Most Android-based smartphone users would
agree that they would prefer testing an app before downloading it to
their phone. The reason behind this is usually to avoid unnecessary
space hogging apps. Some users might also wish to play some of the cool
mobile games available for the Android platform on their PC i.e. on a
larger display. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how can your favorite
Android apps on your Windows-based PC using a simple and free software
called BlueStacks.
BlueStacks is an app player for Windows, which can play Android apps
faster than it can run on a phone and that too, on a full-screen. The
app includes 10 pre-loaded apps and one can add up to 26 more apps of
their choice. Favorite apps can be pushed directly from the phone onto
the PC using an Android app via internet route. Download and install the
software for Windows from the URL ‘www.bluestacks.com’. The software is
nothing, but a simple virtual Android operating system, which simulates
an Android phone or UI. It uses the desktop PC’s resources such as the
processor, the internet connection, mouse, keyboard and the audio card.
The installed folder located on the PC contains the necessary files for
its use, namely the kernel, data, system, boot and storage (the SD
card). The BlueStacks Android (Gingerbread) virtual machine creates a
hardware environment with a limited amount of storage (around 363 MB)
for installing apps and 262 MB of SD card storage space.
Once BlueStacks is installed, the application will be running the
Android operating system in the background and you will see an icon in
the system tray area and a widget will be running on your screen. A
single click on the widget will reveal the Android system apps installed
in it. Click on the apps and enjoy them on a large screen. Additional
apps can be installed from the BlueStacks website by signing in using
your Facebook account details. To get to this page, all you need to do
is click on the BlueStacks widget, scroll to and click on the app
icon/shortcut ‘Get more apps’. A website will open up where you can
login using your Facebook details. Once logged in, simply click on the
‘Subscribe’ button for the available apps (in the Featured Apps section)
and they shall automatically get installed on your system via the
internet. The ‘Could Connect’ link on the same page will highlight a
special 9-pin numerical code which needs to be entered on your Android
phone running the BlueStacks Cloud Connect app (download it from the
Android Market for free). Once done, you can push apps from your phone
to your PC by simply selecting multiple apps and syncing it. That’s it!
You can now enjoy all your favorite apps from your phone on your Windows
desktop PC.