Are you interested in Android technology? However, if you do not have a device on this platform, you can open separate Android applications and experiment with the latest versions of Android on Windows. To do this, you only need the Android emulator on your PC. It may be necessary if you want to try working with Android before buying a device, experimenting with the latest version of the OS, or synchronizing between your Apps device and a PC.
So how to run the Android emulator ?
Programs that will be discussed later will be useful for this.
BlueStacks - this software does not completely repeat Android and does not create a complete imitation of this platform. The program can be represented as a pop-up window that works as a separate application on your computer. BlueStacks runs in full screen mode, but can also be used in a windowed version.
Speaking about how to launch the Android emulator using this program, install BlueStacks, search for the Android application, and you can install it on your computer. You’ll need to create a Google account to download apps through Google Play. BlueStacks also supports other app stores, including the Amazon Appstore for Android. Its built-in search function searches for applications in all stores that it supports.
The specified program is a good Android emulator for Windows 7, as well as for the new, eighth version of the OS. Thus, you can use BlueStacks to play various games on the touch screen. This program can be launched both from your phone or tablet, and from a personal computer.
Alternative
In addition, talking about how to run the Android emulator, you can use the Virtual Box You Wave service. This program is a free ten-day trial version that will allow you to synchronize the device with the computer. Unlike BlueStacks, YouWave offers a full download of Android from the main screen, application menu and everything else. This program depends on its main software - VirtualBox, so you cannot use it until you install the latter. This will require a little more effort from you, but it will cost completely free, without time limits.
YouWave's initial menu does not include many applications, but you can install Google Play inside it to get more. From the "View" menu, select Online Content and click on the Google Play icon to download it. Creating an Android emulator on a PC using this software, remember that you will need a Google account.
Official service
In addition, today there is the official Android Emulator, Google’s software development kit. It is an Android-4 emulator on a PC, available for free and aimed primarily at developers. This is a great way to check the latest version of Android if you already have a device that runs on a previous platform distribution.
To use this Android emulator on a PC, firstly, you need to install Java. You can also download the Google SDK Tools. Click "Use Existing IDE Option" on the page and download the SDK Tools package. After installing it, launch the SDK manager and install the recommended files for the latest version of Android. Click the "Install" button, and the program should automatically download and install the necessary software.
Open the "Tools" menu when the download is complete, select "Manage AVDS" and click "Create" to create a new virtual device. Select it in such a way that it is closer to the characteristics of your gadget, and then download your installed version of Android. Name the virtual device and click "OK" to create it.
You will see the new virtual device in the device manager window. Highlight it, press the "Start" button and select "Launch" to launch the "Android" emulator on the PC.
How does it work?
It may take some time for the process to begin - perhaps more than a minute, depending on your equipment. Unfortunately, this application is not as powerful as BlueStacks or YouWave. It also does not have Google Play integration or any other application store, but you can download them as APK files and install.
Conclusion
The openness of Android allows developers to create applications that are awesome. Today, many solutions are available, it is even possible to try applications for iPhone or iPod on Windows. However, today there are some limitations - the performance of such services may not be so good on some types of equipment. Remember that the Android platform is not designed for the mouse, it was created to control touch. This can be compared to the eighth version of Windows, designed for touch devices, whose users persistently continue to use keyboard and mouse-controlled applications.
However, you can even install Android on an old netbook. You can try this, only you are unlikely to get much benefit from this device.