How to Automate Setting Up New a New Computer?

After you purchase a new computer, you may set up a new operating system, Windows 7 or Windows 8. Probably the system comes with the OS preinstalled. But the real job comes after this. You will have to change the system settings, install your important programs from the previous computer, and create an environment that looks exactly like your old PC. This is a time consuming, tedious, mind-numbing job, if you know what I mean.

Is there a way to automate this process? Is there a way to transfer all your programs and settings with a few clicks at best? Is there a great way to get your new PC behave exactly like your old one out of the box? There is.

Laplink PC Mover Pro is a Windows application that will transfer all your settings from old computers to new ones. Here, watch this animation:

Moving your programs and settings from the old PC to the new one is as simple as a few steps.

1. Install Laplink PC Mover on both computers first. The installation is pretty straightforward, like installing any regular application. You may need to restart the computer after the installation.

2. Open up PC Mover application and you will find the wizard that will guide you in an easy transfer of files and software between systems.

PC Mover dialog

 

Select the appropriate option: PC to PC Transfer (self-explanatory); Windows Upgrade Assistant (If you are upgrading from old version of Windows, Windows XP/Vista/7 to Windows 7 or Windows 8); PC Mover and Image Drive Assistant (If you are trying to restore from an old image or an old hard drive).

You may see security alerts from Windows, and you should allow PC Mover to run. Also, it is recommended that you disable the firewall on the receiving system, so that the transfer of application programs and settings from the old PC happens smoothly.

Requirements and Limitations

 

When upgrading from the old PC to the new PC, when you transfer files and applications, PC Mover shows you the important requirements and limitations on this page.

Requirements of a PC to PC data transfer

 

These are also self-explanatory. Sometimes, the new operating system on the new PC may not support an application on the old computer, and hence it may not work. Sometimes, the system requirements of a program may not be met correctly on the new computer. Drivers tied to some hardware on the old computer may not compatible with the new PC and may not be transferred thus.

These warnings and basic steps you need to do, such as disabling firewall, are shown on this page.

Connection Method

 

As the next step, select how you will connect the old PC to the new one—over Wi-Fi, Ethernet cable (Laplink), or the Laplink USB cable. You can buy cables from Laplink itself or from any regular computer shop.

connecting old PC to new PC for transfer of files

 

Notifications and Customization

 

You can get proper notifications from the application about the completion of the task, via SMS or email.

getting SMS or email notifications

 

Also, you can configure the transfer options, either Standard or Advanced. Within Advanced transfer, you have more control over the transfer and set more options on user accounts, applications, drives, folders, etc.

Standard vs Advanced transfer
Advanced setup options

 

There are advanced customization options for each of these settings, and the application gives you complete control over how you want to set up the new PC.

Final Step

 

As the final step of transferring files between your old computer and the new one, it shows the progress dialog.

PC to PC transfer progress dialog

 

This is where the actual work is being done. Depending on the size and complexity of applications and settings on your old computer, the transfer can take minutes to several hours to complete. Once done, as mentioned earlier, the notification will come, and the program will show this finish dialog.

transfer finished dialog

 

PC Mover Advantages

 

PC Mover is the best upgrade companion to Windows. Here are a few advantages of the application.

  • It takes care of all applications and settings on your old PC and transfers them to the new one. In order to do the same task with a computer support company or executive, you will have to spend a lot more and it will take days.
  • Doing it yourself is one option, but it takes a lot of your valuable time.
  • Doing it yourself may also cause some unnecessary, unneeded issues.
  • The application is pretty easy to install and work with, and it gives extensive configuration options.
  • There are also other options that help you in easy upgrade to Windows 8 or Windows 7.

 

The one disadvantage is that the application doesn’t seem to be available for Mac OS X yet.

If you are looking for just upgrading to Win 7 or 8, there are individual applications that do just that. Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant and Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.

Conclusion

 

With PC Mover, and other related Laplink applications, upgrading or transferring software and settings to a new PC becomes easier than ever. This automated PC set-up tool is one of the most unique out there.

Should Microsoft Consider Buying Nokia?

In a recent talk between Microsoft and Nokia, the two companies contemplated a merger. WSJ reported the story yesterday, and for quite a while, industry leaders have been cogitating on this move. Since 2011, Nokia has been in tie-up with Microsoft to use Windows Phone operating system on all of its major devices, notably the Nokia Lumia series (Lumia 920, 928, etc). This has helped both companies in great ways. Here is an analysis as to whether the merger could pave way to success to these companies.

Nokia

 

Nokia, the Finnish smartphone maker, has been quite big in the market up until Android and iOS destroyed the stronghold of its Symbian OS. Nokia subsequently fell from the top and now has the tenth position in global smartphone market with about 2.8 percent of the market, according to research firm Gartner.

Nokia market share

 

Nokia lost its stock value considerably, and the strong stock, which some time in 2007 was trading at a peak rate of 40 dollars, now trades at around 3-4 dollars. Quite a heavy fall and Nokia was slowly forgotten from being a household name. The only way the phone maker survives right now is by marketing its Lumia range of smartphones, all based on Windows Phone operating system, with a marketing pact with Microsoft that supplies it with money and motivation.

Even after so many Lumia devices, Nokia failed to stabilize its position in the smartphone market.

Microsoft

 

What about Microsoft in the world of smartphones? When most people talk about smartphones, they are thinking about iPhone or Android devices. They don’t know about other operating systems that exist out there, Firefox OS, Ubuntu, BlackBerry 10, Windows Phone, Tizen, among others.

While since 2007, Apple and Google have been dominating the smartphone operating system world, Microsoft tried to snap up a tiny portion of the market with its redesigned Windows Phone device. The design of new Windows has been revolutionary. Still, the software giant’s efforts in the smartphone world and tablet world with its own Windows RT OS have not been quite successful as you know well from our previous posts.

The company holds hardly around 3 percent of the market, just as Nokia.

Windows Phone market share

 

Microsoft gets sales only for Lumia phones, although there are other OEMs in the Windows Phone market, such as HTC with Windows Phone 8 and Samsung with its ATIV phones. Either the other manufacturers are not enthusiastic enough to promote Windows phones, or Microsoft wants to market Lumias over others.

A Merger?

 

From a merger, what could we expect? Nokia is the largest Finnish company and it contributes a huge chunk to the small country’s economy. A merger will move the mobile phone division of Nokia to Microsoft, and that division is estimated to be worth around 14 billion dollars or so. While the stock holders of Nokia may be looking for any ways to rescue the firm, it waits to be seen whether Finland, one of the strongest economies in the current European Union, would like the deal.

The merger should be in the best interests of Nokia due to a number of reasons. First of all, Nokia is not probably going to get any success by moving away from Windows Phone. Within the Android world, the only OEM that makes any money is Samsung at the top of the smartphone market. Other manufacturers, HTC, Sony, Motorola, LG, etc., are either in loss or making extremely tiny profits. It is highly unlikely in any foreseeable future to see any change in this.

The only two mobile operating systems making it big are Android and Apple iOS, and the rest of the lot have such a tiny market place. Nokia’s best bet is in staying with Microsoft Windows Phone.

About Microsoft, they are not finding success with any OEM other than Nokia. Although Samsung and HTC have made their own Windows Phone devices, they did not get anywhere. Lumia is the only Windows phone that has a noticeable presence. If Microsoft buys Nokia, they can unify the business, and probably make it big in the smartphone world. I would like to point to these major advantages if the companies merge:

  • Why Apple and BlackBerry are revered so much? They make their own hardware and software. If all parts of the phone are in control of the OEM, the resulting device tends to be of absolute quality. With a smartphone hardware division, Microsoft will probably be able to rise to the level of Apple and BlackBerry in hardware software compatibility.
  • Nokia has one of the best hardware divisions, along with a bunch of absolutely valuable mobile patents in various mobile technologies. A merger can probably save these assets and subsequently benefit Microsoft too.
  • Just as in the case of Windows 8 and Surface, Microsoft can take advantage of other OEMs for Windows Phone. It is not that with a merger with Nokia, Microsoft is shutting its options for other mobile OEMs. If the merger becomes successful and Windows Phone prospers, other OEMs will be interested in making handsets with Microsoft.
  • Nokia’s purchase price could be really low and quite affordable for Microsoft. Nokia has been working on its strategies and strengthening its position in the market in the last few months though.
  • Nokia has never made a tablet, but under the aegis of Microsoft, it might be tempted to give it a shot, and that might create an interest among users. With such a cool design team that made Lumia 920, Nokia is sure to hit the jackpot with a cool tablet design.

Argument against the merger is also quite strong. For one thing, people believe Nokia has a chance if it moves away from Windows and diversifies its options. I would really love to get my hands on a Nokia Android device, if it ever happens. But as mentioned earlier, it is extremely difficult to be successful alongside Samsung.

Microsoft is interested only in smartphones, and not Nokia’s diverse feature phone business. Microsoft may spend unnecessary money in acquiring that feature phone business too.

Conclusion

 

Although there are a few arguments against MS acquiring Nokia, it seems quite a bit sure that the merger is in favor of both companies. The future will show us whether they decide on it or not. In whatever case, it should be an improvement over the status quo.

Blue: Will the Upcoming Update to Windows 8 Change the Scene?

Windows 8

It was a fine morning in January that 72 year old Tami Fletcher went to the Radioshack Store in Long Beach, New York and purchased an upgrade to her old laptop running Windows. She had a Dell laptop of nearly ten years old that was running Windows XP Media Center edition.

In the recent times her applications and the Internet connection have been slowing down unnecessarily, and she was not able to display some web pages properly. A friend of hers suggested that she upgrade her laptop’s hardware and get the latest Windows. This was what drove her to Radioshack.
an upset old lady
When she got the laptop back after three days, with the necessary hardware upgrade and Windows 8, she was quite happy, until she reached home, turned on the laptop, and found herself wondering where all her stuff went. She was specifically told that none of her stuff would be lost in an upgrade, but she was looking at what was completely new to her. And there was no way old Tami could get herself acquainted with the new Windows.

This is not a single incident. A difficult learning curve in getting around the new Windows 8 has been reported by millions of people, who purchased the upgrade from different parts of the world. Within the first six months of releasing Windows, it was purchased by over 100 million people, the same kind of attention and popularity as garnered by Windows 7.

The problem began soon. Microsoft started receiving calls and messages regarding how absurd the new Windows operating system was and how difficult it was to learn to use it properly. This is one of the reasons why the Windows team is developing an update to the OS, right now codenamed Blue. Let’s check it out in detail.

What Was Wrong With Windows 8?

 

A huge number of popular features were removed from Windows 8 due to the fact that the operating system primarily supports Microsoft’s mobile user interface for Windows Phone and Windows RT. Microsoft wanted to have a unique user interface across all these different form factors, and that was the reason why they pushed Windows Phone’s Metro UI in Windows 8 for desktop as well. But that probably did not help the company out greatly.

A brief look at the features missing on Windows 8 alone will convince you why people are bothered about this upgrade. One of the most important features missing in Windows 8 is the vintage Microsoft Start button. People really need this to feel at home in a Windows PC. While millions of users of this operating system are not technically savvy, they have grown accustomed to the familiar Windows interface that was retained even in Windows Vista and 7.

While Windows 8 is perfect for touch interfaces, most people still want this OS to support a mouse and keyboard, and they want that Start button. When they don’t find it, they simply complain.

Another feature missing is the Windows Media Center, which was provided as an add-on up until Windows 7. There are many old customers who are still using Media Center.

The OS comes with a brand new user interface that many old customers find annoying. What Microsoft should have done from the beginning was to make the regular Windows desktop the primary part of the UI and then make the Metro an add-on. Many people flipped out looking at the new user interface and had no clue what they were looking at. This was to be expected. While mobile phones and tablets can have that different kind of UI, a desktop computer must have its familiar interface, or there will be backlash from everywhere.

Windows Blue

 

With that huge number of customer complaints and feedback, Microsoft realized that they made a mistake at least in the case of the desktop operating system. This was the motivation behind Windows’s upcoming update known as Blue.

On , TechNet had a blog post by Frank X. Shaw, Corporate VP of Corporate Communications of Microsoft that Announced the existence of Blue.

On , Microsoft’s Chief Marketing and Financial Officer to the Windows and Live division, Tami Reller made an announcement about the new developments to Windows 8. She said, “The learning curve is real and needs to be addressed.” This has been the first time that Microsoft has realized how important it is to satisfy the old customers, especially the ones who install Windows 8 on non-touch devices. The details were published by the Microsoft Windows blog by Brandon LeBlanc as an interview with Tami Reller. Microsoft did forget that huge customer base as soon as tablets and smartphones started encroaching into the PC market and pushed down the sales strongly.

Windows Blue is a strategic upgrade to Windows 8. It has been known to address a few of the important issues that created widespread negative feedback from customers toward Windows 8. Although over 100 million licenses of it were sold, that makes up for only 3.8 percent of the overall PC market (click to enlarge).

PC OS market share

 

In the above blog post, it has been mentioned that over 2400 devices run Windows operating system. While most of the new devices (tablets and touch laptops) are touch-based (like HP Envy, Acer Iconia, and some others) , there are a huge number of regular PCs, including the ones that come with CRT monitors that cannot use touch capabilities of Windows 8. Hence, as a first step, Microsoft Blue will address the regular Windows interface on these devices. It should essentially push the regular Windows interface on non-touch devices and Metro UI to touch-based devices.

What’s New to Blue?

 

We don’t have any confirmation as to what will be the new things that Blue implements. However, on , a Microsoft-centered community called Microsoft Portal gave us this image:

Suppress start screen option

 

This is an indication that the next update of Windows 8 may include a way to boot directly to the regular desktop mode rather than the tiled Metro UI. One of the major complaints from users was that there was no way for them to boot to the regular desktop mode as in Windows 7. With Blue, if this gets fixed, people may like the OS more.

Microsoft is gearing up toward the Build conference in June, between and , in the Moscone Center, San Francisco. It is expected to be in this conference that more details of Windows Blue will be made available.

Three important aspects that Tami Reller has mentioned that Microsoft Blue will address are the touch interface, addressing feedback from customers, and new form factors. One thing Blue will incorporate is the ability to resize the tiles in the Metro interface. Tiles can be made as small as one fourth or as large as fourth their original size. The customization tools also include ways to change color, looks and other properties of tiles. These enhancements could make the tiled interface friendlier in touch-based systems.

Windows, although is available on smartphones and large tablets, has not yet addressed small tablets in the 7-inch range, dominated by Apple iPad Mini, Google Nexus 7, and Amazon Kindle Fire. With Blue, it is expected that this flaw may be addressed.

A number of recent leaked builds have given us indications as to the presence of the following features on Blue:

  • Support for ReFS (Resilient File System), Miracast (a Wi-Fi method to screencast), NVM Host Controller Interface (a way to standardize the device drivers for SSDs, Solid State Drives), Universal Flash Storage.
  • Apps and updates: Internet Explorer 11, calculator, alarm clock, sound recorder, file manager, and video editor.
  • More options in the Control Panel and PC settings.
  • The start screen has been revamped to include: more color options, size options, ability to lock tiles in place, ‘all apps’ section, etc.
  • Something called kiosk mode in which the entire device can be made into a metro app.
  • Better integration to SkyDrive, more syncing settings with other devices, and more options in Bluetooth keyboards and mice.
Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 8 Blue
Win blue alarm clock
Blue Calculator

 

Start screen customization options

 

various other settings under PC

 

Kiosk mode

 

As you can see, there are a huge number of updates and improvements expected in Blue. If these developments change Windows user experience in a positive way, there will be hope for Windows desktop operating system.

Conclusion

 

It was proclaimed early in the year that Windows 8 surpassed 60 million sales across all-in-ones, PCs, laptops, and tablets. A few days ago, that number reached 100 million licenses. In the PC marketplace, Windows stands out as the biggest operating system. However, this is one of the major reasons why Microsoft cannot sell large user interface modifications to the operating system. That move will only alienate users from their familiar operating system, especially since a huge user base of Windows consists of non-techie customers.

With Blue and further developments in Windows 8, Microsoft may probably be able to turn the tablet and tablet PC industry in its favor. We will gather more information and update as necessary.

What Is Wrong With Microsoft Windows RT Tablets That They Are Not Selling?

Windows RT operating system

We know about Surface tablet running Windows RT (Run Time), the ARM-specific Windows operating system that works on tablets. We have looked at the differences it has with Windows 8 regular. Windows RT is a tablet operating system, and hence doesn’t have the capability to install and run regular Windows applications. In one of the recent talks, NVidia’s co-founder and chief, Jen-Hsun Huang expressed disappointment over the sales of Windows RT tablets powered by NVidia Tegra processor.

NVidia has reason to talk about the sales of Windows RT devices. Three major Windows RT tablets—Microsoft Surface RT, Asus VivoTab RT, and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 are powered by NVidia’s Tegra 3 SoC.

Microsoft Surface RT

 

In another recent press conference, JK Shin, co-CEO of Samsung Electronics told to the WSJ:

Smartphones and tablets based on Microsoft’s Windows operating system aren’t selling very well. There is a preference in the market for Android. In Europe, we’re also seeing lackluster demand for Windows-based products.

Exactly how badly are Windows devices selling? I tried to do an analysis here are the findings.

Microsoft Failed to Explain the Differences

 

In an investigation conducted by the Verge, they found out how inadequately trained Microsoft’s store employees were about Windows RT and 8. To this date, most of the customers of Windows RT Surface tablets believe that Windows RT is just a toned-down version of Windows 8. You know, like how Windows 7 Ultimate has two more features than Windows 7 Professional!

One thing that we have told over and over again through various posts including our difference between RT and 8 article is that Windows RT is entirely different from Windows 8. If you are buying a Surface RT thinking about a touch-screen computer to run your desktop programs, you will be disappointed. Microsoft’s store wont’ tell you this, because those guys don’t have a clue.

From the beginning, Microsoft really failed to explain this to the customers, and look what happened! Sales went down cruelly for MS.

The chief of Windows, Steven Sinofsky had promised back during the time of the release of Surface RT that the differences between both operating systems would be told to the customers in an understandable way. That did not happen. And in Nov, 2012, the long-time veteran, Sinofsky went out of Microsoft, kind of leaving the company defenseless, I would say.

IHS ISuppli reported that less than a million Surface RT tablets were actually sold in the market. The exact sales figures should be around 680,000 to 750,000 only. Other important aspects mentioned by the market research company were that the return rate of Surface RT tablets was higher than usual and that the OEMs were becoming less enthusiastic about the operating system.

Surface RT Is Priced High

 

In our technology market, only a few companies are allowed to set high prices and still retain its command on the market. Apple is one such company. Microsoft is definitely not a company that can set high prices on its products, although they are great. Surface RT is not a great device, but it is sold at a high price, while the manufacturing cost is only 283 dollars. In that article also, we mentioned that RT is not Windows.

Surface RT’s capabilities as a tablet doesn’t let it command such a high price, especially since all of its working apps come through Microsoft’s app store, which has a tiny selection of apps.

Microsoft has no place in the tablet market in fact. This is the tablet market sales figures as given by research firm IDC.

Manufacturer 2012 4th quarter # of shipments Market Share (Q4 2012) Notes
Apple (iPad & Mini) 22.9 million 43.6 % All tablets running iOS
Samsung 7.9 million 15.1 % All tablet running Android
Amazon 6 million 11.5 % Tablets running Android (customized)
Asus 3.1 million 5.8 % Android and Windows RT and Windows 8
Barnes & Noble 1 million 1.9 % Android
Others 11.6 million 22.1 % Android & Windows

 

First of all, through this particular table of sales figures, we can’t say how many Windows RT tablets have been sold. One thing is certain though: Apple has sold more than 22 times Surface RT. There are other manufacturers making tablets based on Windows RT. In fact, there are five tablets based on RT—Asus Vivo Tab RT, Dell XPS 10, Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, Samsung Ativ, and Microsoft Surface RT.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

 

Dell hasn’t sold many of its XPS 10 tablets. XPS (Xtreme Performance System) is a popular brand under Dell that sells laptops and desktops, and I own one of them. Windows RT, however, on XPS 10 probably tainted the brand at best.

Windows RT Doesn’t Have Many Apps

 

Wanted to know how many apps are available for your Windows RT device? By the last scan done by MetroStore scanner, on , there are 49,328 apps in the Windows store.

Out of them, there are only 1820 productivity apps. This doesn’t come anywhere close to Apple’s app store which caters to iPad 4 and Mini, containing over 800,000 apps, of which nearly 300,000 are specifically optimized for the iPad.

Windows RT devices are not as productive as iPad or any Android tablet.

In this page, detailing the differences between Surface RT and Surface Pro, Microsoft does speak about the app limitations of Windows RT, but as we mentioned above, this is not how you reach out to the customers. On the other hand, Surface Pro runs the full Windows 8 operating system and is thus capable of running all kind of Windows applications, and it is also one of the best and most productive tablet computers you can buy.

Microsoft’s Stronghold

 

Microsoft has a stronghold on the device design, and it imposes this on all OEMs wanting to manufacture devices based on Win RT. Due to this stronghold, Texas Instruments, HP, and Toshiba declined to make tablets with Windows RT. Acer also thought it apt not to make a tablet based on RT. Samsung released its tablet called Ativ to the UK market, and canceled the release to the US. In another report, Samsung also did stop its Ativ tablet shipping to Germany, due to as you guessed it, weak demand!

In Conclusion

 

I would like to mention a pet peeve of mine to this list. Windows “RT” is not really a beautiful, catchy name to give to that operating system. There is more than one operating system that Microsoft released in the past that were not quite popular and had the not-so-catchy name. Windows ME is one, and so is Windows CE. Win XP on the other hand has a catchy name and has revolutionized the PC market.

Microsoft’s other operating systems, Windows Phone and Windows 8 are also not quite selling as expected. Here is a Gartner study giving the operating system activations over the years. It clearly tells the story. Click the image to enlarge.

Gartner study of operating system activations

 

Leave out unsuccessful operating systems—Bada, Symbian, and even BlackBerry. Look at the difference in number of activations that Microsoft is achieving in comparison to iOS and Android. Although there is probably a steady growth, it is not really a positive growth.

We may look at the other Windows operating systems in another article. Right now, it is definitely a state of concern for Microsoft as the operating systems are its major revenue source.

How-To: Run Android Apps on Your Windows and Mac Computers

750,000 is a large number. It is not only the approximate land area of Mexico in sq mi., but also the total number of available Android apps. It is also the tagline of our product of the day—BlueStacks. BlueStacks is a unique application that can be downloaded to your Windows PC or your Apple Mac computer in order to run any of these 750,000 Android apps. Pretty cool, huh?

Yesterday, BlueStacks released its application to work with MS Surface Pro, which means the application has support for Windows 8 as well. This means, Android cannot boast having such a vast app ecosystem anymore.

It is a pretty big offering indeed. Being able to run any of those 750,000 Android apps is a really nice thing. So, we decided to give it a shot and see how BlueStacks works on a Windows computer.

1. Installing BlueStacks

 

You can download BlueStacks from here, depending on the operating system used. After getting the version, just install the file on your computer. I have installed BlueStacks on a Windows 7 Pro computer.

BlueStacks on Win 7 installation

 

BlueStacks on Win 7 installation 2

 

BlueStacks on Win 7 installation 3

 

BlueStacks on Win 7 installation 4

 

You should enable App store access and App notifications during the installation process, in order for BlueStacks to search on Google Play and other app stores. The important thing is through BlueStacks, you have access to other app stores like GetJar, 1Mobile and Amazon Appstore for Android.

On several forum posts in the BlueStacks support forum, there are issues reported by users running Windows 7 64-bit systems. We haven’t been able to reproduce any issues on my system though. The application installed perfectly and showed us its main window.

2. Associate Your Google Account

 

As soon as you have installed the application, you can associate your Google account with it. This is one of the primary steps in associating Google Play store to the app.

Linking Google account

 

Google Play store set up

 

Successful linking of Google account

 

3. The Interface

 

On my 16-inch screen, BlueStacks looked quite like an enlarged tablet. It has the same user interface features of an Android device. It does have that pull-down menu from the top but there isn’t anything in it other than app notifications. In effect, you cannot use it as an Android emulator on Windows.

BlueStacks Main window

 

The home screen is a well-navigable page containing popular apps and a search function, using which you can search for apps from all of those app stores.

4. Installing Apps

 

When you search for a new app, it will display a window containing app recommendations.

App recommendations

 

From these recommendations, if you select an app and click ‘install’, it will in turn search within the app stores and will find the app.

searching for apps

 

Apps displayed from various app stores

 

If the app is not compatible, it will say so. Otherwise, you will be able to install the app and select automatic update if necessary.

Mozilla Firefox install

 

So, as you can see, I have downloaded and installed Firefox on BlueStacks to test the system. Let’s analyze how the app runs.

5. App Performance

 

After installing Firefox, the system tray notification area on Windows 7 showed the notification of the completed installation. I fired up Firefox and tried to browse a bit. It loaded our home page, albeit slowly.

Firefox displaying BlueBugle

 

Other apps that I tried also worked perfectly without any issues. I tried installing quite a few apps and tested them. Some of the apps include Evernote, Temple Run, the official Facebook app, etc. They all worked pretty well on BlueStacks.

Facebook Android app on BlueStacks

 

Temple Run 2

 

Evernote on BlueStacks

 

The downloaded app data are stored in BlueStacks special folder at “C:ProgramDataBlueStacks”.

Conclusion

 

BlueStacks is an amazing application to run Android apps on your PC. It is, as I mentioned earlier, also available for your Macintosh computer. You should note that this is just an app player and not in anyway an Android simulator. It only creates an interface for our computer to be able to run Android apps, and it works pretty well. It can be used to take advantage of your favorite smartphone apps on your PC.

On Surface Pro, this is a very good improvement, as Surface Pro can perform like a notebook, and it runs Windows 8 full version as opposed to the ARM-version, Windows RT. With BlueStacks, Surface Pro will have the unique ability to run all of the applications available for desktop Windows and Android. Windows RT will have to use the fewer number of apps available in the Windows store as it cannot run BlueStacks.