WindowsAndroid Lets You Run Android 4.0 Natively On Your PC

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WindowsAndroid Lets You Run Android 4.0 Natively On Your PC

Posted by Soulskill on Friday January 25, 2013 @06:50AM from the hey-why-not dept.

An anonymous reader writes "WindowsAndroid is a very cool tool from the Beijing-based startup SocketeQ that lets you run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as a native application on Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 machines. The creators tell us they have a deep background in virtualization, operating system, and graphics technologies, and have been working on the project for years. Essentially, WindowsAndroid allows you not only to execute Android apps on your Windows computer, but also use the browser, not to mention every other component of the operating system."

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i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by etash · 2013-01-25 06:57 · Score: 5, Insightful

how many of you would think it twice before willingly installing software from a chinese software company -- given all the news we hear recently about chinese companies being denied access to important western markets due to security reasons and all.
1. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-25 07:13 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Sandbox it. It's an Android emulator, if it can't run in a sandbox at full mobile device speeds, it's not worth using. If it can't run in a sandbox because it requires administrator access to your boot sector, delete with extreme prejudice.
2. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by noh8rz10 · 2013-01-25 07:16 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I agree. I was going to post that here as well, and face the risk of getting modded down. it's simple - why give a chinese company access to your computer, where they can snoop PWs, IDs, CCs, SSNs, etc?
3. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-25 07:36 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  You mean the accusations without proof from the US government? The same government that's been waging a cyber-war against other countries in secret for years now? The same government who can run surveillance on their own citizens without a warrant by handing someone a post-it note?
4. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-25 07:46 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  google has lost in China not because of government blocking, but because it sucks in product quality.
  That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. First of all, it does not hinge on "the government", but certain ministry official that want to be well greased. When those are faced between the decision to accept grease from a Chinese and a foreigner, the foreigner always loses; that's why Google's inland competitors are easily pulling ahead. Second, the party recognises the danger of unrestricted flow and exchange of information as provided through Google's search engine, so they would not let them go forward that easily - it is the need to stay in control so that social changes come slowly and gradually, avoiding chaos and upheaval. Lastly, it is ridiculous to claim that Android lacks in quality - the Chinese invented Shanzhai and idolise its culture, to the extent that anyone puts up with the quality of knockoff software when someone else would long since have given up in frustration.
5. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by poetmatt · 2013-01-25 07:51 · Score: 2
  
  You mean....like a VM?
  like everyone else runs android on anything other than a phone/tablet? /facepalm for windowsandroid software to even be created
6. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by gmuslera · 2013-01-25 08:20 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The problem with chinese products is that you don't know if they will try to get your data or not. Thats the advantage of US based products/services, with them you are sure
7. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by iamhassi · 2013-01-25 09:10 · Score: 2
  
  You mean....like a VM?
  like everyone else runs android on anything other than a phone/tablet? /facepalm for windowsandroid software to even be created
  chrome in android in windows in vmware in windows? #Inception
  
  --
  my karma will be here long after I'm gone
8. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by fluffy99 · 2013-01-25 09:25 · Score: 3
  
  You mean exactly like CHina, Israel, and other countries are doing? It's naive to assume the US holds a monopoly on cyber espionage.
9. Re:i know what i'm thinking is heavily biased but! by Patch86 · 2013-01-25 10:06 · Score: 2
  
  That's the point- they're all as bad as each other. Why should I distrust a Chinese product any more than an American one? Neither government has exactly got a rosy reputation for due process in cyberspace. The answer, by the way, is that I don't automatically distrust either; I keep my sensible hat on when installing new software and hardware on my network, and that's it. Any other mindset can only lead to paranoia and madness.
  This is just the usual US xenophobia against all things Chinese. If this were any other country of origin, from Russia to Nigeria, Algeria to Zanzibar, you wouldn't hear a peep. Sour grapes about someone else being a superpower, I guess.
Re:yeah bitch by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-25 07:00 · Score: 5, Funny

Chrome on Android on Windows is really fast, huh?
Developers by Therad · 2013-01-25 07:00 · Score: 3, Insightful

Seems like a good thing for android developers. The current simulator is a bit slow.
1. Re:Developers by inamorty · 2013-01-25 07:16 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The current simulator is a bit slow.
  I'm curious.
  What kind of filter are you using that is able to remove all traces of swearing from your post? It's very effective!
From China..? by mr.dreadful · 2013-01-25 07:01 · Score: 4, Interesting

Is anyone else a little hesitant to run Chinese software? I don't want to be xenophobic, but I'm a bit leery of either Russian or Chinese software.
1. Re:From China..? by ArhcAngel · 2013-01-25 07:32 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It's Grand POOBAH!
  
  --
  "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
2. Re:From China..? by Hatta · 2013-01-25 08:26 · Score: 2
  
  That's how I feel about all closed source software. I'm not sure why I should trust American code over Russian or Chinese code.
  
  --
  Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
http://androvm.org by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-25 07:02 · Score: 5, Informative

AndroVM is better, runs on GNU/Linux and already supports hardware accelerated OpenGL rendering of Android games when the game installer is not huge (less than 100 MB in size).
1. Re:http://androvm.org by Mordok-DestroyerOfWo · 2013-01-25 07:36 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Mr. Ballmer, your medication is ready!
  
  --
  "Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hardin
2. Re:http://androvm.org by phorm · 2013-01-25 08:25 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Any luck running Netflix on it?
  That's about the only thing other than games I run Windows for.
BlueStacks by Jason+Levine · 2013-01-25 07:07 · Score: 5, Informative

Looks similar to what BlueStacks does. http://www.bluestacks.com/
And, for those posting about being wary of software from a Chinese company, BlueStacks is located in California.

--
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
1. Re:BlueStacks by ArhcAngel · 2013-01-25 07:25 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  I've been running BlueStacks on my laptop for over a year now. And with their port to ARM Windows RT devices should be able to use it as well.
  
  --
  "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
2. Re:BlueStacks by blind+biker · 2013-01-25 10:57 · Score: 2
  
  I've been running BlueStacks [bluestacks.com] on my laptop for over a year now
  Is it getting any better, as of late? I had to deinstall it in frustration, caused by all the bugs that I kept running into. I think I last had it on my desktop PC in November.
  Also: do you know how to enable access to Google Play, on Bluestacks?
  
  --
  "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Peeling the onion by nanospook · 2013-01-25 07:13 · Score: 4, Interesting

I have an app that runs windows on my phone. I wonder if I can run Socket in there? Wouldn't that be the bomb?

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Have you fscked your local propeller head today?
Impressive! by lennier1 · 2013-01-25 07:21 · Score: 2

The lengths people will go to in order to finally get a working alternative to the SDK's goddamn piece of shit of an emulator.
Re:No Way?! by Jeng · 2013-01-25 07:28 · Score: 2, Insightful

Any suggestions on a better forum to read?

--
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
Already in the SDK. by ewanm89 · 2013-01-25 07:30 · Score: 5, Interesting

The SDK can already hardware virtualize an x86 image already (via Intel HAXM on windows and Mac and KVM on Linux), and there is a 4.0.4 x86 image in the repositories.
1. Re:Already in the SDK. by thygate · 2013-01-25 07:56 · Score: 2
  
  The x86 AVD that comes with the SDK has its up and downs. Nice that it also supports gles2.0 etc. But it crashes a lot which makes it very difficult to use as a test/debug platform. For instance it crashes every time when the IME comes up for text input. In the system, in the API demos, ..
Re:Some stuff won't work? by ewanm89 · 2013-01-25 07:32 · Score: 2

You are mostly right, except virtualization needs same instruction set too, it is emulation that allows one to run a different instruction set to the host.
Re:Does it handle OpenGL, then? by ewanm89 · 2013-01-25 07:34 · Score: 4, Informative

Actually, hardware accelerated graphics is available in the Android SDK emulator, it's still marked experimental and has a few caveats, but is available (since SDK tools 17).
It's already easy... by MatrixCubed · 2013-01-25 07:36 · Score: 2

...and thoroughly documented.
Yes you are biased but you should be paranoid by dogsbreath · 2013-01-25 07:41 · Score: 2

er . . . about the same worry as any software from anywhere. Do your self protection rituals and don't install it on anything that contains critical information. Look for oddities (unexpected network connections etc) and check for an online community that may show some pedigree for the software.
Trojan software is a real worry but the fact that it comes from China does not seem to me to alter the worry level. ie: be worried and be careful
A very cursory check of sites that track threats shows China as a source is about on a par with the US. Somewhat worse but still, a lot of malware comes from the good ol US of A. Most sites seem to agree that the USSR er Soviets er Commies er RUSSIA is a major source of crap, standing out from the others.
eh, stats is stats.
The reason Chinese companies (ummm: Huawei) have been labelled a security worry is that the People's Lib Army of the PROC is assumed to be the defacto owner. Worry being that their routers/switches/cell equipment come with back doors pre-installed.
Who knows if this is true or not, but I have often wondered if companies like Cisco, Juniper, Alcatel-Lucent, Siemens etc are working closely with their own governments to provide "special" firmware loads for foreign installations. Maybe domestic as well. But I may be paranoid. ;->
Governments have been caught in the past doing industrial espionage for their own domestic interests. The French apparently bugged first class airline seats for competitive business reasons and the Chinese reported that a Boeing 767 was delivered complete with surveillance bugs.
So: although China doesn't worry more than say the US, it doesn't worry me any less either.
Re:BlueStacks DISCLAIMER by Provocateur · 2013-01-25 07:53 · Score: 2

BlueStacks is located in California.
They *do* order take out occasionally, though.

--
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
Need Windows emulator... by marciot · 2013-01-25 08:12 · Score: 5, Funny

I would like to try this on my Android phone. Does anyone know of a good Windows emulator I can use to run this software?
1. Re:Need Windows emulator... by snadrus · 2013-01-25 10:05 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I see Bochs for Android (QEMU) running WinXP on YouTube. That's really the best tool I think you'll find.
  
  --
  Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
Re:Chinese product... by Dahan · 2013-01-25 10:21 · Score: 2

Well, it's another name--there's nothing particularly westernized about the name "Taiwan" (unless you think that "westernized" is synonymous with "Romanized"). Apparently, the name originally comes from one of the aboriginal languages spoken on the island.
Re:Chinese product... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-01-25 10:30 · Score: 2, Insightful

Taiwan
.... which is the westernized name for the "Republic of China".
Which, as much as the People's Republic of China insists to the contrary, is currently a separate country.
Yo dawg by bedouin · 2013-01-25 13:34 · Score: 3, Funny

I heard you like shitty operating systems that rip off Apple's ideas, so we . . .