Citrix Extends Line of Mobile Apps to BlackBerry 10, Android

The company extends its line of mobility solutions with the enhancement and availability of several apps for mobile work styles.

Cloud computing specialist Citrix announced the extension of its collaboration, data sharing, remote access and IT support applications across additional mobile operating system platforms, including Apple iOS, Google Android, Microsoft Windows RT and Windows 8, and BlackBerry OS.

For collaboration, Citrix offers GoToMeeting for Windows RT and Android, where users can choose to launch or simply join an online meeting from their Windows RT or Android device, and view presentations, reports or other content and collaborate over high-definition video and audio. For team collaboration, Citrix released its project management tool mPodio for the recently announced BlackBerry Z10 handset.

"Teams are working across a broader range of devices than ever before and need a consistent, great experience in terms of the content they can access and the ways they can collaborate," said Bernardo de Albergaria, Citrix line-of-business vice president and general manager. "We now deliver a wide range of mobile tools enabling users to get work done, regardless of location. Individuals can seamlessly move from their laptop in the office, to their Android device on the commute, to their iPad in the home, maintaining access to the information and individuals they need to be most productive."

The built-for-business file-sharing service ShareFile, which offers users a secure way to access and share their data, is now available on Windows 8 tablets and PCs, as well as Android devices. Support representatives can deliver full remote control support for Samsung Android mobile devices with GoToAssist, as well as deliver support to iOS and Android devices through optimized chat with the ability for users to upload device screenshots to technicians. In addition, Citrix expanded the functionality of its remote access application, GoToMyPC, to Samsung's new generation of Android mobile devices.

In a survey by Wakefield Research and commissioned by Citrix, users admitted to spending almost every waking minute with their devices, whether checking news and social media feeds first thing each morning, eating every meal with device in hand or watching reality TV shows in secret.

The poll of more than 1,000 American smartphone and tablet owners, aged 18 and older, showed that nearly a third (30 percent) said that they would wait only eight seconds for a mobile Web page to load before giving up. Along the same lines, 72 percent said they are likely to abandon downloading a large file because of slow download speeds. More than half (51 percent) of mobile device owners blame their provider for slow-loading Web pages, while 49 percent blame the Website.

"These survey findings confirm suspicions that most of us are rendered completely helpless when separated from our mobile devices, perhaps even more than when we are pulled apart from our best friends," Mick Hollison, Citrix vice president of integrated marketing and strategy, said in a statement. "As our attachments to smartphones and tablets continue to grow deeper and more intimate, companies must respond with new ways to empower people to use their favorite devices across their personal and professional lives. This will enable all of us to reach new levels of productivity and prosperity."