James Ramey
FINALLY!!!! We have arrived at the cusp of Androidism. It’s taken us two years, nine months, two weeks, and a day to get to this point in the process. At by this time tomorrow, CodeWeavers will release the Tech Preview of CrossOver Android to the select users who signed up for initial access. Over the past two years, nine months, two weeks and a day, the product has changed and changed and changed again all in the hopes of somehow being useful on Android devices.
Think about this…When this development started, there were few, if any, Intel based phones. When this development started, there were no Intel based tablets. There was no X86 Android project. There were no Intel based laptops or clamshells. Our development team essentially built a solution for a problem that could not be solved or fixed. At best, they were building a hypothetical solution to prove that it could be possible to run Windows based applications on an Intel Android device. It’s like Henry Ford building a car for a population that didn’t have roads; or Thomas Edison creating a light bulb for a population that didn’t have electricity. And yet, here we are…
Allow me to clearly state that like the first Model T’s and the very first light bulbs, CrossOver Android is far from perfect. It will run a very limited number of Windows applications (some because they just aren’t supported yet on Android and some because Android doesn’t / won’t support them at this time). The former implies that our support isn’t good enough, yet. The latter implies that Android does not have some key components, like OpenGL, to run some Windows applications. AND there is a point to make that some devices just doesn’t have the RAM, disk space, or processing power necessary to run a Windows application. And some devices, like phones, just don’t have the physical screen necessary to make running a Windows application all that appealing. Needless to say, your ‘mileage’ as to how useful CrossOver Android will be come tomorrow will vary.
So what do you NEED to know to make the CrossOver Android Tech Preview as useful as possible for you at this time?
First, you need to confirm that you have an Intel based device. The CrossOver Android Tech Preview will not run on an ARM device. It will not run on an ARM device. It will not run on an ARM device. Understand, I’d give an eye tooth for CrossOver Android to run on an ARM device because, let’s face it, that’ roughly 90% of the market today. Unfortunately, our tech just isn’t built that way. We hope to have ARM Android support sometime next year, but it's far off on our technology roadmap.
Second, you need to know where to find CrossOver Android. The .apk will be available on the Google Play Store. You will need to have provided us your Gmail address (the same one you use for the Google Play Store) to be added to the Technology Preview. We will then e-mail you a link tomorrow so that can ‘opt in’ to our Beta. We think that it's best for us to present CrossOver Android in the Google Play Store and most convenient for our end users.
Next, you need to know how to best install it on your Chromebook. We have an awesome tutorial on exactly what you need to do to get this to work on a Chromebook. Get the CrossOver Android on Chromebook Tutorial Here. Note that on a Chromebook that process takes approximately an hour to complete (this includes the time required to put your Chromebook in Developer Mode). On an Intel Android device, the process is much quicker.
Additionally, you can find out more about CrossOver Android on our CrossOver Android Webpage.
Finally, you need to have an open mind. The first Model T didn’t race down the highway at 100 MPH. The first light bulb didn’t last for 2000 hours before burning out. CrossOver Android is a Tech Preview. It does some very cool things. It does run Steam. It does run Office 2010. It does run Wizard101. It does not run EVERY WINDOWS APPLICATION KNOWN TO MAN.
The Top 3 Reasons We Let Kids of CodeWeavers Play Wizard101
So be patient with us. We ARE committed to making the software better and better and better with each passing release. And maybe someday, CrossOver Android will race down a highway at 100 MPH. Who knows??? When we first started development, we didn’t even have a target device in mind (and look at where we are today!!!). When we move from Tech Preview to possibly an Alpha and then straight to a Beta and then to Release Candidate and then to version 1.0, who knows what we’ll be capable of doing? Heck this Androidism thing might just be the start of a technology revolution. We may all be on the front lines of the NEXT BIG THING. (I should probably trademark Androidism now while I have the chance).
Microsoft Office on Chromebook Coming in our Next Tech Preview
AND… this is your last call to sign up for the Tech Preview of CrossOver Android. Once released, we will put all new names on a
list for access to the Beta when that is released. You can sign up for the Tech Preview of CrossOver Android here.
About James B. Ramey
James B. Ramey is the CEO of CodeWeavers. His life long love of video gaming started at the tender age of six with an Atari 2600 and evolved over time to include Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Apple Mac IIc, Windows PC, and MacBook Pro. When not fiddling with technology, James enjoys cooking, travel, debating politics in the office, and spending time with his wife, daughter, and their two rescue dogs. For the past 20 years, James has worked with clients around the world in best implementing technology to maximize a return on their investment. He is a graduate of Moorhead State University and earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix. You can find James on Twitter at @jbramey.
