Ardence, a Citrix Company, and a leading developer of software platforms for the on-demand world has announced the release of Version 2.0 of Select, which includes support for the Windows Vista operating system and enables OEMs to deliver Vista-based devices with multi-purpose functionality on a single operating system as well as provide instant-on/instant-off capability.

Ardence said Select reduces OEMs' time, effort and expense in creating multi-functional Vista-based devices. With Select, system configurations can be instantly booted and applications made immediately available in pre-configured states for optimized user experiences and productivity.

Stephen Woodard, Ardence Vice President and Product Line Executive, said, "the market demand for Vista-based devices that can perform multiple functions is growing rapidly. Consumers want a single device that operates as a PC, IP television, DVR, and DVD player and they want to be able to access the different functionalities very quickly without long reboots. Select does that.

"Retailers want Vista-based kiosks and POS terminals to have multi-functionality that will enable operational flexibility. In Health Care, multi-functionality for medical devices is becoming essential. Until now, these devices have generally required multiple operating systems, or additional hardware, to deliver the desired functionality. That has meant more complexity, longer development cycles, and additional license costs. No longer."

Select ensures instantaneous device operability without consuming battery power or requiring devices to be left in "sleep" modes. It bypasses the driver loads, OS boot, network configuration, and application loading by accessing a pre-configured environment - bringing a device to full operability in seconds. Select enables instant power-off as well.

Ardence said Select systems are fully protected from operating system corruption by power loss or unintentional shutdown. Any problems encountered can be fixed by simply powering the device off and turning it back on - the system is immediately restored with no need for tech support or reinstallation.

Because Ardence Select systems utilize pre-configured, hardened environments, viruses and other malware cannot permanently install into the system. Malware is instantly purged by turning the devices off and back on. Select protects key partitions while leaving writeable partitions for saving data, including use with removable storage.