The console is available to pre-order now, and you can actually get the console and controller for free throughout this month, but it’ll cost $99 if you order one after May (although the final price hasn’t been finalized yet). The console requires an $83.88-per-year subscription fee as well, which comes out to $6.99 per month. This will get you an all-you-can-play buffet of games to play on your TV without needing to pay for the games individually.

BlueStacks has already managed to get a handful of popular mobile game developers to partner up, including Glu, Halfbrick, Gameloft, Intellijoy, and Deemedya. It’s not said exactly how many games will be available at launch, as the team is still working on getting a final count, but it should give OUYA a run for its money.

Plus, the monthly subscription fee is also an interesting concept, as its essentially the Netflix for games. However, you have to pay by the year (sort of like a contract), but $6.99 per month doesn’t seem that bad at all, especially considering that you can play as many games as you want, which could be a bargain for those who are heavy gamers. As of right now, there’s no word on a ship date for the GamePop console.

[via The Next Web]

When you first encounter the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon, you’ll find yourself mystified at how such a device was ever put into production. It’s certainly not a traditional sort of PC. Such is the atmosphere we’re in here in 2013 with Windows 8, touchscreen hype, and Lenovo’s current freedom of creation.

In our past encounters with this machine you’ll find connections to accessories (that do, indeed, come in the box), up and down usability, and Windows apps galore. Today we’re having a look at BlueStacks specifically – down the line we’ll have a full review of this machine for you in SlashGear’s main review hub. It’s all about Android right this minute.

What we’ve done is to side-load the Google Play app store to download some games that certainly aren’t optimized for this device to show right along some that are. This means you’re going to see games that look nice as well as games that work, but just barely. You’ll quite likely find the native Windows apps – some optimized for this device specifically – much more engaging.

The back of the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon has a support bar stronger than any we’ve seen on a tablet or PC, able to hold the entire device up at a variety of angles. Push the device flat and Lenovo brings up a touch interface made for multiple users – more on this in our full review.

That said, it’s important to show the versatility of this device through BlueStacks, an app interface that just this February arrived for Windows 8 and just this May passed 10 million downloads. You’ll find BlueStacks on Mac with a wireless interface app on Android for your smartphones and tablets as well.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon is here with SlashGear for a full review aside from this BlueStacks peek, so make sure to let us know if you’ve got any questions on its inner workings before we get there! Stay tuned to SlashGear’s Lenovo tag portal for more information on this device as we reach that point!

BlueStacks had originally said it would be launching a Windows 8 version of its App Player over a year ago. Users can grab the App Player download from BlueStack’s website, then install it and begin downloading their favorite Android apps. This provide thousands of app options to certain Windows 8 devices, such as the Surface Pro, with the number of native app offerings for the devices being exceptionally low.

BlueStacks’ CEO Rosen Sharma had this to say: “We’ve had our users asking for a Win8 version for a long time. Now that it’s finally available on our website we’re looking forward to getting feedback and building on the experience. The number of mobile apps being written overall is expanding exponentially and Microsoft has not added apps to the handful it has. Our goal is to get people more value out of their Surface Pro and Win8 devices.”

BlueStacks has penned deals with multiple OEM partners thus far, which have added an unspecified number of downloads on top of the over 5 million App Player downloads the company has already experienced. If you want to get your favorite Android apps on your PC, head over to GetYourAppsBack.com and download the App Player.

[via BGR]

BlueStacks’ software basically works as a virtualization engine for Android titles, allowing them to be run as if native code. So far, adoption of that has primarily been from the PC side, with BlueStacks inking deals with ASUS, with Qualcomm, and with AMD.

Those agreements will see BlueStacks’ technology used to expand the number of titles available for Windows users, though potentially rebranded in the process. ASUS, for instance, calls the system ASUS@Vibe, while AMD’s version is the AMD AppZone Player.

Apple is far less likely to adopt BlueStacks with equal enthusiasm, but Mac owners keen to try out alternative titles (as well as developers looking to code for Android, Windows, and OS X users) may well make up the difference. You can download the BlueStacks AppPlayer beta for Mac here.

[via TechCrunch]

This announcement has the AMD AppZone Player made to work perfectly with Android apps even if they were made for phones or tablets. With the player, you’ve got BlueStacks providing you with an optimized experience that makes full use of AMD Radeon graphics and OpenGL drivers found in AMD APUs and GPUs. At the moment there are 50 free apps – some of the biggest names in the app universe in general – available for your perusal.

This technology also works with a Cloud Connect service that’ll allow you to sync both apps and SMS messages with your Android smartphone or tablet. You’ll need the BlueStacks Cloud Connect app on your Android device as well – but once you’ve got it, you’ll be up on both machines like a snap. Cloud Connect is up on the Google Play app store right this minute for you to download and utilize.

BlueStacks makes this process simple – just head to the AMD AppZone and download any app to your AMD-toting PC. When you do, you’ll have an automatic check to see if you’ve got the AMD AppZone Player, and if you don’t, you’ll have the option to download it instantly. So very simple for all the PC/Android lovers!

There’s also native support for AMD’s OpenGL drivers as used in the company’s APUs and GPUs, along with support for Cloud Connect. That works with an app on your Android phone to allow your computer to sync apps and SMS, and run software on your phone on your PC’s display.

AMD invested in BlueStacks back in late 2011, at the time describing the deal as a way to put Android’s broad app portfolio on Fusion-based tablets. The company isn’t alone in its interest, either; ASUS has released a BlueStacks-based tool, and Qualcomm has thrust money at the firm too.

You can download the AMD AppZone Player here [.exe link]. Alternatively, if you attempt to download an app that requires the Player framework from AMD’s App Zone, it will be installed automatically.

Seventeen isn’t a lot compared to how many apps there are currently available in the Android Market, but BlueStacks says more are in the pipeline. Meanwhile the company has thrown open its doors to developers, taking pre-interest for porting, which should boost the selection.

BlueStacks has inked deals with HalfBrick, Evernote, Droidhen, COM2US, Creative Mobile and others, and something they’re talking about is high-resolution graphics to suit the latest Retina Display Macs. The company is also positioning AppPlayer as a way of “breaking open the Apple ecosystem” though, given OS X has always been more flexible with third-party software, that’s a little disingenuous.

The BlueStacks AppPlayer for Mac is currently an alpha release – which could mean bugs – and is a free download. If the company plays to form, it’s likely to eventually release a more comprehensive version with paid-app support as a premium product later on.

Apps currently on offer include Fruit Ninja, the Pulse news reading app, Evernote (perhaps an odd option, given Evernote already has a solid PC client) and Bunny Shooter, along with the best-selling Angry Birds Space. There are more choices within ASUS@vibe itself.

ASUS owners will be able to access the apps free of charge for six months, according to the earlier announcement, after which point they’ll need to upgrade to Bluestacks Premium Access if they want to keep using them. Pricing for that is still yet to be confirmed.

Android has already served ASUS well on devices like the Eee Pad Transformer and Transformer Prime, and the company is obviously hoping to carry a little of that magic over to its desktop range. That could have some interesting consequences when Windows 8 arrives and Microsoft starts pushing its own Metro apps.

You can download ASUS@vibe here.

BlueStacks is a company famous for their “App Player for PC” software which allows, once again, a window for PC users to pull up and use Android applications without mobile devices. The “LayerCake” technology that the BlueStacks team employs will be built-in to all ASUS products in the future and will appear in asus@vibe via a new Android app category.

The software asus@vibe can be see in the BlueStacks-provided video below showing how it will be featuring Android apps very soon:

This first six month deal for free will have users gaining access to the whole ASUS/BlueStacks collection of Android apps for starters. After that point, you’ll need to pay for Premium Access to continue working with Android apps. BlueStacks recently partnered with developers that will bring the following apps to the market soon for ASUS PCs:

Fruit Ninja, Evernote, Pulse, Drag Racing, Defender, Tap Fish, Moviefone, Nook, Guns N Glory, Talking Tom and Kids ABC.

These apps will be featured while BlueStacks technology can be synced directly with Google Play witha download called [Cloud Connect]. ASUS and BlueStacks have promised BlueStacks integration for future ASUS computers but have not yet confirmed if legacy PCs will be updated – stay tuned!

BlueStacks released a public beta of the software on March 27th, with over one million download achieved in ten days, and around 12 million app instances run by various users. The company said today that Qualcomm has invested an undisclosed sum in the company via Qualcomm Ventures. TechCrunch has been hearing from sources that the amount may be a seven-digit number, which sounds about right taking previous investments into account.

The company now has over $15 million in investments from outside companies, including AMD and Citrix. More surprising is that chip rivals AMD and Qualcomm have come to the table without much fuss. Nagraj Kashyap, Vice President of Qualcomm Ventures, believes that “BlueStacks is well-positioned to capitalize on the marriage of mobile and PC.”

The BlueStacks app player is a free download that aims to bring the 450,000 odd Android apps to the millions of PCs out there. Users can push Android apps from their phone to the PC and run them, even though they’ve been coded specifically for ARM chipsets. The beta release uses a PC’s graphics card to hardware accelerate the Android graphics in games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja.

As we’ve seen from the App Player beta last year, BlueStack’s wrapping of Android software is pretty comprehensive and user-friendly. No modification to the core Android app itself is required, and it loads as it would on a native device; part of the magic is translating the hardware capabilities of the host machine into something the virtualization can access, so that apps can still use networking and more.

Microsoft staff apparently have mixed opinions on BlueStacks, according to the company’s CEO, with some simply glad to see more Metro-compatible programs and others preferring native code instead. Still, the App Player will at least mean those with new Windows 8 hardware later in 2012 won’t have to hang around waiting for fresh software to try out: there are over 400,000 Android titles, after all.

BlueStacks also has a Mac version in the pipeline.

[via AllThingsD]

BlueStacks released an alpha of its Player software for Windows earlier this month, allowing Windows users to load Android apps and run them with no modifications involved. Apps can be loaded from the regular .APK file, and played in either full-screen or windowed. A Mac version is in the pipeline, and the company confirmed it was in further talks with PC manufacturers regarding preloading BlueStacks onto new computers and tablets.

AMD says it expects to use the BlueStacks investment to leverage tablets and computers running on AMD processors, while Citrix is eyeing the software’s potential in enterprise settings. AMD has previously admitted that it was slow to broach the mobile computing market, only recently launching chips suitable for tablets and still ignoring smartphones.

Like Intel, AMD has struggled to gain traction among slates, seeing rival ARM picked for the majority of tablets for its chipsets’ low power consumption and solid multimedia potential. So far Windows-based models have been the exception, but Microsoft has confirmed it is working on Windows 8 on ARM builds for 2012.

Having cross-platform Android app compatibility could certainly work in AMD’s favor, and help the company differentiate between its chips and those of rival Intel. Reports out of Taipei have suggested AMD’s bargain pricing is already biting into Intel’s Atom sales.

[via GigaOm]

As for Cloud Connect, that’s the glue that links the Android and Windows sides of the equation. After installing a free app on your Android phone, third-party apps can be pushed from the handset to the computer. It’s also possible to see which apps are currently loaded on your PC from an Apps Channels pane on your phone.

The BlueStacks App Player alpha comes with 10 apps preloaded, and supports up to 26 further titles of your choice. A promised BlueStacks App Player Pro version will remove that limit, as well as supporting paid apps. Meanwhile the company says an OS X version for Mac is in the pipeline too, as well as conversations with manufacturers – such as ViewSonic - about preinstalling the tech on their Windows machines.

That’s because BlueStacks wraps up regular Android apps and allows them to run in a virtualized Froyo build within Windows. Users can multitask between software for either platform, and BlueStacks allows Android apps to take advantage of the hardware connectivity and other functionality present on the Windows device.

No Android Market support, but we weren’t expecting that on the 10Pro anyway; instead you can always use one of the third-party app stores, like Amazon’s. ViewSonic hasn’t confirmed a release date for the ViewPad 10Pro, but BlueStacks says it’ll hit retail “soon” and has previously tipped a Q3 launch for products using the system.

[Thanks Toby!]

The company has found itself $7.6m in financing – full details of investors in the press release below – and is pushing to see BlueStacks-enabled Android apps on Windows tablets and touchscreen all-in-one PCs. What remains to be seen is how Google reacts, and whether it will allow devices using BlueStacks to access the Android Market.

BlueStacks hasn’t confirmed which companies it’s working with, just that it has ongoing OEM discussions, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the first batch are firms with feet in both Android phone/tablet and PC markets. More details here.

Press Release:

BlueStacks to Enable Android Applications to Run on Any x86-Based Windows Device

Led by former SVP and CTO of innovation for McAfee, company secures $7.6 million Series A financing to develop the only software to run Android applications on Windows, creating a multi-billion dollar opportunity for PC manufacturers

SAN FRANCISCO (Citrix Synergy, demo pod 1) – May 25, 2011 – BlueStacks emerged from stealth mode today to announce it has secured $7.6M in Series A financing from Ignition Ventures, Radar Partners, Helion Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz to further the development of its groundbreaking technology that will allow users to seamlessly run Android and Windows applications on their x86-based devices. The simultaneous use of Android applications on Windows combined with multi-touch enablement provides users with the opportunity to quickly access personal and work applications, while giving PC manufacturers the chance to take advantage of the growing consumer demand for Android-based mobile enterprise applications.

Founded in March 2008 with the goal of taking advantage of the fast-growing Android OS market and eliminating the need for users to carry two devices, BlueStacks will allow consumers to receive the benefits of both Android and Windows for the cost of a single PC. BlueStacks is led by CEO Rosen Sharma, a serial entrepreneur and most recently SVP and CTO of Innovation at McAfee. In addition to Sharma, Frank Artale of Ignition and Kevin Compton from Radar join the company’s board of directors.

“Ignition sees a clear demand for what BlueStacks can deliver: a way to help businesses of all sizes and consumers leverage their device of choice for work and play,” said Artale, managing director, Ignition Ventures. “The team has targeted a fundamental problem in a rapidly expanding market, and they have the business acumen and technological expertise to build a market-leading solution. I look forward to working with the team during what is sure to be an exciting time in the company.”

BlueStacks will enable PC manufacturers to ride the momentum behind the Android ecosystem by enabling Android applications to be run on x86-based tablets, netbooks, notebooks or all-in-one (AIO) computers. With the new convertible form factors, BlueStacks completely eliminates the need to carry two devices. This in turn enables PC manufacturers to increase their margin on the devices and also benefit from the increase in the lifetime value of the customer because of all the application purchases and stickiness that comes from the user data and preferences.

“It’s a compelling strategy for BlueStacks to enable all the popular Android apps on Windows devices. For consumers and businesses alike, this means getting the best of both worlds with the ability to run Android apps on a Windows device that offers all the advantages of familiarity, device interoperability and security,” said Chris Cloran, corporate vice president and general manager of Client Computing Solutions, AMD (NYSE: AMD). “AMD is committed to collaborating with software innovators like BlueStacks who take advantage of our unique Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) technology to deliver seamless computing experiences across common industry platforms and based on industry standards.”

Added Sharma, “Our vision is for an entirely new type of experience that supports the consumer interest in Android and also allows them to access some of the most valuable enterprise applications, enabling them to use their device of choice for work and play. We are currently working with a number of OEM and strategic partners and look forward to bringing our product to market in Q3 of this year.”

That is exactly what BlueStacks believes and has set out to solve. This is exciting to those who make Windows PCs because it gives them an opportunity to participate in the Android ecosystem. If you have an Android phone or tablet, there could be value to using and experiencing many of the same apps you use regularly on your Windows based desktop as well.

Another interesting and valuable potential application for Android on Windows is the developer opportunity. Right now, developers are creating applications focused on the smartphone and tablet space. Soon they will also be able to target TVs through Google TV. If BlueStacks is successful and we do see Windows based PCs ship in volume with their software, developers can now also target desktops and notebooks and create apps that are specific for that platform and hardware.

How It Works
What BlueStacks developed is an extremely clean approach to delivering Android by virtualizing the full Android OS and running it on x86-based Windows PCs. They ran me through a demo on a 28-inch HP TouchSmart all-in-one PC. No dual boot needed and it ran the full version of Android 2.2 seamlessly. It loads as a virtual OS, and you can switch back and forth between them seamlessly. A user could be in a Windows app and collapse it to the task bar and open an Android app, use it, and then also collapse it to the task bar for later use. Multi-tasking between Android apps and Windows apps was one of the more compelling parts of the demo.

Even more impressive is the fact that it uses all of Windows utilities and drivers. For example, you are in an Android app and need to print something. You just go to the top of the menu bar and hit print and it uses the Windows printer drivers. Or if you are in an Android Skype application, it uses the Windows drivers to handle the audio or video calls.

There is no access to the Android Market, however, because of the restrictions Google has placed around how someone gets certified for the Android Market. BlueStacks has a viable solution with the Amazon App store, though, which is taking the place of the Android Marketplace in their implementations. Right now the solution is not publically available but BlueStacks said they plan on releasing their software for anyone to download later this year.

Conclusions
Microsoft may need to be worried about this as it could potentially slow down parts of their business they are working on to specifically compete with Android. It could also put a damper on future Windows software developments if consumers starting preferring to use Android apps instead of software for Windows.

Intel and AMD should be very happy about this since both of them have needed to offer a compelling reason to consider Android on X86. As far as the PC OEMs are concerned, this company may have instantly helped them get access to a part of the market they have been locked out of completely. I am very excited to see what the hardware manufactures and software developers come up with as we see the BlueStacks solution hit the market.

What do you our readers think? Is the idea of running Android and Android apps on your desktop or notebook a compelling idea?