How to Run Android Apps on Windows 8

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in smartphones all around the globe. In fact, IDC reports that 153.9 million smartphones were sold worldwide in 2012 alone. Despite the numerous smartphone manufacturers out there, most smartphones are shaped by the operating system that they support.

Currently, the most common mobile phone operating systems include: Google’s Android OS, Apple’s iOS, Microsoft’s Windows Phone, Nokia’s Symbian OS, and most recently, the Firefox OS.

These are just some of the operating systems available for smartphones, however, when they are ranked according to the number of third-party applications available, Android OS and the iOS are at the top of the list.

Unluckily, Windows Phone hasn’t been in the spotlight as long as its PC counterpart. It therefore doesn’t have as many third-party apps as Windows PC operating system.

On the bright side, the fact that Windows Phone doesn’t have as many apps as Android smartphones doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy Android’s apps on Windows.

The BlueStacks app changes all this by allowing Windows 8 and Windows 7 users to enjoy Android applications on their Windows tablets and even on their PC’s.

BlueStacks basically works by creating an emulated environment in which Android applications can run.

Since it is still in the beta stage, users might experience a couple of issues while using the app.

Users who have relatively slow computers may also experience some performance issues just in the same way a PlayStation 3 emulator will require a generally fast computer.

So, where do you begin if you have all the right requirements?


Step 1. Go to http://bluestacks.com and download the BlueStacks App Player on your PC. The beta version isn’t all that large, and it should therefore take a couple of seconds to download if you have a fast internet connection.

Step 2. Install the app by following the on-screen instructions. Note that you should also have an active internet connection during the installation process since BlueStack App Player will start downloading runtime data which is crucial for it to run on your PC.

Step 3. Once successful, you can now start using the app to run Android’s .apk files. To do this, simply download the Android app on your PC and then right-click it and select “Open with”. Locate BlueStack App Player and hit enter. You’ll then have to wait for some while as the app is being installed. Once it’s done, you can start the app by clicking its icon.

Here are a few things to note about BlueStack App Player before you get overly excited about it:

1. Not all Android apps will work on the BlueStack App Player, and this is common with most other types of emulators.
2. Be prepared for “unknown bugs” since the app is still in beta mode. This means that you may experience some technical difficulties while using the app.
3. BlueStack App Player won’t be free forever. It will only be free while it’s still in beta mode. When an official stable release is announced, your credit card will definitely come in handy.

In a nutshell, all is not lost for the Windows tablets in terms of applications. BlueStack App Player will undeniably be a soft cushion for the Windows tablets as Microsoft struggles to get more developers to create apps that may leave the Android Marketplace in shock.

This article was submitted by Joseph Worth, a blogger for for CLEAR’s deals . He enjoys writing about new applications, social media and politics.

Source: androidflip.com