WindowsAndroid Provides Full Android ICS Experience Inside of Microsoft Windows

January 25, 2013
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Not too long ago I wrote a post entitled “Windows 8 and Android Apps: A Match Made in Heaven”. In that piece I talked about how Windows 8 gave you the power to run the new Start UI and the many great Windows Store apps while also opening the door for some Android app functionality through BlueStacks.

Although BlueStacks is an awesome solution, it isn’t exactly a full Android experience. What if you want a full native Android experience running without emulation while also enjoying the power of Windows 8? That includes use of all the native Android apps such as the browser, calculator and the rest? That’s where WindowsAndroid comes in.

This epic new program includes a stock Android user interface, a Dalvik virtual machine and uses your actual Windows PC hardware and graphics card for things like hardware acceleration. The version of Android provided is 4.0 ICS and all you need is Windows Vista or higher to make the most of this. Although Android would work best on a Windows 8 tablet that has touchscreen technology, it also plays just fine with keyboard and mouse.

WindowsAndroid – A Work in Progress

The potential for WindowsAndroid is HUGE, but right now it is distributed as an “early release build” and that means the software is buggy, crashes reasonably often and isn’t capable of providing a “Full and seemless” experience, yet.

If the Chinese start-up behind this program continue full swing with the effort, it could be a stunning way to provide the best of both worlds on one tablet. Unfortunately right now, there is limited app support with many Google Play apps showing up as incompatible and many side-loaded apps end up crashing.

Could WindowsAndroid benefit the business world?

So what use is this to businesses and everyday consumers? Right now, its a fun toy with limited real capability.

In theory though, if this could eventually provide a truly full-speed Android experience with the full Android UI– it could bring a solution to the few flaws found currently in Windows 8’s mobile experience (namely lack of apps). If this could be ported to a jailbroken Windows RT device, it could also bring Android apps to devices like the Surface.

For those that need specific Android business apps and specific Windows legacy apps, a high-end Windows tablet like the Surface Pro could prove to be the ultimate computing device.

What do you think, do you like the idea of having a full Android ICS and Windows 8 experience running all on one device? Share your thoughts below.

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Mike Johnson is a writer for The Redmond Cloud - the most comprehensive source of news and information about Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Cloud. He enjoys writing about Azure Security, IOT and the Blockchain.

All Comments

  • Now that would be an interesting machine, wouldn’t it? You have access to Windows 8 apps AND Android apps. The question of course, would be smoothness, and emulation speed. Plus, wouldn’t you need a whole lot more memory? Cool though….

    Ben Richardson January 25, 2013 6:39 pm Reply
    • Testing it out, I found it runs pretty smoothly— with the limited apps it currently works for.Then again, the machine I’m testing it with has 8GB of RAM. I think there is strong potential in WindowsAndroid if the developers behind it can make it much more stable.

      Andrew_Grush January 26, 2013 4:58 pm Reply

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