Tips for Test Drive Android on your PC

Interested in the driving test the last version of Google Android OS without having to buy a new mobile device? Here's how to run Android on your PC for free with the Android SDK emulator. Android is the latest mobile OS to take the world by storm, but not everyone has access to the latest mobile devices. Fortunately, there is an easy way to run Android on your Windows computer, Mac or Linux. Google provides an emulator with their Android SDK, which is designed to allow developers to test their applications on Android before running on the handset. We can use it for Test Drive Android on your computer, here's how.


Start-up

The Android emulator requires Java to run, so if you do not already have Java installed on your computer, download and install as usual.

Note: When you install Java, make sure you do not install any crapware he tries to sneak into the toolbar worthless as Yahoo.

Then, download the Google Android SDK, and make sure to select the appropriate version for your computer. Once it is downloaded, unzip the file as usual. In Windows, run Setup.exe to start using SDK Android on your PC.
The SDK will check Google's servers for available packages.
If you see an error message SSL, click the Settings tab on the left in the SDK and AVD window manager that opened in the background. Here, uncheck the Force https, click OK, then reopen the Setup
Now, installing the package is opened. You can choose what you want to install, then click Install to begin installing the Android emulator on your computer.

By default, all platforms SDK, samples, and API will be selected for installation. This may take some time to download, as several versions of Android are currently available. If you only want to play with Android, select the version you want. You want the Platform SDK Android your.version. Then click on the chip Reject all other entries, and then click Install. We wanted to try the final Android 2.2 and the older 1.5, so we downloaded both.

Once you've started to install, you will see a window showing the download and installation progress. This may take several minutes depending on the speed of your Internet connection. You have little androids your taskbar, but unfortunately they do not show the download progress.
Setup an Android emulator

Once the download is complete, you can configure an emulator to test Android on your computer. Select a virtual drive from the left menu, then click the New button on the right.
Enter a name for your virtualized Android, and select the version you want to use the Android menu. This does show that the version you previously installed, you can view the listed based on your selection.
Enter a size in the SD card input, which is an SD-card which is actually an IMG file that will use Android to save your settings and files in. Then, select a screen size options in the skin . The default is a standard Nexus One-typ

Click on Create a DSA when you're done.

The program may appear to freeze while it is the creation of the DSA, so just wait to see the confirmation window.

You are now ready to run Android on your PC! Select your Android virtual, then click Start on the right.

You can choose to scale the screen if you have chosen a bigger screen that will fit your monitor and select Start.

Android will now begin to load in your emulator. Several windows can open quick order, and you will see the emulator itself. Note that by default, the size of large screen displays a virtual keyboard and buttons on the right side of the emulated device.

Android may take several minutes to load, especially on your first race. After some time, the splash screen starts an animation start Android.

Finally, you'll be presented with your home screen new Android! Use your mouse as you normally would, but remember that you do not need to double click to open applications.

You can open applications pre-installed in the launcher menu, but unfortunately these images emulator does not include the Android market.

See your favorite websites in the browser, and they will as they would on an Android device. Note that you can enter text using the keyboard on the screen in the emulator, or with your keyboard. As this is an emulator, you may notice some delay in entering text.

You can also install applications that are directly accessible online.

Default Email applications such as hard work, and you can even see most camera settings in Android.

Click and hold on the home screen to change the background or try widgets

You can even see the owl Android screen lock if you leave your virtual machine only for a few minutes. Just click on the arrow and drag it to the other side of the screen to unlock.

You can always repeat the subsequent steps of creating a new virtual machine Android. Here, we have created a virtual machine Android 1.5 with the size of QVGA.

We have experienced a few crashes during our testing, and the emulator still feeling a bit slow, but in all, it's fun to try a new mobile OS before spending money on a new phone.
Launch Android Virtual Machines Later

Whenever you want to run your virtual machines in the Android emulator, just run setup.exe SDK as before, and select from the list of virtual devices. Alternatively, you can run an emulator directly from the command line. To do this, go to your Android SDK folder and open the Tools folder. Press the Shift key and right click and select Open Command Window Here.

Now, enter the following command in the command prompt, replacing the name of your virtual machine for Android your_device:

Create a shortcut to your Android

Otherwise, right click on the folder Emulator.exe SDK Tools and select Create Shortcut.

This shortcut would actually run the emulator in Command Prompt and do not load a virtual reality device. We will need to modify the properties to do this, then right click on the emulator and select Properties.

Then select the Shortcut tab, then scroll to the end of the Target box. Enter the name of your virtual Android as before, as after the @ your_Android emulator.exe, then click OK.

Now you can start your Android directly from your desktop or Start menu.

Whether you're a developer who wants to write the next great app for Android or Android just curious and want to try it without buying a new phone, the Android emulator is a great way to start for FREE. It is also an excellent way to test new versions of Android, if you have an old appliance. We were disappointed that the Android Market has not been included. but check in the coming days and we'll show you how to run the emulator!

Also, remember, if you are using an older Windows Mobile phone, you may be able to make an Android phone. See our tutorial on how to run Android on your Windows Mobile phone.