MokaFive moving desktop virtualization to iPhone and mobile devices

As virtualization fanatics gear up for VMworld this week in Las Vegas, desktop virtualization will no doubt be among the hottest topics. In the last few months, everyone seems to want a piece of the pie -Sun, HP, Dell, Microsoft are jumping in as desktop virtualization brings in a new technical variable to the quietly reigniting war for desktop domination. Red Hat bought Qumranet this past week for $107 million and immediately went after VMWare.

One company worth checking out if you're heading to the show is Redwood City-based MokaFive. They specialize in mobile desktop virtualization - meaning, you can both virtualize your desktop and take it on the road with you, loaded onto an iPod or USB stick.

If you're like me and tired of scurrying to whip out your laptop to get through airport security, MokaFive offers free software to create virtual desktops - they call them LivePCs - that separates your computer operating system from your hardware. This means you can port your desktop on a variety of different machines - including mobile devices.

According to Purnima Padmanabhan, VP of Product Management at MokaFive, LivePCs work online or offline - you don't need a constant network connection, and your data is automatically backed up to the cloud. "No one is chained to their desktop these days. You shouldn't be chained to your virtualized desktop either," she said. The user can even remotely destroy their virtual desktop if the device is lost.

For all you iPhone junkies, MokaFive will be moving onto mobile phones soon, and is offering a free software prototype, called iPhone Sentinel, allowing a portion of the flash storage on an iPhone to essentially function as a removable drive for Windows and Mac OS users.

The company has plans to introduce additional smartphone prototypes in the future. For now, you can download the iPhone Sentinel here.