A growing number of hardware vendors are adopting instant-on Linux platforms and bundling them alongside Windows on new computers. The function of these lightweight Linux environments is to make it possible for users to get online quickly and perform a number of common computing tasks without having to boot Windows.

Splashtop, which is made by DeviceVM, is one of the most widely-used instant-on Linux systems. It's said to be available on over 200 different laptops, desktops, and motherboards from a variety of mainstream hardware vendors. It comes with an assortment of popular applications, including Firefox and Skype. Splashtop has generally been targeted at the regular consumer market, but DeviceVM is now preparing to offer a new variant specifically for business computers.

The business version introduces a new e-mail client that is designed to sync with an instance of Microsoft Outlook that is installed on the computer's Windows partition. It supports synchronization of e-mail, tasks, calendaring, and contacts. Another key feature in the business version is support for connecting to remote desktops via RDP or with client software for Citrix and VMware.

To facilitate editing of Microsoft Office documents, the Splashtop for Business will also provide integration with Zoho's Web-based office suite. This is arguably a lot less comprehensive than a native desktop option like OpenOffice.org, but it's a lot lighter and faster to start. DeviceVM says that they have made document editing relatively seamless by making Office documents automatically import into Zoho when they are opened. The company also says that the environment is built to accommodate corporate IT requirements. It provides an update system and user policy control framework that can be remotely managed by IT departments.

Instant-on Linux has some advantages as a Windows companion on mainstream computers, but could lose some of its luster as Windows 7 and solid state drives boost boot performance and narrow the gap. DeviceVM says Splashtop has other advantages too, in addition to swift startup. For example, the company touts it as a fully functional fallback environment that users can rely on in the event that their regular Windows installation becomes unusable.

"The introduction of Splashtop for Business marks a significant milestone for instant-on computing, and a giant step forward in enhancing productivity, security and accessibility for today's mobile workforce," claimed DeviceVM CEO Mark Lee in a statement. "Even if Windows crashes or is infected by a virus or malware, Splashtop for Business gets users back online quickly to access corporate email, data, and applications."

I think that DeviceVM's business offering is intriguing, but I'm not totally sold that instant-on is going to be a must-have feature for a lot of business users. Dell's new always-on solution brings a killer feature to the instant-on concept and makes it more compelling than Splashtop in many ways.

Dell is one of the three hardware makers that has committed to shipping Splashtop for Business, but the Latitude ON system in the Z600 is not based on DeviceVM's technology. DeviceVM could not provide specific details about Dell's plans for Splashtop, but I think it's possible that it could show up on cheaper business systems where the OMAP board required for Dell's own always-on system would be prohibitively expensive.