AppPlayer
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BlueStacks brings official, Surface Pro-optimized Android App Player to Windows 8 (video)
It's been a year and change since BlueStacks announced a Windows 8 version of its App Player, which let you run most of your Android apps on the then-beta OS. Now the company has announced the official version, tweaked to play nicely with Redmond's own Surface Pro and sporting a fresh, custom-built charm menu and start screen tile. You'll now be able to run apps in "true" touch-enabled full-screen mode using your Win 8 tablet's tilt/motion sensors, and everything will work faster, too. CEO Rosen Sharma also touted the release as a way for developers to bypass Microsoft's "onerous" submission process to get Android apps onto the x86 Surface Pro, and you can't argue with the price -- it's free, and available for download now. For more, head after the fold.
Tizen OS will run Android apps -- with a little help from third-party software (video)
As Tizen's open-source OS continues to make its first steps into the world, there's some good news for anyone concerned with a weak app line-up. It looks like both Android versions and Samsung's own Bada SDK will be supported through an application compatibility layer (ACL) which works along similar lines to the Android app player on BlackBerry's Playbook. Open Mobile, which is responsible for the ACL, claim it'll have 100 percent compatibility with Google's back catalogue and be just as responsive -- some pretty heady statements. The company wants its program be included on the OEM side of the equation -- this isn't aimed at humble end-user tinkerers. For now, you can check how its ACL fares in a quick video walkthrough after the break. (It's worth noting that the demo tablet isn't running on the Tizen UI -- it looks like we'll have to loiter around for some more hardware.)
BlueStacks App Player hits beta, supports ARM-written Android apps on x86-based Windows (video)
We've been eagerly anticipating the full-on release of BlueStacks' App Player, so imagine our excitement now that the software has officially made the leap from its brief alpha stage to "beta-1" status. If you'll recall, the App Player can virtually run over 450k Android apps on Windows XP, Vista and 7, all without developers needing to tweak their respective coding. Notably, this latest build has a host of updates including LayerCake, allowing x86-based machines to run apps written for ARM -- and with hardware graphics acceleration, no less. Other notable goodies from the beta build include official localization in 10 countries, mock accelerometer support (arrow keys), an updated UI and Direct AppStore Access. If the mere thought of running Android Angry Birds on Windows has your interests piqued, you'll find further details about BlueStacks in the full press release and video overview past the break.
Android apps on the PlayBook can keep their built-in ads, won't support RIM ads
Let's face it: a free PlayBook is nice, but it's not enough. If Android developers are to be persuaded to give up soccer practice and hot dates to stay home and re-package their apps for PlayBook OS 2.0, then they're going to need some advertising income too. Which is why a report over the weekend, claiming that ported apps would not support mobile ads, caused no end of fuss. Fortunately, it was the result of some kind of miscommunication and RIM quickly clarified that the updated PlayBook OS would support the ad services that come built into Android apps, but wouldn't support RIM's own BlackBerry ad services in that context. So what's it to be, the shin guards, the cologne, or the keyboard?
BlueStacks brings App Player, 400,000 Android apps to Windows 8 (video)
Back in October, BlueStacks unveiled an alpha version of its App Player, bringing a slew of Android apps to Windows PCs, tablets and desktops. Today, the company expanded its reach with a new, Windows 8-compatible version of its software, integrating more than 400,000 Android apps into Microsoft's latest OS. The latest App Player, which will support both standard desktop and Metro UI modes, effectively allows Windows 8 users to run "most every app" from the Android catalog, without having to conduct any porting magic. BlueStacks demonstrated its new virtualization tool on a Windows 8 Ultrabook at CES today, and plans to bring the App Player to a brand new device this March, when Taiwanese manufacturer InHon releases its first Ultrabook, with the software pre-loaded. Head past the break for the full PR, along with a demo video.
BlueStacks App Player lets you run Android apps on Windows PCs or tablets (video)
If you've been dreaming of a world where Android apps are free to roam across your Windows desktop, you're in luck, because BlueStacks has just turned your reverie into reality. Today, the startup unveiled an alpha version of its App Player -- software that allows users to run a host of Android apps on Windows PCs, tablets or desktops, without requiring them to make modifications to their original OS. Available as a free download, this early test version comes pre-loaded with ten apps, and can support an extra 26, on top of that. BlueStacks' free Cloud Connect app, meanwhile, allows you to port third-party apps directly from your handset to your computer, though some games, including Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, are prohibited. Those, it turns out, will be included under a paid version of the App Player, which BlueStacks hopes to launch at a later date. You can take the free software for a spin at the source link below, or meander past the break for a demo video, along with a pair of press releases.
Android App Player leaks out on to BlackBerry PlayBook
Back in April, when we put the PlayBook through its paces, we were disappointed to find it lacked the previously promised, and eventually teased, Android Player. Well, the time has finally come -- at least for those of you, who don't mind getting your hands, and tablet, dirty with leaked software. The folks over at n4bb snatched up a beta version of the program, which brings nearly 250,000 little-green-monster apps to the BB slab, but point out that it's got its drawbacks. Aside from altogether lacking a back button, this build apparently has some lagging issues. If you're the adventurous type, however, you can download and sideload the appropriate file by clicking on the source link below. But if your PlayBook gets covered in all sorts of leaky beta goo, don't come running to us -- it is unofficial after all. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
