Hands on with Bluestacks, a clumsy bid to bring Android apps to Windows 8 - dejesustheral83

If you're frustrated over the lack of apps open for Windows 8 satisfactory now, Bluestacks wants to aid.

Bluestacks' software is an emulator that allows you to trial Android apps on a Windows PC. The current beta version, which you can download from GetYourAppsBack.com, tries to accommodate Windows 8 tablets with full-screen door wake, As well as a set of controls that appear when you swipe in from the rightfield edge of the screen.

Bluestacks can also use a tablet's accelerometer to impress between pad and portrait modes.

In theory, Bluestacks is a good stopgap measure to fill in for key apps that Windows 8 lacks, much as Pandora, Flipboard, and Instagram. In practice, Bluestacks doesn't mould as well arsenic it should, and in some cases I couldn't go information technology to work on all.

Testing Bluestacks

To test taboo Bluestacks, I installed it on four machines, including deuce Atom-based Windows 8 tablets, an Atom-based living room PC, and my Windows 7 desktop, which runs on an Intel Core i5 processor.

The two Particle-based tablets would not run Bluestacks properly. Whenever I opened the package, I would get a abbreviated loading screen, followed by a black sort. I could use the constitutional navigation buttons to switch between full screen and windowed modes, but could non run any apps.

The Spec-founded living board PC fared better. I could shipment Bluestacks' built-in app store, instal apps, and run them. But for about reason out, Bluestacks would come along cramped on the concealment, irrespective what resolution Windows was running in.

Searching for apps in the Bluestacks' app store

That ready-made it impossible to accomplish the search function in Bluestacks' app store and made apps suchlike Pulse unpleasant to use. I was hoping to use Bluestacks to satiate in for certain music and video apps that Windows 8 doesn't have, but that's out of the question now.

Desktop use worked better

On my desktop PC, Bluestacks fared better. I could install apps from a handful of markets (the software lets you choose from sources like Google Play, Amazon's Appstore, Develop Jar, and 1Mobile Market), and there were no senior issues running them.

Nonetheless, Bluestacks has some inherent flaws when it's working properly.

When browsing Bluestacks' app put in, there's no way to view a description of individual apps. They plainly install straight off when you click on them. (The workaround is to go into private stores, such as Google Play and browse that way.)

Expose issues when running game Bluestacks along a home theatre PC

Also, a luck of Android apps aren't optimized for larger screens, which isn't Bluestacks' fault, merely even some of the ones that are preceptor't display in pad mode.

Google's Gmail and Drive apps, e.g., always appear as blown-in the lead smartphone apps, even though pad of paper-optimized versions are available. That may be because the Bluestacks emulator is supported Android 2.3, an outdated version of Google's software package.

I like the idea of Bluestacks, and now that touchscreen Windows 8 devices the likes of the Surface Pro are Hera, the software at last has a worthwhile platform.

The execution of instrument, yet, still inevitably very much of work. Bluestacks is still in beta—and fortunately it's free meanwhile—so on that point's little harm in giving it a slam. Just don't wait a panacea for Windows 8's app want.