Sure, you could enjoy Android on your PC through dual-booting or virtualization, but the folks at Socketeq have whipped up yet another alternative: a port of Mountain View's mobile OS, fittingly dubbed WindowsAndroid, that runs natively on the Windows kernel (under Vista, 7 and 8) instead of Linux. Not only does the operating system run speedily since its free of virtualization chains, but it serves up the appropriate tablet or smartphone UI based on window size, and plays nice with keyboards and mice, too boot. Socketeq's solution serves up the full Android experience, but you'll have to separately flash the Google apps that typically come baked in, according to Android Police. Ice Cream Sandwich is the freshest flavor of Android to have undergone the kernel-replacement treatment, and it's currently being offered as a free "first-try" download at the source.

One of the big questions about Jolla's new Sailfish OS would be ecosystem. I mean it is hard enough to get the average consumer to switch OS's alone but, if you are missing their favorite apps you have no shot at all. So what did Jolla do to bridge this gap? They made their OS Android and MeeGo app compatible.

While I didn't see the entire Sailfish presentation there was a mention that Sailfish will not only be able to run the apps made for Nokia's N9 but also it should be able to run Android apps. This is a HUGE win for consumers it automatically puts an entire world of apps at their disposal from the get go.

This shouldn't come as much of a shock to the tech world as it was always rumored that he Nokia N9 could run Android apps if the right software was made. Sadly however this software never came and the N9 is stuck with the limited apps made for Nokia version of the MeeGo OS.

Knowing that Jolla's phones can now run a wide variety of apps does this make anyone take a second (or first) look at this new OS?

Enjoy the preview:







Source

PPSSPP is written in C++, and translates PSP CPU instructions directly into optimized x86, x64 and (soon) ARM machine code, using an efficient JIT compiler.

PPSSPP can thus run on quite low-spec hardware, including stronger Android phones and tablets, as long as there's support for OpenGL ES 2.0.



Source

So a new rumor is rolling around out there that Google is currently developing a Game Center style application and service for Android. While this is a 'new' rumor, back in June of 2011 we actually predicted that this would happen eventually anyways.

Our prediction was based off of a couple of factors. Firstly, there was a feature in the Android App Inventor that pointed towards this feature/service where there was an API being developed apparently called Game Client which would allow for communication to online game servers. While this could have ended up as being something completely different, and probably is, we felt at the time that this would be used for communication between a game and a Game Center type of service.

Secondly, the job postings at the time for positions at Google hinted at a similar idea. This was before the social games came to Google+ but some of the requirements and responsibilities pointed to a Game Center service.

Lastly, it is an inevitable evolution. With social games on Google+ and iOS having the Game Center service, Google would have to develop something along those line to stay competitive with iOS and gaming on that platform. Now it seems that there is new information with this new rumor to give more substance to our prediction.

A source who spoke to Business Insider says that Google is currently developing such an application and service which would utilize an achievement system, leader boards, and a friend finder so gamers to challenge each other. While this is an anonymous source speaking with Business Insider, it just makes sense that this would be the next step for Google to take to make Android gaming better. Of course there is no word just yet on when this service will launch but Google I/O is just around the corner. Source

Play Resident Evil 4 Platinum, the game that changed survival horror forever!
Experience one of the most thrilling chapters of the Resident saga in an all new way. Engage in running gun fights against crowds of enemies utilizing Resident Evil4’s intuitive tap interface. Face an enemy quicker, smarter and scarier than any zombie and put your skills to the ultimate test.

Features:

•3rd person perspective camera for a panoramic view of the action.
•Blast enemies apart with laser precision. Location based damage means where you aim is what you hit.
•Shake the iPhone/iPod Touch to reload.
•Context sensitive controls pop up as need allowing you to perform complex actions with a tap of the button. Climbladders and interact with your environment with a press of an icon.
•Play through “Story Mode” to unlock ”Mercenary Mode” missions, a separate game mode with pre-set goals, weapons and conditions.
•An all-new “Coin Shoot” shooting gallery mode where the where the goal is to destroy as many blue coins as possible within the time limit.
•A total of five difficulty levels: “Beginner”, ”Normal”, ”Professional”, ”Hell” and “Extreme”
•New DLC that enhances the gameplay with special cheat modes.

Gearbox Software, developers of the original Borderlands game, have announced that the sequel which will be appropriately named Borderlands 2, will be coming to Android in the form of a Tegra 3 based version.

Borderlands 2 is slated for release on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC this Summer and now it is slated for an Android release for Tegra 3 Android devices. Details are pretty scare right now regarding the Android version, whether it will be the full console game or a smaller version of it as well as pricing and release date but considering how close the release is for the console version, we could see this land on Android at the same time which would be a first for a console game.

If you have been in the Android scene for any amount of time then you have probably heard of CyanogenMod or ClockworkMod. Well a member of the CyanogenMod team, a rather well known member of the Android community, "Koush" has announced he is developing an alternative Android Market for banned applications.

As a member of the CyanogenMod team, and developer of ClockworkMod itself, Kousik Dutta (a.k.a Koush) has been involved in the ROM community and Android hacking in general for quite some time. He has now started up working on an alternative Android Market which will house applications that have been banned from the Android Market. Now we aren't taking about crappy cloned games or maleware/virus riddled applications so fear not.

What will be in this new Android marketplace are applications like game emulators that have been banned, tethering apps, ROMs, one-click root applications and things of that nature every Android geek likes to play with. Before you get all excited though and rush out to find where this geek heaven is, this new alternative Android market is currently in the early stages of development so it isn't actually ready yet. However, the idea is rather cool and one that a lot of the more tech-savvy members of the Android community will enjoy.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/20/developer-is-building-an-app-store-for-banned-android-apps/

Good news for all you Resident Evil fans out there, LG has brought Resident Evil 4 over to Android. Yes we do mean LG has brought it to Android, not Capcom. Now you can get all excited for a minute, go ahead, we will wait until you are done.

Finished? Good because now we have to kill your excitement a little bit. Unfortunately, even though Resident Evil 4 is now available for Android, it is only available in Korea, South Korea specifically which is LG's hometown. Before you get excited thinking you can use an app like Market Access, you need to jump through a few more hoops. Not only do you have to be in South Korea, you have to have LG's proprietary U+ Market, and you have to have an LTE device.

If you can somehow pull all this off without actually being in South Korea, you will be treated to a rather great Resident Evil 4 title after paying the $5 bucks it will cost you to download. The game does look like a direct port of the iOS version of Resident Evil 4 from back in 2009. Why LG has made it so exclusive is beyond us. No word yet on when this will be available for the rest of the world.

http://androidcommunity.com/lg-announces-resident-evil-4-for-android-keeps-it-in-korea-20120120/

An indie developer has posted a new game over on the XDA forums based off the FPS (first-person shooter) game Counter-Strike. Some people may call it a port but it really is a game built from the ground up using Unity3D that happens to use some of the Counter-Strike assets.

If you have ever played the actual PC FPS game Counter-Strike then you already know what to expect. If you haven't had the privilege yet of playing the original, players are deviced up into two teams: Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists. In the original there were a few different ways your team could win whether it's planting (and exploding) or diffusing a bomb. You could also do it the way most players tend to do it and just kill the entire other team.

This Counter-Strike Portable game, as it is called, is cross-platform multiplayer as well and the developer has released a version on both Facebook and Kongregate for web based browser playing. There is also a version which you can install and play natively on your Android device. Depending on the Android OS version you are running, you will either want the 5-series app (Android 2.0+) or the 6-series app (android 2.3+). A lot of the maps in this game are also the classic Counter-Strike maps including de_dust2 and others that are easily favorites of the original game.

Counter-Strike Portable is currently a work in progress and even though it is available on Kongregate (as a Flash game) and on Facebook, there might be the odd bug in the Android version of the game. have no fear though as it seems the developers are constantly working on it. If you are interested in checking it out, hit up the link below. Good news for Xperia Play owners, it is also optimized for your controls.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1447157

In a widely expected move, Adobe has confirmed they will bring Flash to Android 4.0. This shouldn’t be too surprising considering Google already expected Adobe to support Flash for ICS. Adobe confirmed to Pocket lint that ICS will be receiving Flash support by the end of 2011. Sounds exciting, but there’s a catch– a big one. Will will not see Flash beyond Android 4.0– meaning we won’t see Flash on Android 5.0.

We’re sure you are all wondering what the reasoning may be to stop Flash support. It’s quite simple really: Adobe is dedicating their time and resources towards newer alternatives. For example, Adobe clearly states for example they are “continuing to develop Adobe AIR for both the desktop and mobile devices. Indeed, we have seen wide adoption of Adobe AIR for creating mobile applications and there have been a number of blockbuster mobile applications created using Adobe AIR”. Moreover, Adobe hasn’t backed away from its intentions to focus on HTML5, which ultimately should be a more efficient way of impacting video gaming and premium videos. Well friends, we better enjoy Flash for Android while it still lasts.

We know that Samsung has the first crack at Android 4.0 with the Galaxy Nexus, but it'll only be a matter of time before we begin seeing it show up on rival devices. HTC has already made an official statement on its plans (or lack thereof), and now it's Motorola's turn. Alain Mutricy, SVP Portfolio and Product Management, was in Germany talking up the European announcement of the RAZR, and slipped in a few details about Ice Cream Sandwich. Mutricy mentioned that while the company's new flagship device was designed for Gingerbread, plans have been set to introduce the latest version of Android in the start of 2012, with a more precise date naturally on its way. Given past experience, however, it's probable that the unbranded version of the device will get the refresh ahead of the Droid RAZR on Verizon, so US users may need to exercise a wee bit of patience here. Regardless, it's time for the competition to step up -- if the RAZR is next in line to get the OTA update, the Galaxy Nexus will have the spotlight all to itself for a fair amount of time.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/19/motorola-razr-to-get-updated-to-ice-cream-sandwich-in-early-2012/

Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0, the update offers a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. Some of the highlights include an NFC-enabled feature called Android Beam, offline search in Gmail, new lock screen features and a fancy unlocking method called "Face Unlock," which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can't use your phone without permission. Ice Cream Sandwich also includes enhancements in almost every native app within Android itself. The SDK is already available for Android 4.0, and the update itself will make its first public appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, also unveiled tonight.

Here's some of the enhancements found in Ice Cream Sandwich:

* Option to use virtual buttons in the UI, instead of taking up capacitive touch buttons
* Widgets are in a new tab, listed in a similar list to apps
* Folders are much easier to create, with a drag-and-drop style similar to iOS
* A customizable launcher
* New phone app with visual voicemail functionality that lets you speed up or slow down voicemail messages
* Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar
* Gmail has offline search, a two-line preview, and new action bar at the bottom
* Swipe left or right to switch between Gmail conversations
* Integrated screenshot capture by holding power and volume down buttons
* Improved error correction on the keyboard
* Ability to access apps directly from lock screen (similar to HTC Sense 3.x)
* Improved copy and paste
* Better voice integration
* Face Unlock, a facial recognition service
* New tabbed web browser, allowing up to 16 tabs
* Browser now automatically syncs your Chrome bookmarks
* Modern "Roboto" font
* Data Usage section in settings lets you set warnings when you reach a certain amount of use and disabling data when you go over your limit
* Ability to kill off apps that are using data in the background
* Camera app: zero shutter lag, time lapse settings, zoom while recording
* Built-in photo editor
* New gallery layout, organized by location and person
* Refreshed people app with social network integration, status updates and hi-res images
* Android Beam, a NFC feature that lets you exchange websites, contact info, directions, YouTube, etc.
* Don't like some of those preloaded carrier apps? Disable 'em. Android Engineer Dan Morrill mentions that, among other new features, any app can be disabled, and while it will still take up space in ROM, it won't be snatching any of your precious resources or clock cycles again if you don't want it to.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/18/android-4-0-ice-cream-sandwich-now-official/

Well it’s official, after months of rumors and speculation the release date for Ice Cream Sandwich (aka Android 4.0), Google’s latest Android operating system, has been set for October 11. That’s right, in less than a week the wait will finally be over. The new mobile operating system will be unveiled at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in San Diego, likely alongside the Nexus Prime.

Samsung and Google have been teasing us and have teamed up to announce something big which is even more reason to mark October 11 on your calendar. Check out the following teaser video which was recently uploaded on YouTube by Samsung Mobile.



The event will take place at 11:30 am Pacific time, and you don’t want to miss it. Although potential specs for the Samsung Nexus Prime have been leaked, we won’t know for sure until the actual CTIA event takes place and all of the facts are confirmed.

According to Droid Life some of the specs for the much anticipated Nexus Prime MIGHT include the following:

o All new 1.5GHz Exynos processor
o 2050mAh battery
o 8MP camera
o PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU
o 4.65 inch Super AMOLED HD screen display

Regarding Ice Cream Sandwich, several improvements are expected to come bundled with version 4.0 of the Android OS. New expected features include united app framework, better multitasking, multi-core optimization and facial recognition among many others. Whatever the case, we’re certain that Android 4.0 will make the already great experience on Android tablet devices even better. Of course we’ll keep you posted on all the new features and goodies once they are confirmed.

You’ll be able to watch and stream the even live on the official Android Developers YouTube channel.

UPDATE:

It turns out that Samsung and Google have decided to delay the launch of the Nexus Prime and Android Ice Cream Sandwich and won’t be unveiling them at the 2011 CTIA event after all. The two companies are currently seeking another date as well as venue. The main reason they are postponing the announcement is out of courtesy & respect for the death of Steve Jobs. A spokesperson told CNET the following today:

We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs’s passing

http://www.letstalktablets.com/google-ice-cream-sandwich-release-date-announced/

Google dropped some interesting information about Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Android - Android 4.0 at its Google I/O conference back n May.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich interface

Ice Cream Sandwich will bring all the interface loveliness of Android 3.0 Honeycombto Android smartphones. Android phone users will get the updated app launcher, holographic user interface, interactive and new homescreen widgets plus the multi-tasking panel.


Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich features

Google says Ice Cream Sandwich is its "most ambitious release to date" and will incorporate all the best bits of Honeycomb, the Android tablet OS, and make them useable on smartphones too.

But Ice Cream Sandwich is about more than just the user interface and it will bring all the new Android 3.1 features to phones. This new update means Android tablets will also be able to act as a USB hub and you'll be to hook up devices such as mice and keyboards and game controllers to tablets and smartphones.

Google is also intending to make life easier for developers by releasing a new set of APIs that will help them to scale their apps across the various sizes of Android devices - Google acknowledges that it's important for developers to be able to design apps that will work across 3.5-inch smartphones up to 10.1-inch tablets.

During the Google Google I/O keynote those on stage also showed off 3D headtracking using the front-mounted camera so you can figure out who is speaking and focus on them while on a video call. Face detection will be a key feature in the OS and we hear that you can even unlock your handset using it.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich apps

Many popular apps will get an update in time for the new OS - with a new interface expected to debut too.

A new Google Music app is designed for Ice Cream Sandwich.

There will also be a new browser available - Google Chrome will debut on Android.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich specification

Google's Mike Claren said, "we want one OS that runs everywhere."

Smartphone users will also get an expanded multitasking tool, including a system manager that handles your open resources for you so you won't run out of memory or be prompted to quit an application on the tablet.

Android 3.1 also means you can expand the size of a scrollable home screen widget, while existing scrollable widgets can also be upgraded by devs with a couple of lines of code.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich requirements

There's no word yet on minimum hardware requirements, though this will certainly have implications for upgrading existing handsets to the new OS. Speaking of which…

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades

Google is introducing new guidelines in which it promises OS updates for the first 18 months for existing handsets. So Ice Cream will be coming to some of the more powerful handsets released during 2011.

"Together we'll create guidelines for how quickly devices will get updated after new android platforms and for how long they'll continue to get updated.," said Google's Vic Gundotra at Google I/O.

"New devices from these partners will receive the latest Android updates for 18 months after first launch, if the hardware allows it. We think this is really great news for users, we think it's excellent for developers and really great for the entire industry."

The move is in response to accusations that Android is becoming too fragmented and it has announced an alliance of (US-only for now) networks and manufacturers who have vowed to provide more timely updates. No longer will you get left behind.

"We saw a lot of comments saying 'I want my upgrade, when do I get my upgrade?'," says Hiroshi Lockheimer, director of engineering at Google.

"There's no common expectation set of how this would work, so we can at least establish some form of expectation for the whole community - users and developers.

"We certainly want this to be an international, global thing. We announced Vodafone;you can expect another wave of announcements around that."

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is open source

We also know that Google is intending to make Ice Cream Sandwich fully open source. It didn't do this with Android 3.0 Honeycomb in an attempt to make things more consistent.

"It's more manageable to start small and get bigger," says Andy Rubin, senior vice president of Mobile at Google.

"It's an open invitation; there's no reason not to have everybody in [The Open Handset Alliance] - but I want to hit the ground running, I don't want to take a lot of time on building a list of names."

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/ice-cream-sandwich-everything-you-need-to-know-954464

"VMware's mission to bring virtualization to the mobile market gained a major supporter last week whenSamsung pledged to use VMware software to build business-friendly smartphones and tablets. The project known as Horizon Mobile will let Android phones use virtual machine technology to run a second instance of Android, in much the same way virtualization works on servers and desktops. The user essentially has two completely separate phones running on one device, and can switch from the personal one to the corporate one by clicking a 'work phone' icon."There are others pushing alternative approaches to virtualization on mobile devices.

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/09/07/1644206/Samsung-and-VMWare-Bringing-Virtualization-to-Android

Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread update for Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 is now live, and can be obtained from the Sony Ericsson PC companion app, assuming you're rocking an unbranded X10. In addition to (nearly) the latest version of Android for smartphones, X10 owners will get SE's new "Facebook Inside Xperia" integration, Wifi and USB tethering, a re-vamped music app and photo widget and custom sorting in the app drawer.

For more info, and a download link for the PC Companion, head on over to the source link and click on the X10.

Source

N64oid is the very famous Nintendo 64 emulator optimized for Android. It is a port of Mupen64plus, along with Ari64's ARM dynarec (and gles2N64 as an option).

* Run most games smoothly at a reasonable speed (if not full speed) with sound. This requires you have a high-end device (Nexus-S, Galaxy-S, Xoom, etc).
* Good game compatibility compared to other N64 emulators running on mobile devices. And most likely more issues will be fixed in future updates.
* Save/load game states at ANY points, as well as in-game save support. Save files are fully compatible with Mupen64plus on PC.
* A configurable, translucent on-screen keypad that is very easy to use.
* Key mappings to map game keys to hardware buttons.
* Option to use the G-sensor as the analog stick.
* A variety of settings that you can tune on your needs.

*System requirement*
- Android 2.0 or above
- ARMv7 compatible CPU
- OpenGL-ES 2.0

*NOTE*: Save files generated by v1.1.4 are no longer supported. Sorry!





*CREDITS*:
- Mupen64plus team
- Ari64 for his excellent ARM dynarec
- gles2N64 project team
- Crualfoxhound for beta testing (Plus he's always been ready to answer questions on the forum)

DOWNLOAD
http://www.filesonic.com/file/1458367851/N64oidv201.rar

http://www.wupload.com/file/59088807/N64oidv201.rar

http://www.filefat.com/0eorms6j9uwc

http://www.fileserve.com/file/8m9u2kx

Here’s a way to gain control of your projects using an Android device. Bluescripts is a free app available in the Android market that makes it a bit easier to make interfaces to send customizable messages. If you have a Bluetooth receiver in your project, connecting to it is as easy as putting the MAC address into an XML file on the Android device. Each tag in that file has a name, as well as the address of the target and the message that should be sent. On the receiving end, you just need to make sure your project hardware is ready to receive an ASCII message and act based on what comes through.

Check out the demonstration video after the break. Perhaps it’s not as cool as you could do if you were writing your own Android program, but we can’t think of anything we’ve seen that makes an Android interface this quick and easy.



Source

We already got a chance to try out OnLive on the HTC Flyer early but now the company has made its plans official at E3, announcing a Player app will bring internet-streamed gaming to the iPad and Android tablets this autumn. Just as we saw, the apps allow for tablets to be used as the screen and touch / motion controller, touch / motion controller for games on an HDTV, or screen for games being played with the new universal wireless gamepad. The fun isn't limited to just tablets though, the app will work the same way on smaller Android and iOS mobile devices.



Source

If you're an Android gamer, chances are you've heard of Nesoid, Snesoid, Gensoid, N64oid, Ataroid, Gearoid and Gameboid: they're all video game console emulators developed by yongzh, and many ranked among the most popular paid apps on the Android Market. This week, they've got something else in common, too -- they've all been abruptly removed. Following a complaint from Sega, two emulators were nixed late last month, but we're hearing that Google has since revoked yongzh's developer privileges, just like PSX4Droid comrade-in-arms ZodTTD. We're currently reaching out to both yongzh and Google for comment, and hope to hear back soon, but it's looking like a bleak week for the emulation community.

Update: We got in touch with yongzh (or Yong Zhang, as he's known in real life) to discuss the matter, and he confirms that his developer account has been removed and his apps pulled without warning -- cutting off his primary source of income and leaving him with an inbox stuffed with worried email from customers. He has, however, already migrated a number of emulators to third-party app store SlideME, where they'll be free for a while, allowing existing customers to get updates without paying a second time, and likely helping a number of new individuals to mooch off his troubles. He's not too optimistic about his prospects at SlideME, though.

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