Android on a PC

[Deleted]

I do not have an Android phone, my mobile is very old but still suits my needs, simply make and receive calls when travelling to and from the UK.

Question is can Android apps be run on a laptop PC or can a tablet be used without a sim card

[lib]

All apps are specifically written for the Operating System that wiil run them.
Just as Windows programs do not work on Macs, and vice versa.
To make a pc run android apps you will have to install one of the dialects of the android operating system; but another problem can arise here as some dialects are also biased towards a particular chip set, ie non Intel stuff.

Tablets are not sim card dependent. The ability to use a sim card is to extend the connectivity of the device bringing it into the 3/4G network.
Most tablets do not even have the capacity to have a sim card installed.

So you can buy a new or secondhand android device and run Apps.

ps a good tablet on the market in a 'small' format is the new one from Nexus.

OK this is just an overview but may answer your basic question.

[Deleted]

Thanks Lib.

I only want to run one app so am looking for cheapest option available.

Apparently there are Android simulators for the PC but they do not get good reviews.

torque-bhp.com/

[Deleted]

BlueStacks

[Ali]

You'd need a mobile phone/device with the apps already on that by the looks of it P.

BlueStacks downloads from your mobile device.

[Deleted]

Already installed it Ali, I can download and run apps on my lappy

All I need now is an ODB11 dongle for the car.

[Ali]

Brilliant

Their vid is misleading then, or I got mislead.

[lib]

BlueStacks is possible and is pretty new but upcoming. Asus will have it on their next lot of laptops running Windows 8. 'Cos mr gates is making the running of VMs difficult on W8.
It's not a true Android OS it is not the full kernel (linux based) but uses an emulation of the Android Davlik on top of Windows. From what i hear it does work.
They company has got financial backing and I think that its object to make money is to run its own app store.

Possibly you may want to investigate crossover which is also an emulation and crosses over most OS platforms.

The basic technology as been around for a while ie the GUI interfaces on the Linux open source packages such as wine etc is the same tech base.

There is a version for the Mac ..... but why would I want to run an android app on it?

PS As you just want to run a known and i assume trusted app give it a try. Just be aware that there are lots of malware piggybacking android apps. The apps are not as well policed by vendors as they should be.
pps See, one tries to give a basic overview and off we go into tech discussions

[Deleted]

I have ordered dongle from ebay, I will report back when it arrives and I have tried it.

[lib]

Just as an aside, the amount of diagnostic software now available is astounding.
Not long ago we used to have problems with customers with intermittent faults on their vehicles. They ones that are never there when you visit the garage and never seem to show up on the diagnostic computers, or the breakdown company cleared them in attempts to start the vehicle.
Just plugging in a basic reader to the diag plug and sending the customer away for a few days then reading the stored driving data solved lots of problems.
Now the data can be transmitted via 3G or wifi in real time.
The black box and big brother is on its way.