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I am still new to using the android system and just bought the viewsonic g tab and I must say that this is a real good toy and has some oportunity for future developement. Looking at the replacement ROMs they all seem like all you get is a phone instead of a true replacement operating system that acts like a computer.
Is there anyone working on something like windows 7 for these or even anything close?
notsob2002 said:
I am still new to using the android system and just bought the viewsonic g tab and I must say that this is a real good toy and has some oportunity for future developement. Looking at the replacement ROMs they all seem like all you get is a phone instead of a true replacement operating system that acts like a computer.
Is there anyone working on something like windows 7 for these or even anything close?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the android operating system. The release of honeycomb will give you a more tablet look but what is it you want to do that you cant with this OS?
I have a convertible Windows 7 Tablet PC. Most days it sits at home, even more so since I got my G-Tab. Why? Because it is not designed to be used with a touch interface, and doing things that SHOULD be simple like rotation can become a big issue. Plus if you want one that runs all day, you are going to add an extended battery with all sorts of extra weight to go with it.
FWIW, Windows won't run on an ARM chip or Tegra, so Windows 7 won't be ported to the G-Tab. You might (?) be able to get Ubuntu or another Linux running if you want the desktop experience, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
As has already been pointed out in the thread, there is very little that you could do in Windows that you can't do in Android - and most of those things are because of the physical limitations of the device, not the OS.
My .02 worth anyway.
Yeah I hope we get honeycomb ,that would be great.as for windows 7,I love it on my pc not on my tablet.Android rocks you can even send a fax with filesanywhere for free through the internet!
Plus ive already invested in skinomi and a cool android decal.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0B5.1 using Tapatalk
snipestech said:
Yeah I hope we get honeycomb ,that would be great.as for windows 7,I love it on my pc not on my tablet.Android rocks you can even send a fax with filesanywhere for free through the internet!
Plus ive already invested in skinomi and a cool android decal.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0B5.1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know about Filesanywhere and the ability to send faxes for free. Thanks a lot; that's awesome.
Thanks for the FAX trick! I love my g, my laptop blue screened and crashed, couldn't have happened at a better time.
thebadfrog said:
what is it you want to do that you cant with this OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought allot about this last night after playing with the GTAB and downloading a few free aps. I'm not knocking the android system maybe just the way it's current UI seems geared more to people used to smart phones. Maybe that's the whole idea and I'm not getting it as I'm too used to using a computer and don't use a smart phone. Hopefully Honeycomb will make it be more of a tab and the update will be made available to current GTABs like mine.
I still think the thing is great for surfing the web while waiting for my coffee to brew in the morning and I found a app to let me open office documents to I should be able to use it for some of my work files.
Honeycomb may give you less of a phone experience. You could also install the GAdam rom for more of a tablet feel
I would love a bi modal interface. One interface that works as a tablet when the machine is in tablet mode and another where it goes into netbook mode when it's plugged into a dock. This would definitely make the machine more useful for me. I could do some remote development on it (via ssh) or download a pdf document for reading on the couch or something.
I was really hoping for something like meego to take off and perhaps offer something like this. Oh well....
I just read that SAP is working on a BI for android . What would be great now if a usable VPN client and Lotus notes could be used.
windows 7 is been ported to tegra 2 says CEO of microsoft(i read somewhere). But it will be a long time before all the drivers are up and running.
Hmmmmm........now that they are with a phone company maybe we'll see something happen with tab
development for dual usability, work and personal use?
Pazzu510 said:
windows 7 is been ported to tegra 2 says CEO of microsoft(i read somewhere). But it will be a long time before all the drivers are up and running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, M$ is back in the business of porting their primary OS to other CPU archs, but it'll likely die again as noone will want to hobble their devices with a windows version.
In any event, you realize that you won't be able to run the vast majority of windows sw right? (i.e. it'd be essentially useless unless you actually like windows look & feel...) It's ALL been compiled for x86 arch, and I find it unlikely that ARM version of many apps would ever be available unless something highly unlikely happened and windows for ARM actually got off the ground...
Hello all,
I find the gtab is much more than a toy. With my gtab I can access my company's network via VPN. My gtab can RDP to Windows servers at work. I can also access NTFS file shares on these work computers with my gtab. Access to my work LOTUS notes email and calendars is through IMAIL via the gtab and Dolphin HD browser. Any Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations I have for work can be read, modified, or created on my gtab. Reading PDF files is a snap on the gtab.
Whenever it is time to read the latest Preston / Child's or Dean Koontz novel I download it from Barnes and Noble and read it on my gtab. I can access my home network and stream media files from my NAS to my gtab. My gtab can access the Internet over wifi at home, work, restaurants, stores, anywhere there is a wifi hotspot. This includes my rooted myTouch 3g's ad hockey wifi hotspot. My gtab can play several audio and video formats. If I am in the mood for radio or TV I can stream full episodes or albums from Internet TV or Internet radio sources to my gtab.
My gtab has system tools that can be used to update its operating system kernels and ROMs, access and manipulate filesystems, and backup applications and data. I have utilities to monitor and benchmark the processes that run on my gtab. I am able to connect to my personal Windows 7 laptop or myTouch 3g phone via Bluetooth connection and access and manipulate their files and directories from my gtab.
I use my gtab as a remote control for my XBMC application on my Windows HTPC. My gtab can use the GPS on my phone to create a larger screened GPS. Sometimes I play Angry Birds on my gtab.
My personal calendars and task lists are kept current and meaningful with several of the calendaring and task apps available for the gtab. Current weather and news is but a click away on my gtab. Banking, credit card, and financial apps on my gtab let me monitor my finances. Shopping apps on my gtab allow me to peruse online catalogs and order merchandise from the likes of Target, Kroger, Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg. I am able to access insurance records and medical records for my family / pets with apps on my gtab.
These are a few of the little things that I do with my gtab. I find the gtab to be quite versatile and consider it to be a quite powerful little ( size wise ) computer powered by the Android 2.2 Froyo OS. My gtab seems quite stable and I am able to address any issues that arise with the aforementioned system utilities.
Thanks to the incredible support that the gtab gets from the XDA developers and the Android app development community I believe the gtab has matured beyond toy status and has arrived as a useful tool equal to the challenges of everyday life.
Bob
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b5.1.1 using Tapatalk
Hey everybody! Sorry if this isn't the right section to be posting in. I guess we'll find out -- Here's the deal:
I've been administering a server of mine for quite a while now. I started out with it running windows server 2008. I had an application that I was using to connect to it over remote desktop protocol, and everything was grand. I recently switched over to CentOS, which has been absolutely the right decision. After a while of running it, I found a nice little server that works similarly (better!) to remote desktop connection. It also allows me to connect from more than 2 concurrent sessions (most college students can't even afford 5 CAL's) as well as a host of other configuration options, not to mention excellent compression.
After spending some time looking and searching through the market for an app that would offer me the ability to connect to NX or NoMachine sessions, I came up emptyhanded. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that the adoption seemed to gravitate toward a windows crowd, which seemed odd to me. Considering android is so deeply rooted in linux and open source development, I thought that there must be a solution.
So rather than go on and on (at least more than I have in this thread!) and complaining, I thought "What a good time to put my education in UNIX, Java, and minimal amounts of C/C++ to work for me!"
This begs the question:
"Who else has, like me, searched endlessly for this functionality only to come up emptyhanded?"
So folks, raise your hands if you're interested in adding this capability to the already long list of enhancements that your android phone has over all the other smartphones.
Also, in case anyone is wondering, while I have posted this in the "Paid software" category, I would be more than happy to make this app available to all of my friends here at XDA, the people who have done so much to keep me educated, up to date, and running the latest and greatest software, completely free of charge. In the market, I would offer a free and donate version as well.
Anyone who has suggestions for features is welcome to post them. I have a few in mind already, but I would love to hear some input from you all.
I would definitely be interested in an NX client for Android, if you think you can come up with one. I've thought to myself that considering there are open source NX clients out there for Windows, Mac and linux platforms, it shouldn't be that terribly difficult to port the code to Android's java; but I don't have the coding abilities to do it. It's definitely one of those apps that you'd think would be out there, but it's not. And although you may not have gotten any other responses on here about it, there's definitely other poeple out there looking for just this kind of app - just do a search on Google for "Android" and "NX" and you get tons of results with people looking for it.
I've been running NX (or FreeNX) on my linux machines for a few years now, and I've got to say the technology is great, and I'm surprised it hasn't caught on more than it has. VNC does allow for similar connections, but the performance and efficiency doesn't even compare. It's my guess though that this is why we haven't seen an NX client on Android yet - the fact that you can use VNC, and those apps already exist. Regardless, if you can come up with the NX client, count me in as interested
Oh Hell yes...
Hello,
I would be definitely interested in a NX client for android, shame I have non-existent Java skills!
Stuart
+1 would love to see this.
Maybe it's possible in the Atrix webtop environment. They already have a citrix client apparently which is pretty cool!
I've been using and loving NX too and would like to see such a client too
I'm up for it (and would pay for it too) - I would recommend a tablet version if you can? I'm using a Honeycomb tablet to make remote connections and VNC is painfully slow over a mobile connection!
i would love to see this done.
I have some lightweight Java skills, but have absolutely no exp on the android sdk and will be completely unreliable as I'm supposed to be studying after work, not developing
but drop me a pm if you get this project started and I'll dabble where & when I can
Add another interested party in an NX client for Android. I've been using VNC for everything remote access for years and years. I discovered NX last week when I needed an alternative in a pinch. And I'm a convert. Whenever it's possible, I'll be using NX instead of VNC. So it would be great to have a client on my EVO 3D.
+1!!!!!
I have desktop effects enabled on my desktop/personal server at home, and vnc cant handle that. I researched for alternatives and I came up with FreeNX, perfect solution, except there is no client for my droid!!! I am on the go alot and I would be MORE than happy to donate some cashola to my bro's at XDA! All of you guys rock, and if this is ever going to get done, it'll be through you guys! Count me in.
+1 interested!
Add me to the list as well. I have used nx servers/clients for 2 years or so. Prior to using the Android, back when Maemo was big on Nokia, I found a ported version of QTNX that worked on ARM architectures. My very round about attempt I thought to try is to test that one in a chrooted Ubuntu in android but never could get it to function. I have mild experience now and am in the middle of coding a few android utilities but would love to contribute to this... have you considered setting up a git repo or google project or is there one started? Also, I'm not sure if this would work but was also looking at their new web-player client option. I wonder if anyone has tested that out..
Count me in, too. My 12 year old C++ skills aren't going to help, but I'd be in for a paid version.
I was about to try and develop an NX client for iPhone when we got a Honeycomb tablet - that seems like a lot better way to spend my time. I am an experienced Java coder but haven't developed for Android before; I would be happy to learn and contribute though!
+1 and here's some help
I would definitely use an Android NX client.
If you choose to do this (and haven't done the grunt work of figuring out how), here are some pointers that (hopefully) will help:
NX is based on X. So you'll need an X server written in Java to port to Android for starters. If you're okay with going the pure OSS route, there's a GPL'd one to start from at jcraft.com / wierdx (Sorry, I'm a newbie here so am not allowed to post a direct link.)
I haven't tried it, but usually starting from *something* is better than starting from *nothing*.
You'll also need a pure-Java SSH client. The above site has one or you could rip the one out of Eclipse. I can vouch that this code is good as it's what's used by Eclipse for its CVS/SSH and GIT/SSH support.
NX also uses the Differential X Protocol Compressor (DXPC) as part of the X protocol acceleration. The X server above claims to support this too, but I can't vouch for how well.
If you do this, I would suggest to consider making it open source at your favorite OSS repo (GitHub is mine), which gives you at least a fighting chance of finding other like-minded developers who can help.
Thanks for considering this. I hope you're successful!
Dave Orme
+1 for help
i am also with Java background but no android background
and i would love to donate from my spare time into making this a working OSS project
let me know if and how i can help if you have already started working on it - i will take a look at the pointers loaded in here and see what i can learn from them.
contact me via PM here
X server and NX
I have been getting into this with a bit more detail and I found out that there is no X server for Android, so what I did is the following (work in progress):
- X2VNC, that is an X server with VNC backend (it gets launched automatically via intents), there is also an intent to invoke the X server. I have compiled it statically, I guess it would be a good point to upload that to the market place.
- Compiled nxproxy which are needed to get the nxclient working
I am working for a company which is using NX as their desktop ttransport method, so no plans for developing the nxclient so far, but happy to assist in providing these two elements, the rest would probably be:
- UI interface (Java probably)
- nxssh (ssh client with modified select).
Let me know if anyone is interested.
Fund it!
http://code.google.com/p/desktoid/
http://www.nomachine.com/web-player.php
The X server for android
I have published the X server for Android. Search for Xvnc or X11 in the android market place.
+1 would pay for this too
+1
I'd happily pay $10 for an NX client for my Galaxy Nexus!
Hi Folks
Just wondering if anyone has seriously considered or is using android on the desktop?
Hear me out here!
Since stopping using windows as my main desktop OS about 18 months ago, I've been enjoying all the fruits that open source has to offer. I think I must have trying nearly every flavour of Debian/Ubuntu distro's and currently using some Mint/Gnome 2 setup. partly due to Unity's immaturity as Multihead desktop and probably part of me can't let go of that "Start" menu analog.
Through all my "testing" however I've still not settled on the right desktop/development environment, I've tried them all, really, I feel like I given pretty much every Window Manager out there a go, I especially like the blank canvas of openbox although I've got real work to do as well, so configuration wise It's not something I want to know right now
Part of my issue is I've got a what I would consider a bit of an edge case when I comes to setup. My current setup is over 3 Monitors ( I was considering 6 but thought I might get whiplash from moving my head too much :laugh: )
Right now I live my live mostly in Terminal Windows and Bash Prompts and do most of my hacking In gedit with some plugins ( maybe not the most productive but it's kinda of working for me at the minute )
After giving the Android x86 project, It got me thinking whether It would be a viable option. I know android certainly has the capability to run over multiple monitors although whether I would have to do a bit of hacking on the Framebuffer internals ( add extra ones etc ) has yet to be investigated.
With regards Android Development it kinda of makes sense to Develop right there in it's native environment ( I'm talking Kernel/System Level here not apps) . Compiling the AOSP etc should still be the same process.
So Yeah, Android on the Desktop - Discuss
I'd be interested if anyone has been crazy/foolhardy/patient enough to go down this road and are just keeping quiet about it and If there's any gotcha's etc to think about before embarking on such a mission.
Android is better off on smartphones and Tablets and Windows in better off on Desktops and Laptops.
As Im an avid gamer, I wouldnot mind having Android on my Desktop. Android has limited no. of good games but Windows dont.
Sent from my GT-i9100 equipped with Grenade Launcher and Remote Explosives
www dot apc dot io
Hope that answers your question.
Sent from my YP-G70 using XDA
nightfire37 said:
www.apc.io
Hope that answers your question.
Sent from my YP-G70 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, That's the kinda of thing, I was not aware of this project/product ( although still vapourware til next month ) At least I'm not crazy for thinking it
I spent a week or 2 only using an hp touchpad, to see if I could get away using it as a desktop replacement.
The biggest problem I found is that the apps aren't really designed for serious productivity. Google docs is great for viewing things, but is very irresponsive on large documents, and doesn't like fancy formatting. Browsing was a nightmare. I had 3 or 4 different browsers, because each had different plugins, flash support, user agents, etc. Many browsers were unstable, and flash always caused random crashes and other weird problems. Gmail is useless for attachements, and there is no reasonable text editor.
It's doable, but you may have to spend a while finding apps to replicate all the functionality you expect from your PC.
trevd said:
Thanks, That's the kinda of thing, I was not aware of this project/product ( although still vapourware til next month ) At least I'm not crazy for thinking it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome. I am thinking on getting this for the fact to support the devs on the product.
Sent from my YP-G70 using XDA
As a desktop replacement I'm not so sure but Android can definitely work as a netbook replacements.
It also depends what you use ur desktop for. Anything more that web browsing and email, I'll still prefer having a full fledged OS on it.
theInfected1 said:
As a desktop replacement I'm not so sure but Android can definitely work as a netbook replacements.
It also depends what you use ur desktop for. Anything more that web browsing and email, I'll still prefer having a full fledged OS on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An android desktop could do mail, web browsing, multimedia, usenet or torrent downloads, games, dlna streaming, ebook reading and text editing (writing, creating pdf, etcetera) well.
It would not be able to do some of the things a desktop can do such as transcode video, run open office, use pc accessories, etcetera.
This is primarily because android is a mobile oriented os though it's likely that other than the use of pc accessories developers will write apps to get android doing even more as it is now a very popular tablet os and tablets often get used as a pc does.
Android could be a desktop for general everyday use right now but not for everyone.
For now windows and linux still beat android for both software, peripheral support and overall os speed making those better options however its also easier to have a new user mess those up than it is to mess up android so for general use it could be a good option.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2
Short version: Currently, I would say no. In the future (2+ years minimum), I highly expect Android to compete for the desktop. It comes down to software moreso than hardware.
TL;DR version: Let me start by saying I've owned quite a few Android smartphones, and I've worked on twice as many for friends, family, etc. I've also owned a couple of Android tablets. Without trying to sound too cynical, let's just say I've been around the block when it comes to Android devices When it comes to phones, Android is as perfect as any OS could be. With it always improving, there's always more to love. For tablets, the experience didn't come off to a great start, but there have surely been improvements since. The first high-end tablets, as well as cheap alternatives, ran on Gingerbread or older. My first cheapo tablet ran on a rare version of Android 2.0 Eclair. Let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant at all! I decided to wait for Honeycomb to come out before trying another tablet, and that's when I picked up an Acer Iconia A500 with the sole intention being to use it like I'd use a computer. The only computer I had at the time was a 10" Acer netbook, so once I bought the tablet, I sold the netbook right away. Now, I will admit that I waited a little bit to see how Honeycomb took off. By the time I got my Iconia, 3.2 was just coming out. In order to completely replace any kind of computer, I knew I would need at least 3 accessories: a stand, keyboard, and mouse. In my initial research, I learned that Android 3.0 didn't have mouse support by default. This was fixed by the dev community here, and Google was prompt to add mouse support in the 3.1 update. So by the time I had my Iconia running 3.2, everything appeared to be ready as far as being a PC replacement. Or so I thought. One major reason I picked the A500 over other tablets was the fact that it had a full-size USB port right on the tablet itself, whereas others either didn't have one at all (Xoom, Galaxy Tab), or it was only available on the keyboard dock (Transformer). As a computer replacement, USB was important to me. It didn't take long for me to realize that a tablet as a PC replacement wasn't the most ideal choice at the time. While there are plenty of apps available to perform many different tasks, the real problem I had was with the way Android itself handled. The apps were more than good enough. There's email, web browsing, multimedia, word processing, etc. The problem is the way Android feels with a keyboard and mouse. One major problem for me was that Android has no proper right-click support with mice. It simply works like a back button. I feel that right-click would be more natural as the functionality of a long press. Another issue I was constantly trying to deal with was the amount of clicks required to complete simple tasks. I could do the same tasks twice as fast on any computer running Windows or Linux. This caused more frustration than anything else. File managers were generally really good - there's actually a couple that I really like a lot, but navigation was always an issue. It wasn't only file managers, but within several areas. Once again, this goes back to needing more clicks for the same tasks, and long pressing where a simple right-click would feel better. While the move to ICS was a huge improvement in performance, it didn't really solve anything with productivity and ease of use. USB support was also hit or miss, and a lot of it has to do with drivers. Now that's understandable, as most hardware venders don't expect Android to be the host OS. Hopefully this changes some day. Eventually I ended up trading the tablet and all the accessories for a mid-range laptop which I use now. I have this system triple-booting between Windows, Linux, and Android (android-x86.org). The same problems I faced with the tablet, I also face with ICS on my laptop. I find myself only booting to Android once in a blue moon, and it's always just to show off to my friends. Any real work is done with one of my other OS's. There's definitely a lot of potential with the Android platform as a desktop OS, but I feel like it's still a couple years away at least. There are still a few minor annoyances trying to use Android as a computer that need to be addressed. Maybe by the time Android 6.0 or 7.0 is released, it will put up a good fight for the desktop. Only time will tell. Another viable option is phones that dock to a computer with a desktop interface. Anyone remember Canonical's plans? Also keep in mind Linux kernel 3.3 which adopted Android natively, which is a huge step for Canonical and their Ubuntu-Android dreams.
i have been using android since 2008. The only thing i can tell you is Android can replace netbooks but not laptops and desktop. I used macbook for a year or so but I went back to windows.
HP Touchpad replaced my netbook.70% of the time i use my hp touchpad to chat, browse and play videos.
But when it comes to work or college work I go back to my good ol' desktop or laptop because
google spreadsheet is nowhere near MS Excel
google docs is nowhere near MS Word
fortemcee said:
The only thing i can tell you is Android can replace netbooks but not laptops and desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I coming to that conclusion...... More for on the move devices, Although there some good stuff going on with the 10ft Experience (Android on TV's) at the moment.
It is also interesting to hear how people interact with their devices,
I'm far from an average user..... If i'm not developing with/on android I don't what to do with it :laugh: I think that's why my tablet has a keyboard and mouse plugged into most of the time
Thanks for the Input.
Bloodflame said:
Short version: Currently, I would say no. In the future (2+ years minimum), I highly expect Android to compete for the desktop. It comes down to software moreso than hardware.
TL;DR version: ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant That's exactly the type of responses I hoped for, a man whose got he's knees dirty in these dam robots on the desktop ... little long but I did read it.
[Short Version] In Summary I'm inclined to agree with you give it a couple of years, As a developer I could probably fix it up but I probably wouldn't be finished before google etc sorted it themselves[Short Version]
Here's a more verbose reply :laugh:
I have seen some 2.x tabs in my time, trailblazers but not nice.... I presume you gave the 1.6 x86 one a go as well then? Just for kicks.
I've been using a mouse and keyboard on my tablet, an Archos G9 through a usb hub which also has full size usb slot..... I've never really twicked onto the mouse lack of context menu/right click being an issue until you pointed it out, I can see how it would become an irritant after a while unless you're a MacUser than one button should be fine
The right mouse button acting the same as long press would be a vast improvement, I'll probably have a look at what development effort is involved in that ( or at least add it to the pile of interesting stuff I want to do with my time )
I've found the keyboard to be useful, Shortcut Keys are generally the same as there desktop counterparts. Take Ctrl+L to type a web address in your browser for example and If I dig around the android source code for a while I'm sure I could find some more unpublished ones or add my own and help on the number of click navigation issues etc .
USB Support is not a problem with each iteration of Android it gets better internally and I'm currently working with the opinion that if a linux driver exists I can compile it and at least get android the recognize the device... I've been deep in the USB Internals with android for the last few months.
On the Androidx86.... I've not checked the project in a while, there maybe have greater focus on solving some on these usability issues.
With regard to phones and docking I do remember canonicals plans ( wasn't that earlier this year) or are you talking about the circa 2009/10?!? ubuntu proposed project to run apks directly on your pc? essentially running the dalvikvm/surfaceflinger framebuffer management, support services on ubuntu with an X Window for the app.
The latter I feel is highly possible especially with android fully "unforked" in the kernel - not looked at the full details but I presume that includes all androids system level binder stuff and their shared memory modules and the former, I think a manufacturer release something called "Android in a Window" (Motorola or LG, maybe) An interactive android window on the desktop... also motorola's Webtop looks interesting.
I've written enough, Thanks for the Input
no one found any way to run android on PC or Laptop ???????
saqi4you said:
no one found any way to run android on PC or Laptop ???????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It runs in virtualisation fine and there are a few PC's that can run it natively, I would bet Jelly bean will run on x86 without fuss.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app
I've had android ICS x86 on my Acer W500 (a windows tablet) for a little while now. It was installed along side the Windows 8 Developer Preview which expired and shuts down after a few minutes of use now. Instead of updating it to the W8 Consumer Preview for more time I just started using ICS full time. With my tablet in the "dock" (which is just a keyboard really) and a mouse hooked up I used it for days as a PC replacement (the power supply in my normal desktop died).
Android would be totally fine as a desktop OS, but apps would have to start being designed with that in mind.
Think about it:
You can't have multiple windows open at once on the screen for serious multitasking. What if I want to have a terminal/command prompt open while I reference a document in the web browser? With android I'm going to be switching between fullscreen apps.
The OS will have to be redesigned to allow for that capability and then new apps will have to be written to able to take advantage of it. Is it possible? Absolutely! Is it ready to be your desktop replacement? Not yet!
deathsled said:
Think about it:
You can't have multiple windows open at once on the screen for serious multitasking. What if I want to have a terminal/command prompt open while I reference a document in the web browser? With android I'm going to be switching between fullscreen apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say there is arguments for and against sizeable apps (I suppose that describes it), Personally I run multiple monitors and generally have Maximised Windows all the way, obviously every use case is different but I think android would become "just another window manager" and lose some of what android is If it had totally free window placement.
It is also assuming the current desktop metaphor which is in use today is the best/most productive way of interacting with the machine.... Maybe we're just blindly doing it because we've all be trained to think like that, and it's always been that way.
I don't claim to have the answers on any of these points though
I suppose the only thing I can do is stop talking and start doing, "try it yourself" as we say in the "trade" .....I've got a laptop I could give it a blast on, I can at least try a multiple monitor test with that with out too much disruption.
saqi4you said:
no one found any way to run android on PC or Laptop ???????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dragon_76 said:
It runs in virtualisation fine and there are a few PC's that can run it natively, I would bet Jelly bean will run on x86 without fuss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to read the full thread guys It's kinda what we're talking about, check the Androidx86 project out if you've never seen it before
Actually with apps like overskreen and the open source standout library which lets apps float, so you can have several open at once on screen together and swap between them, you could multitask with multiple open windows.
It's a new approach but already finding favour on tablets.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2
deathsled said:
You can't have multiple windows open at once on the screen for serious multitasking. What if I want to have a terminal/command prompt open while I reference a document in the web browser? With android I'm going to be switching between fullscreen apps.
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Click to collapse
If I am doing some coding on my PC (running Ubuntu) I use i3-wm which is a tiling window manager. I find the best option is to have all applications full screen and switch between them quickly using keystrokes. The same thing can be done with a theoretical Android Desktop.
I think the case for an Android Desktop is a strong one. Just looking at mobile phone shops and sites, Android is the most popular firmware for smartphones on the market so the amount of people owning one is only going to increase. With that it means that online communities like this site will get bigger with more people offering support and development. An Android desktop might not have the same look and feel as the smartphone version but if it can emulate the same functionality i.e. the way to do something on a smartphone is the same as on the desktop then the leap from smartphone to desktop won't be so hard for people. As you will have the same underlying platform, the same will apply for developers so it means application development on the Desktop version should in theory be faster.
That's a way of doing it but my preference would be a convergence of devices where say I can plug my smartphone into a docking station which hooks it up with a monitor, keyboard and mouse or like the Assus Padfone where a smartphone can be pluged into a tablet dock which turns it into a tablet.
VLC player - nearing completion
Facebook
Please also mention if the app on your wish list is already a windows phone 8 app. I will try to compile the most requested apps in this initial post.
After making this post, I discovered this nice table of the 100 "most popular" apps on iOS and if they are available for windows phone or windows 8:
http://www.infragistics.com/communi...-ios-android-windows-phone-amp-windows-8.aspx
I still think there are other apps worth mentioning. I'm also curious which of the apps the users on XDA would like to see the most. So feel free to post your support if you like an app that someone else has suggested.
Onlive
VLC
PayPal
Chrome
Steam
Sky Go
BBC Iplayer
There are so many it's quite hard to write them all down.
Onlive
-- never heard of this. Is it useful?
Chrome
-- I think this is unlikely to happen given the Microsoft vs Google war going on
Steam
-- interesting. Also had not heard of this. EDIT - see later post by "Good Day to Die" explaining why this seems impractical
Sky Go
BBC Iplayer
-- Both are very interesting. I think if enough people pressure the BBC then they will make an app.
There are so many it's quite hard to write them all down.
-- I think it is super useful to write these down. Trust me, this is a useful mini-project
You are not, I take it, a gamer? Not having heard of OnLive is understandable (people actually use that?) even though it would actually suit RT quite well. Not having heard of Steam is really, really weird. On the other hand, there is simply no point to having Steam on RT; you couldn't actually *run* anything. You could buy stuff and manage Friends lists and so on, sure, but you could do that from the website just as easily and with less downloading. I can *maybe* see the point of such a crippled Steam app on a phone, where website UI is difficult to use, but it should be quite usable on a tablet...
Well it's not really a Windows 8 app, but Spotify, but I take that's not an open source API?
Dropbox, but I suspect it would be closed off source also.
bigsnack said:
Well it's not really a Windows 8 app, but Spotify, but I take that's not an open source API?
Dropbox, but I suspect it would be closed off source also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are making a wish-list of closed source apps. That is the first step.
Well then if that is the case:
Adobe Lightroom(even if it is an express version).
Windows Media Player Classic
Flipboard
At home finances
Quicken would be at the top of my list.
I have so many to wish!
VirtualBox
Steam
OnLive
Google Chrome
Minecraft
Its not an app but an OS. Ubuntu!
Sent from my Carbonized Blaze
Someone else did his homework with the same idea.http://www.infragistics.com/communi...-ios-android-windows-phone-amp-windows-8.aspx
I'm skeptical of the point of VirtualBox; you want a VM platform on ARM? I can see the desire to dual-boot, and I can see the desire for an emulator when you *really* need to run some code from some other architecture (or are trying to run something so low-footprint that it runs OK when emulated on a relatively weak CPU), but virtualization... why? VirtualBox on RT would not be able to run x86 VMs; it's not an emulator. You think Ubuntu for ARM would virtualize nicely alongside RT? Highly doubtful.
Also, again with the Steam. Steam offers exactly zero games which are compiled for ARM. Everything else useful that the app could do, you could do from the web site. I don't see the point. If you want to ask Valve to port their games to ARM, and encourage others to do the same, *that* would make sense - some of their slightly older stuff, like TF2, would probably play fine on RT - but Steam itself would be pointless.
Please, people - if you want a list like this to be taken seriously, be serious about (and put some thought into) your requests. Minecraft makes sense, for example; it's highly popular, the hardware can handle it, and it would be viable to port it. Chrome makes sense for the same reason (I really need to take another shot at that). Ubuntu even makes sense. Lightroom might be a bit of a waste on the hardware that your typical RT device has, but it could be useful and is not impractical to port.
Don't waste your time on pointless requests, though; that will just lead to you (and the platform you're asking for support on) being completely dismissed.
bigsnack said:
Spotify,.
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Apparently, the spotify website on windows RT is free. the app would cost money. Do we really want to lose the free website access?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2374692
I am using it on the web at the moment(on the desktop browser since the Metro one doesn't support music in the background). But, I was thinking that maybe the RT app would be more like their desktop app, i.e. free with ads, and not like their mobile app, radio only.
Okay, because you asked for my whole list here it is; (Some games Inc.)
Online (Cloud gaming)
VLC
PayPal
Chrome
Steam
Sky Go Sports
BBC Iplayer
Block Fortress
Worms
Bloons TD 5
Rise alarm clock
Youtube?
Google maps
GTA 3/VC
VLC Streamer
Sims
Nike + Running
Walking Dead
Now TV
Ubuntu One
Capital FM
Jelly Car 1,2&3
Real Racing
Drop box
Opera
Speedtest
D-Link Share Centre
MotoGP
Instagram
Gmail
Mail.com
Santander
Utorrent or Bittorrent
Photoshop
XDA Developers
ITunes
Devolo
Dane Reynolds said:
Okay, because you asked for my whole list here it is; (Some games Inc.)
Online (Cloud gaming)
VLC
Paypal
Chrome
BBC Iplayer
Bloons TD 5
Youtube?
VLC Streamer
Gmail
Mail.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gmail and Mail.com both work in the included mail app, probably 3rd party mail apps on store already.
VLC has had a very successful kickstarter for a windows 8/RT port and is currently under development. I presume this includes streaming.
Youtube I think has an official app. Otherwise, there are plenty - and I mean plenty - of 3rd party alternatives. My favourite on my x86 desktop PC is metrotube which I think is also available on ARM. Otherwise, you've got a full blown desktop based web browser on RT, not some ****ty mobile browser. It can cope with youtube fine.
OnLive I thought went bust, screw that. But if its not gone bust, then that is definitely a good suggestion.
BBC IPlayer, browser.
Bloons TD5, browser.
Paypal. Browser, but is fair enough as a metro app.
Chrome. On x86 systems if you install chrome, set as default browser, click to open the menu in the top right and there is an option to relaunch as a metro app. Microsoft have banned web browsers from the store though so there is no hope of an official chrome port. Chromium for jailbroken systems may eventually happen but whether that would include the relaunch as metro functionality or not I have no idea. But the gist of it: on x86 its been done.
Some of your others are either fair enough suggestions or you can use browser.
My personal wish list might be just as far fetched sadly, or it may not.
Cave story
Minecraft (suggested already, not happening according to mojang)
Halo combat evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo wars (actually I imagine that being playable with touch alone, as a mouse/keyboard based game it would be pretty poor though)
Halo Reach
Halo 4
Halo ODST
ok, so I love halo, don't kill me for it. Just to make some other people happy:
Call of duty
Battlefield (I loved 2 actually, didn't mind the first bad company either)
I also want microsoft to lift the restrictions on COM ports (ie, they don't allow access from an app and I think they should) and network connections to localhost (I seriously dont get what harm there is in using localhost, why block from a store app). Even if it requires adding new permissions to do so.
Just Four
Minecraft
Quicken
Waze
Endomondo
is there an official XDA forum app from windows RT?
I'm starting to get sick of the advertisements on the IE 10 modern browser and occasional crashing of IE 10 modern that this XDA forum website causes....
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Gmail and Mail.com both work in the included mail app, probably 3rd party mail apps on store already.
VLC has had a very successful kickstarter for a windows 8/RT port and is currently under development. I presume this includes streaming.
Youtube I think has an official app. Otherwise, there are plenty - and I mean plenty - of 3rd party alternatives. My favourite on my x86 desktop PC is metrotube which I think is also available on ARM. Otherwise, you've got a full blown desktop based web browser on RT, not some ****ty mobile browser. It can cope with youtube fine.
OnLive I thought went bust, screw that. But if its not gone bust, then that is definitely a good suggestion.
BBC IPlayer, browser.
Bloons TD5, browser.
Paypal. Browser, but is fair enough as a metro app.
Chrome. On x86 systems if you install chrome, set as default browser, click to open the menu in the top right and there is an option to relaunch as a metro app. Microsoft have banned web browsers from the store though so there is no hope of an official chrome port. Chromium for jailbroken systems may eventually happen but whether that would include the relaunch as metro functionality or not I have no idea. But the gist of it: on x86 its been done.
Some of your others are either fair enough suggestions or you can use browser.
My personal wish list might be just as far fetched sadly, or it may not.
Cave story
Minecraft (suggested already, not happening according to mojang)
Halo combat evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo wars (actually I imagine that being playable with touch alone, as a mouse/keyboard based game it would be pretty poor though)
Halo Reach
Halo 4
Halo ODST
ok, so I love halo, don't kill me for it. Just to make some other people happy:
Call of duty
Battlefield (I loved 2 actually, didn't mind the first bad company either)
I also want microsoft to lift the restrictions on COM ports (ie, they don't allow access from an app and I think they should) and network connections to localhost (I seriously dont get what harm there is in using localhost, why block from a store app). Even if it requires adding new permissions to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you have a link to where Mojang states that they refuse to make the game minecraft for windows RT?
Mint.com didn't want to make windows phone or RT app for ages, but enough people on the forum convinced them otherwise....
med007 said:
do you have a link to where Mojang states that they refuse to make the game minecraft for windows RT?
Mint.com didn't want to make windows phone or RT app for ages, but enough people on the forum convinced them otherwise....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no link no but when windows 8 came out notch posted a few mini rants on twitter about how windows is moving to a closed platform and how they refuse to submit minecraft to any sort of verification process (blatent lie as it has the same for android, IOS and xbla). Carl manneh then backed that up stating that mojang will not be submitting minecraft to windows 8.
Even if they did want minecraft on the Microsoft store, they couldn't use the existing minecraft desktop version, its java. The store only allows .NET, HTML5/JS and C/C++ software, no java. If you did see minecraft for windows 8 and RT it would either be a modified pocket edition (pocket edition uses a C library with many common functions and then wraps this library into android and IOS apps, same could apply to RT in theory) or a new version based from the xbox version which is C# and XNA supposedly (not been confirmed but without full developers hardware that's all 3rd parties can use, its never been confirmed if 4j studios have the developers hardware or use xna, if they do use anything else it would be C/C++ again). C# is fine on RT but there is no XNA on the windows store so new render code would be required, or they could swap to monogame but to my knowledge monogame is Windows 8 on x86 at the moment and doesn't have an arm version (might be possible to port) but is allowed on the store.
Andy has a problem. Game devs can help. Now that tablets are powerful and cheap enough, many users are using them with keyboard and mice to have a small desktop experience. Problem is most devs only write code for touch controls. This makes trying to play a game with keyboard and mouse a real chore.
There are a couple of ways to do that all based as far as I know, on having to buy someones software that will help you configure the mouse and keyboard to work with your game. It should NOT be this way. All Andy games should have both touch controls and keyboard and mouse controls enabled. It's silly not to do so - you limit your potential sales which is dumb.
Come on guys.. whats the deal? Why haven't we seen a push to add this functionality to most Andy games? Is it simply because up till now there hasn't been a lot of call for non touch screen peripherals? It seems to me, when small Android Phones morphed into it's sister product, larger more powerful Android Tablets - Android developers failed to make a distinction and treat their apps accordingly. Now there is and will be an ever growing distinction between the two because tablets are getting bigger and more powerful. Will you guys be willing to do this, now that keyboard and mouse use on Android is becoming more wide spread?
You guys better consider this - there are tablets now being sold that will dual or triple boot between Android, Windows and almost any version of Linux you can imagine. People will not only want but Need this functionality in games who choose not to rely so heavily on the touch controls.
Console OS (looks like they are partnering with Intel) is shipping in Dec on real tablet hardware and has a free version PC users can download. Console OS is an Android fork that's designed for gaming and to dual boot with Windows - but it's designed to be powerful enough in style and function to replace your everyday desktop. That's impressive. This will be huge and cause Android Games to require mouse and keyboard support even more. We know the public wants this because this was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign raising 75.000 dollars.
A simple enough solution to help get more sales for your games is a no brainer seems to me. The Windows and Linux guys will play their games with mouse and keyboard on that same hardware, but they will not buy the Android games. You will lose half your new potential customer base. This will also encourage the user to stay within that Windows or Linux system and Not switch so much into Android. Not doing this can actually hurt the Android market share and use!
What do you think?
(This thread is not a question but hopefully will start a serious discussion on this issue. Mods please feel free to move this to the Gaming subforum.. I think you have one but I cannot seem to find it since I signed up.)