How to run Android apps on a Windows PC, the right way

A few years ago, I discovered an interesting company called BlueStacks that has an Android app player for Windows. And when I say I discovered it, I mean it moved into the office next to mine. Discovering the company was pretty easy.

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I had actually heard about BlueStacks from some of my OEM clients who were quite excited about what the company had shown them. So I met with the company and also became quite interested in its technology.

With BlueStacks' software, people can take apps from their Android devices and send them via a piece of software downloaded on to their device called Cloud Connect directly to the BlueStacks player on a Windows PC.

When a user goes through this simple procedure, Android apps just show up in the BlueStacks Player on Windows. Like magic, they run on Windows as is, in full screen, with no performance degradation. That means software written for Android, such as Pulse and Flipboard, can now run on your Windows PC and be tied to the data layer of your Android version, too.
Run Android apps on your PC

Although BlueStacks has a "Get More Apps" section built into the player itself, most of the ones there now are just to demonstrate what can be done. In actuality, people will just download Android apps from the Android Marketplace or Amazon's Appstore for Android and then use Cloud Connect to transfer them to a Windows PC.

The program has a lot of new features and enhancements planned that would give the program even more functionality. To be honest, though, just having my Android apps on my PC is already a good reason to try it out. Not to mention, it's free.

Think about your use of your apps on your smartphone or tablet today. How many times have you thought, "I wish I had that same app on my PC?" The reason you may be saying that is because so many of the apps written for a smartphone or tablet are compact, concise, and deliver just the function you need at the time you need it.



For example, when travelling, I often use a currency converter. To get that same function on a PC, I have to go to a website and find that converter. Even if I bookmark it, it takes at least two or three more clicks to get the information I really want. On the other hand, on my Droid or iPhone, I just tap the currency converter app and I am ready to go.



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