Windows 8.1 machines running Android apps to descend upon CES 2014?

By Konrad Krawczyk Published December 23, 2013

It’s no secret that consumers have been slow to warm up to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, the latter of which was released this past October. Could the sagging adoption numbers and legions of people who are clinging to Windows XP and Windows 7 be pacified by a machine that runs Windows 8.1 but is capable of supporting Android apps? It sounds like we’ll soon find out.

You might hear the term “PC Plus” quite a bit during CES 2014, which will begin on January 7. PC Plus refers to the concept of a Windows 8.1 machine that also runs Android apps. We’re talking about laptops here, not tablets. Aside from that (big) detail, this is not exactly a new idea.

Recommended Videos

Bluestacks, an Android emulator for Windows and Mac OS X, is able to perform the task of running Android apps on traditional desktop operating systems. While Blackstacks simply ran as a separate program within Windows and OS X, the relationship between Windows 8.1 and Android apps could work differently with PC Plus, according to Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.

“There are three [possible] implementations, including dual-boot, which would be a fast-switch mode where you press a button and within seconds you’re in Android,” Moore told Computer World. Another approach includes the use of a virtual machine, though software emulation is a possibility as well.

If the PC Plus Windows 8.1/Android concept takes off, it’ll be interesting to see what this does for Windows 8.1 adoption numbers down the line.

What impact do you think integrating Android apps with Windows 8.1 will have? Sound off in the comments below.

Konrad Krawczyk

Former Computing Editor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

Topics

Computing

Microsoft has begun rolling out Copilot Code for building apps with natural language

The workplace-focused vibe coding tool can pull context from emails, documents, meetings, and chats.

Microsoft introduced Code last month as one of the three core parts of its revamped Copilot app. The app was pitched as an easy-to-use coding agent that lets users describe what they want to build in natural language, like an app, a tracker, a dashboard, an automation, or a workflow, and Copilot would build it for them.

Essentially, it's a workplace-focused vibe-coding app that turns existing work into a functional app, and Microsoft has begun rolling it out through the Frontier program.

Computing

AI agents are acting like rogues and causing a huge headache for US banks

US banks block AI agents over fears they could make unauthorised financial moves

Banking

US banks are facing a new kind of digital headache: artificial intelligence agents attempting to access customer accounts and perform actions that may go beyond what users intended. As AI tools become more capable of navigating websites and carrying out tasks independently, financial institutions are scrambling to prevent them from crossing security boundaries.

According to a report published by Axios on October 22, major US banks have detected third-party AI agents operating inside customer accounts without authorisation. Some agents reportedly appeared to attempt actions independently of user instructions. The banks involved have not publicly detailed every incident, and there is no evidence that the reported activity resulted in widespread theft of customer funds.

Computing

Canva enters the AI image generation race with Craft, and it’s thinking beyond pretty pictures

The new model plans layouts before generating images, with precise editing and support for 30 aspect ratios.

Canva Craft Featured Image

AI can generate all kinds of pretty pictures, but getting it to spell a headline correctly or keep a poster's layout intact can be another story. Canva wants to fix that with Canva Craft, its first in-house image generation model. Rather than focusing primarily on photographs, Craft is designed around the posters, presentations, social media graphics, and other visual content people actually create. The goal is simple: spend less time fixing AI's mistakes and more time making something useful.

Canva Craft plans before it generates