Is it possible and indeed practical to dual boot a Windows 8 tablet/smartphone with Jelly Bean 4.0 + ? Are there significant restrictions or limitations in doing so? If this is not achieveable as yet - What about running Bluestacks on these devices, just in the same manner that Bluestacks can run Android Apps as an emulator on a Windows PC (if i'm correct)
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This would possibly/probably be considered a dupe of Can I install Android on my non-Android device? There are simply far too many devices out there for us to feasibly cover a question for each, and the vast majority of the time the answer is "nobody has done this yet". – eldarerathis Nov 28 '12 at 14:39
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@eldarerathis - I did look at that answer previously, but found it to be too broad in his initial question. I specifically want to know about a Windows 8 device being able to run android as well – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 14:43
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@eldarerathis - I assumed (rightly or wrongly) that people like XDA Developers and Modders (i'm not sure if that is the correct term) were usually one step ahead of the game – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 14:50
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Secure Boot technology on RT tablets would probably prevent dual-booting. But, it can be by-passed I think. – iOS Nov 28 '12 at 14:55
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@Sachin Shekhar ok I will (in response to Android x86 below) – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 16:28
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You could, but without support it would be difficult.
Android does not 100% support for all apps on intel/amd processors
As well as this, you would have to write a kernal / kernel object to support the specific hardware of the device.
This can be quite difficult if propriety information is unavailable.
You would be better to ask at http://forum.xda-developers.com and ask if someone has ported Android to your device, or a device you would be wanting to buy.
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@ The Andro Nerd - Your final sentence regarding XDA and porting makes sense to me. I assumed there would be XDA people on this forum who might provide there 2 cents. What about Bluestacks ? – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 16:32
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@Simon am a member of XDA - but I don't make ROM's. Bluestacks won't work on Windows 8 RT - blame windows for this, they don't allow 'desktop' programs running on RT versions of Windows 8. – Liam W Nov 28 '12 at 17:54
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Ah Ok fine, there are obviously different divisions/arms to XDA, shame about the Bluestacks – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 18:08
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Very true, and I suppose you could ask them to try and make a Windows 8 RT/Metro version. – Liam W Nov 28 '12 at 18:14
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Update: BlueStacks Android App Player Now Has A MS Surface Pro Tablet - Optimized Version
Bluestacks android emulator has now finally arrived to Windows 8 (no RT Version currently available), and works like an absolute charm on Windows 8 PCs, notebooks and ultrabooks alike.
BlueStacks for Windows 8 supports an elegant interface and runs in full screen mode by default. The application is also fully optimized for the 1920 x 1080 HD display of Surface Pro.
BlueStacks for Windows 8 is perhaps the most interesting application to hit the OS so far. It’s a significant boost to the otherwise lukewarm offerings of Windows Store. BlueStacks works on all variants of Windows 8, but not on Windows RT. Testing was carried out on Windows 8 Pro 64-bit.
The above extract was taken from an article entitled "BlueStacks Android App Player Now Has A Surface Pro-Optimized Version" was written for Addictive Tips by Waqas Ahmed on 13th February 2013. For more in depth info:
Simon
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@GAThrawn No I'm not the author (the authors name is stated at the bottom). I thought if I just provided the link to the article, someone would have told me that was no good (because links may diasppear) ? – Simon Feb 13 '13 at 16:58
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It's still copyright infringement, even with the link. You basically have to treat it like a school assignment -- short quotes and summarizing with a reference is OK, as is writing up your own version from the knowledge you've gained, but outright copying is not. That said I don't believe we take action on this sort of thing unless the copyright owner makes a claim. CC @GAThrawn – Matthew Read Feb 13 '13 at 17:10
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@MatthewRead If you like i'll just include the first paragraph & then link to the article ? – Simon Feb 13 '13 at 17:21
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1@Simon looks good, it's actually easier to read and get the important info from it now too. – GAThrawn Feb 13 '13 at 18:06
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1@GAThrawn To be honest, I got a little excited, because when Bluestacks initially came out I sent them a few emails asking them to develop a version for the Surface tablet - and now they have and if it really works that well, it should be an excellent choice for a tablet – Simon Feb 13 '13 at 18:11
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The vast majority of devices aren't capable of supporting both OSes. However, you can try Android x86 on non-ARM tablets; I've tried it on my WindPad and it works. It's just like dual-booting with Linux.
Probably the most significant limitations are that some hardware is unlikely to work, as driver support is not comprehensive.
Logos
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Thankyou for your response. I was thinking more in terms of if I purchased a Windows Surface tablet, or Nokia Lumia or HTC Windows 8 smartphone. I guess your saying it is not practical at the moment or hasnt been achieved yet ? – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 14:35
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@Sachin Shekhar - Sachin Android x86 is the platform for ICS, Jelly Bean etc ? – Simon Nov 28 '12 at 14:55
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@Simon Search the web. Its a project which enables Android to run on x86 CPU architecture. Surface tablet doesn't use this architecture, but your PC does. – iOS Nov 28 '12 at 15:05
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@Simon: if you follow the link in my post, it'll take you straight to their site. As the name implies, it supports regular PC architectures (ie, tablets) as opposed to ARM. – Logos Nov 28 '12 at 18:34