Citrix to Bring Receiver Technology to Android-Based Devices

Citrix Systems is expanding its presence in the mobile space.

At its iForum Singapore event, which ran the week of July 27, Citrix officials showed off an early version of its Receiver product for mobile devices based on Google’s Android operating system.

The Receiver for Android product will grow Citrix’s capabilities in enabling smartphone users to access their Windows applications from anywhere. Citrix already offers that capability for Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry devices.

Citrix officials demonstrated the early version at the show. A tech preview of Receiver for Android will be available for download in the second half of the year.

Citrix’s Receiver is a lightweight software client designed to make it easy for users to access applications and TV services on their smartphones. Plug-ins in Receiver communicate with desktop virtualization products from Citrix, including XenDesktop and XenApp, which are housed in the data center. Receiver works on a number of devices, including PCs, notebooks, netbooks, thin clients and smartphones.

Android, developed by the Open Handset Alliance, enables developers to create applications designed for mobile devices. It’s finding its way not only to smartphones but also to such devices as netbooks. For example, late last month, reports surfaced that Nokia is working on a netbook designed to run Android.