Virtual desktop gets security boost

Businesses looking for safer virtual desktops can cut the risk of attacks if they run their virtual-machine hypervisors directly on computer hardware, eliminating reliance on separate operating systems that can be vulnerable to attack, reports Computerworld.

Most recently, Citrix is teaming up with Intel to optimise its XenDesktop software for desktops and laptops based on Intel Core2 and Centrino 2 processors, with the product scheduled to be available in the second half of this year.

Beyond the security implications, client hypervisors offer the additional management benefits of centralising content, enforcing access control to desktop images, updating and patching desktops and supporting multiple virtual machines on a single device, while keeping them isolated from each other.

Google's rumoured GDrive, a service that would enable users to access their PCs from any Internet connection, could kill off the desktop computer, according to FOXNews.

The GDrive, unconfirmed by Google, is reported to launch this year, with tech news sites calling it the "most anticipated Google product so far".

The Google drive would shift away from Microsoft Window's operating system, in favour of "cloud computing", where storage and processing is done in data centres.

Owners of the latest MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models can connect their laptops to 30-inch displays using Apple's £68 Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter, but some users have been reporting problems with the new adaptor, ranging from screen artefacts to completely blank displays, reports PC Advisor.

Some of those reporting problems are connecting the adapter to third-party displays from Dell and Samsung, and have posted that Apple tech support told them that only Apple's 30-inch Cinema Display HD was supported by the adaptor.

However, according to an Apple spokesperson, the adaptors are intended to be used with displays other than Apple's.