An office that is always at hand: an example of how a virtual desktop works on portable devices

In one of our previous materials, we have already demonstrated how, thanks to the Citrix Receiver solution, you can launch and work with the MS Windows 7 operating system on an Apple iPad tablet PC. We decided to develop this theme and demonstrate how to use Citrix XenDesktop virtualization solution to work on various mobile platforms and how convenient it is to use a tablet PC to work in a virtual environment.

For the demonstration, we took three mobile devices with which modern users most often work and which operate under different operating systems. Two tablets - Apple iPad2 (iOS 5.0.1) and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet (Android 3.1) - and a Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 netbook (Windows XP) acted as “experimental” ones. Testing included connecting to a data center and performing the most popular operations in a virtual environment, many of which are inaccessible to mobile devices due to the limitations imposed by the software and hardware platforms.

So, let's begin.
Before connecting to a virtual environment, you need to install Citrix Receiver client software on your mobile device. This utility is designed for all major operating systems and can be easily found in the AppStore and Android Market, as well as downloaded from the official Citrix website. In our case, only the iPad and IdeaPad needed to install the program, and on the ThinkPad Tablet, which is designed for corporate users, Citrix Receiver is preinstalled by default, and the tablet can connect to the virtual environment, which is called “right out of the box”.
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We connect our existing devices to a virtual desktop located in a data center, which is located in one small European country. After logging in to the system and passing through the authorization procedure, you can see the virtual desktop menu on the screen of connected devices. The menu is configured according to the operating systems and programs installed in the virtual machines.


Citrix Receiver client software configuration allows you to run on your mobile device, both operating systems and individual programs

Virtual desktop allows you to run the necessary applications, both from a virtual machine, and directly from the menu offered in the mobile OS. In this case, the speed of loading and operation of the application increases, since the components of the client operating system are not loaded.

After a brief acquaintance with the Citrix Receiver client application, we proceed to launching the Windows 7 operating system.
As is clear from the video - the process is not complicated and takes less than a minute.


MS Windows 7 operating system on Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and Apple iPad2 tablet


Screenshot of Apple iPad 2 Tablet


Launching Virtual Desktop on Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet






MS Word on iPad 2


When working with MS Word on iPad for typing, you need to pull out the hidden menu located at the top of the screen and call the virtual keyboard


This is what a virtual keyboard looks like in the most popular office applications MS Word and MS Excel


Work with documents in a virtual environment


In addition to working with documents, a virtual desktop also allows you to use heavy, resource-intensive applications on any mobile devices.

Thanks to the virtual desktop, you can even work with graphics on the iPad







Work with 3D object on Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet






Virtualization allows you to get the functionality of a powerful desktop PC on any mobile device, mitigating all software or hardware limitations. For example, you can run on the iPad any flash movie or game, view high-definition video or work with graphic models in specialized programs.

Tanks online on iPad



Small delays in work are caused by insufficient WAN data transfer speed and long delays due to the remoteness of the data center.

Virtual Desktop with Windows 7 on a netbook


Virtual desktop significantly expands the capabilities of a mobile device, turning it into a full-fledged work tool that can almost completely replace your office PC. All you need to work is a data transfer channel and a device with Citrix Receiver client software installed on it.