Before you go any further, there are a few things to note about CrossOver:
– This app is in beta currently
– It works with select android devices: specifically those that are powered by an intel chipset.
Now that we have that cleared up, let’s get into it. CrossOver is an app designed by Codeweave and has been in development for about 3 years. Even after that, they only released a beta version which suggests that you should expect bugs. Maybe not much but still, expect them to be there.
WHAT CROSSOVER DOES
Basically, CrossOver lets you run generic Windows apps on your Android tablets and laptops. It’s basically the same concept as having an emulator on your Intel-powered Android device. With this, the usablity of chromebooks just increased exponentially. Instead of being limited to generic Google apps, and a few other third-party apps, you now have access to a whole new host of Windows apps.
HOW TO GET CROSSOVER
As I mentioned earlier, the app is still in beta. So you’ll have to sign up as a beta tester before you can get this app. You can sign up as a CrossOver beta tester now.
CROSSOVER FOR OTHER PLATFORMS
CrossOver is also available for Mac and Linux. I’m not quite sure if it can compete with the likes of WINE but it sure has an edge with this Android porting thing. I’d love to see what Code Weaver has in store for the future. With this trend, I’m sure with time, you’ll be able to run Windows apps on your Android phone. And more importantly, the issue of apps being limited to just one platform will be a thing of the past. Since you’d be able to run the same app on multiple platforms. For developers, I can only imagine the relief, since they would only need to create an app for just one platform; and it would become cross platform without much effort on their part.
Leave a Reply