
Specifically, computer BIOS specialist Phoenix Technologies claims that HyperSpace will enable mobile computer users to bypass the Windows operating system in order access their most used applications. Wired News reports that this would mean the likes of e-mail, Web browsers, and media players would all be instantly accessible to the user by simply pressing the F4 function key on their keyboard.
"As Windows gets more and more complex, we’ve seen start-up times get longer and longer," outlined Hobbs regarding the increasing need in users to gain quicker and quicker access. "If I go to the airport and try to connect to a Wi-Fi network, I’m waiting for five minutes just to connect. That’s ridiculous - people usually just give up and use their cell phones or PDAs."
Essentially, Phoenix’s HyperSpace will arrive as a simplified operating environment existing alongside the core BIOS firmware and the main Windows OS, with its defining function being that it is able to swiftly deliver some of the user’s most commonly used software applications without needing to fire up the whole system beforehand.
While several technology players have reportedly long been attempting to separate accessibility from boot-up requirements, Hobbs has intimated that Microsoft Corp. has been holding the strings of progress on the matter. He also offers that the Redmond-based software giant isn’t best pleased with the appearance of HyperSpace and views it as being "outside their sphere of influence."
Hobbs is keen to point out that HyperSpace will also improve mobile battery operation by as much as 50 percent, and its introduction could also see applications that traditionally affect Windows' speed, such as anti-virus and malware-detection software, moved from the core operating system over to the HyperSpace OS augmentation.
If and when Phoenix Technologies successfully implements HyperSpace, it will allow content providers to develop what it refers to as "instant-on" applications for the technology, while PC vendors will also be able to embed ready-made applications into their systems. Phoenix is already in talks with leading PC manufacturers regarding the incorporation of HyperSpace, and expects its integration into notebook hardware will begin in the next six to nine months.
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RonAug 30th, 2008 - 12:25:20
Sweet. This could lead to inexpensive instant-on computers that free the average user from Redmond at last. Sleep well tonight, Steve Ballmer....
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ShamundaSep 29th, 2008 - 15:46:06
You still need the underlying OS libraries for the application. So not so quick in leaving Redmond. Plus, if you really ask yourself. Why would you even be worried about getting away from MS?
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