Show menu
Home
›
News
›
You can now run Android on a Windows PC using Jide's Remix OS 2.0

You can now run Android on a Windows PC using Jide's Remix OS 2.0

Posted: 12 Jan 2016, 09:20, by Mihai A.

Share Tweet Share

Tags : Windows -Windows + Android -Android +

You can now run Android on a Windows PC using Jide's Remix OS 2.0

Jide, the company that was previously best known to end customers as the manufacturer of an Android tablet that could pass for a Surface slab based on its design, has just made Remix OS 2.0 freely available for download on its website. With Remix OS 2.0, you can now essentially dual-boot between Android and Windows/Mac on virtually any PC out there.

Remix OS is a forked version of Android built upon the Android-x86 project, an unofficial initiative that attempts to port the Android operating system for use on x86 chipsets, such as the ones that you can find powering most PCs currently out there. Jide says that this is an alpha build aimed at developers and enthusiasts who won't mind "a bug or two". Since we have yet to test-drive Remix OS 2.0 for ourselves, we can't figure out the state of the OS just yet. However, once we get to spend some time with the forked Android version, we'll let you know if the OS is workable in its current version.

In theory, Remix OS 2.0 should allow access to the vast range of apps available in the Google Play Store from a Windows PC. Although this is by far the most interesting aspect of the Android-based OS, the developers say that they've included some productivity-oriented features, ones that should come in handy given that you're going to use the OS on a PC.

Using a tool that's available for download from Jide's website, interested users are now able to flash Remix OS 2.0 on a USB drive. Once that's done, the OS can be booted from the USB drive. The best thing about this procedure is that you can take your USB drive with you and use the Remix OS on any other PC you happen to encounter.

When you boot from the USB drive, two options will be presented. You can either load Remix OS 2.0 in 'Guest' mode, which will ditch any modifications upon reset, or in 'Resident' mode, which ensure that your changes and your documents are saved to the flash drive.

If you're feeling adventurous and want to jump right in, head on over to the source link below, where both the software and detailed installation instructions await you.

What do you guys think of Jide's Remix OS 2.0? Is running Android on a PC a good alternative or just a dumb idea in your eyes?

source: Jide via WMPowerUser

23 Comments

Options
Close Follow › Following
Show comments:

Display mode:

Always view all comments

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 10:53 5

2. guest (Posts: 338; Member since: 13 Jun 2012)

Yes! Now I don't have to buy an android device to get access to my apps! Surface pro it is!

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 12:38

11. elitewolverine (Posts: 5192; Member since: 28 Oct 2013)

bluestacks...but this is good alternative. I would have gotten a surface regardless if this existed, just so much more power than a mobile os...for me that is.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 16:32 1

15. nepalisherpa (Posts: 225; Member since: 17 Jul 2015)

I could never get Bluestacks to work. The one time I did, it was so laggy.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 19:23

20. ibend (Posts: 6675; Member since: 30 Sep 2014)

Bluestack is heavy.. u need i5(desktop) or i7(laptop) with 4GB RAM, to run app smoothly

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 21:25

23. nepalisherpa (Posts: 225; Member since: 17 Jul 2015)

I have an i7 with 8GB of RAM and it was still laggy.

posted on 13 Jan 2016, 17:45

26. plck74 (Posts: 65; Member since: 12 Dec 2013)

bluestack allow you set RAM either 1g or 2g or 3g or 4g

posted on 13 Jan 2016, 07:21

24. elitewolverine (Posts: 5192; Member since: 28 Oct 2013)

I have an old school 940 AMD with 4GB of DDR2....runs just fine for me. Then again when you have a pc...needing android is literally for a one off app and nothing more. Maybe 'games'.

Heck I have a cheap all in one with an amd a6 apu and it runs just fine.

posted on 13 Jan 2016, 12:30

25. zacsaturday (Posts: 242; Member since: 09 May 2014)

wth Bluestacks, it runs Windows and the emulator at the same time. Putting Android with Bluestacks on a Windows Tablet/Laptop is useless for me, I would only use it if it gave me good Performance and battery.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 11:23

3. Wiencon (Posts: 2022; Member since: 06 Aug 2014)

I really can't see why would anyone do that. Devs maybe but coding apps like Visual Studio or Xamarin already have Android emulation.
If it could dusl boot OSX than it would be game changer but I don't think it'll ever happen

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 19:27 1

21. ibend (Posts: 6675; Member since: 30 Sep 2014)

get a PC, instal OSx86 and Android-x86..
but I dont see any point on doing that :-/

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 11:29 1

4. TezzaBP (Posts: 274; Member since: 18 May 2015)

There's one thing I don't know, will this have mouse support? I don't have a touchscreen monitor but i'd like to try this

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 11:34 1

5. Wiencon (Posts: 2022; Member since: 06 Aug 2014)

AFAIK Android natively supports keyboard and mouse so my guess is it will

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 11:47

7. TezzaBP (Posts: 274; Member since: 18 May 2015)

Ah good, thanks for the info :^D

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 17:12 1

16. MedLEB (unregistered)

I tried the OS, and I can confirm It support the mouse and the keyboard.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 11:35 4

6. shy2papa (Posts: 336; Member since: 23 Jan 2010)

This is what chrome OS should have been, Google should take note.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 12:02

8. xfire99 (Posts: 940; Member since: 14 Mar 2012)

Remix OS 2.0 is nice. But they should make it to run within Win with USB key. Like others Android emulators Andyroid/Bluestack.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 12:26

9. RebelwithoutaClue (Posts: 3579; Member since: 05 Apr 2013)

Andyroid uses a virtual pc stack (like VirtualBOX and VMPlayer). ReMix OS runs perfectly in those two virtual environments under Windows as well.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 13:15

13. Furbal (unregistered)

Think i'll try and get this running natively on my i5 chromebook. If battery life is on par with chromeos i'll end up keeping it on it.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 14:25

14. Baracus (Posts: 223; Member since: 15 Sep 2012)

I'd rather run a virtual Android build like Bluestacks so I can have instant access to both O.S but I guess on low end Windows tablets running something like an Intel Z3735f it would be better to run natively since a virtual machine would barely move on them.

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 17:28

17. newuser1 (Posts: 276; Member since: 10 Dec 2010)

painfully slow

posted on 12 Jan 2016, 19:19

18. ibend (Posts: 6675; Member since: 30 Sep 2014)

but you can install Android-x86 and make it dual boot..
its already available since... 6 year ago :-/

posted on 14 Jan 2016, 10:36

28. newuser1 (Posts: 276; Member since: 10 Dec 2010)

This Remix OS is a bit of following win 10 background style with android internal core. No google play built in. Slow as snail. Setup and start up will take forever. Running is slow too, mouse take forever to move, then a banner pop up say system not responding 'wait, ok'.

I tried run a bootable Android 6.0 marshhall Android-x86. it much faster and stable and has google play built in.

posted on 16 Jan 2016, 07:13

29. 7thspaceman (Posts: 1583; Member since: 14 Feb 2011)

hmm this is interesting tech maybe Microsoft should buy it and refine it.. how ever right now Microsoft is
working on software that allows Apple's IOS apps to be changed into Windows Universal apps. which is not a bad idea since Apple's IOS apps are as numerous and good as Android Apps and maybe safer to use than Android Apps. on Windows devices