

From the Channels page you can download apps that connect you to the Web sites of dozens of newspapers and news outlets, as well as a host of games, including Checkers, MineSweeper, Sudoku, and Memory Trainer. You can click on an option to add more apps, which requires you to log into the BlueStacks App Channels using a Facebook account. Overall, the integration with Windows via a simple desktop gadget proved to be clean and seamless. Using a laptop with a multitouch pad was definitely an improvement. The only obstacle I encountered is that since the apps are designed for a touch screen device, running them on a desktop computer with keyboard and mouse was less than ideal. The apps themselves launch in a full-screen virtualized version of the Android operating system, so they run smoothly. Clicking on the gadget opens a menu from which you can launch any of the preloaded Android apps, including Bloomberg News, Bubble Buster, Words Free, and Drag Racing, along with six others.

The app places an Android gadget in the upper right corner of your screen. The installation failed the first time around, but a second attempt proved successful. I installed the App Player on a PC running Windows 7. If you're interested in giving BlueStacks 5 beta a shot, you can download it on your device by following this link. BlueStacks puts Android apps on Windows The Eco-mode feature, on the other hand, allows users to multitask more efficiently and run multiple instances of the emulator without any adverse effects on performance. These features enable smooth continuous gameplay over extended periods of time, coupled with faster boot, install and launch times. Thanks to the new FPS Lock and Long-flight features, BlueStacks 5 is now also optimized for long gaming sessions. Our support for ARM reflects the work we have been doing for the last three years." ARM devices have a big advantage over x86 devices for running Android Apps as they don't need binary translation. We see the market for BlueStacks App Player expanding considerably with Apple's endorsement of running iOS apps on the Mac form factor, and App Containers is a key technology for this. This is a key component missing in both Android on Chromebook and iOS apps on Mac.

In a statement about the latest update, Sharad Agarwal, Chief Architect for BlueStacks 5, said, "Our app container technology enables games to be optimized to run on PC, Mac and other devices without any additional work needed from the developer.
