AMIDuOS, a popular solution for running Android apps on Windows, has issued a major update today that brings users a full Lollipop virtual environment. The update, to version 2.0, is most notable for leaving the now very-dated world of 4.2 Jelly Bean. With it also comes support for 64-bit apps, the ART runtime, and better APIs and compatibility for hardware features such as Bluetooth 4.0. On the not-as-fun side, the lifetime license now costs $15, up from the prior version's $10 cost.

A key difference between AMIDuOS and competitors like BlueStacks is that it is not merely an "app player," as BlueStacks brands itself. Just as you might use VMWare Fusion for Ubuntu Linux or some such, AMIDuOS offers Windows users a real virtual machine for Android. It links with Intel's hardware virtualization support (on compatible machines), making things work much more smoothly than other implementations.

And with the full Android environment comes more control, such as the ability to download apps you already own from the Play Store or Amazon Appstore. BlueStacks could have an edge when it comes to certain games due to its support for Microsoft's proprietary graphics drivers, but for a complete virtualization experience it will be hard to top AMIDuOS.

You can try the software for up to 30 days before having to purchase the license, which lasts forever. If you bought version 1.x of AMIDuOS, don't fear, you get the upgrade free. Head to their website for downloads and details.

PRESS RELEASE

Source: AMI (MarketWire)