A collaboration between chip maker Advanced Micro Devices(AMD) and software firm Bluestacks will allow some 500,000 Android applications to be available on Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 operating system. The Windows 8 OS is expected to be available globally and in Malaysia end this month.
The two firms have unveiled AMD AppZone Player, which will let PC users download Android apps that are currently available on Android smartphone and tablets.
“Why would you want to run Android apps on your PC? For starters, the Android app ecosystem is huge, boasting more than 500,000 apps. And, increasingly consumers have a mix of platforms across their devices, for example an Android phone and a Windows based PC. Maybe you like the Android version of the app better than the alternatives or maybe there isn’t an alternative available at all.” AMD said in a blog post.
Users who have an AMD-powered Windows 7 notebook or PC can download the AMD AppZone Player here and start using Android apps right now. The AMD AppZone Player will come preinstalled on future AMD-based Windows 8 computers. Using Cloud Connect, the player also lets users synchronise their apps across both a PC and an Android device.
BlueStack, the California based startup, is the maker of App Player, which allows Android applications to run on PCs(including Intel-based PCs) and Macs. AMD said that it has made changes to the core code that runs its processors and graphics cards to ensure compatibility.
AMD has about a 25% share of the market for desktop computers.
[Source]– AMD Blog
