Category Archives: Android

AndEX (Android-x86) Lollipop 5.0.2 with Google Play Store and other GAPPS – now (almost) error-free

andex-lollipop-5.0.2-20150426-360NEWS 150505 about AndEX – The Ultimate Edition
My new build of Android-x86 Lollipop 5.0.2 has GAPPS pre-installed. I.e. Google Play Services, Google Play Store, Google+, Maps, YouTube and more apps. The ISO is called android-x86-5.0.2-lollipop-GAPPS-exton-782mb-150505.iso. I call it The Ultimate Edition because AndEX 150505 is (almost) error-free. I finally managed to install Google Play Services, which is needed for Google Play Store to run. You shall always use Google Play Store in AndEX version 150505. Only use Aptoide App Manager (which is also pre-installed) if you can’t find the app you are searching for in Google Play Store.

Unique?
As far as I know there is no other Android-x86 Lollipop 5.0.2 version out there with GAPPS pre-installed.

View the boot process >> SLIDESHOW

About AndEX
My compiled Androidx86 system (Lollipop 5.0.2) can run live (from CD or a USB stick) or be installed on almost all laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Ausus laptops. The Android system is distributed in the form of an ISO file as the rest of my Linux distributions. I.e. you must (as usual) burn the ISO file to a CD (DVD) if you want to run the system live on your computer or install it to hard drive. Read about how to burn ISO files. Or skip that. Just use ImgBurn. Nothing can go wrong.

Replacement
This Ultimate Edition of AndEX replaces version 150426, which also had GAPPS pre-installed.

READ MORE…

AndEX (Android-x86) Lollipop 5.0.2 with Google Play Store and other GAPPS

andex-lollipop-5.0.2-20150426-360NEWS 150426 ABOUT AndEX Lollipop 5.0.2
My new build of Android-x86 Lollipop 5.0.2 has GAPPS pre-installed. I.e. Google Play Services, Google Play Store, Google+, Maps, YouTube and more apps. The ISO is called android-x86-5.0.2-lollipop-exton-kernel-GAPPS-721mb-150426.iso. I finally managed to install Google Play Services, which is needed for Google Play Store to run. You shall always use Google Play Store in AndEX version 150426. Only use Aptoide App Manager (which is also pre-installed) if you can’t find the app you are searching for in Google Play Store.

Unique?
As far as I know there is no other Android-x86 Lollipop 5.0.2 version out there with GAPPS pre-installed.

View the boot process >> SLIDESHOW

About AndEX
My compiled Androidx86 system (Lollipop 5.0.2) can run live (from CD or a USB stick) or be installed on almost all laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Ausus laptops. The Android system is distributed in the form of an ISO file as the rest of my Linux distributions. I.e. you must (as usual) burn the ISO file to a CD (DVD) if you want to run the system live on your computer or install it to hard drive. Read about how to burn ISO files. Or skip that. Just use ImgBurn. Nothing can go wrong.

More about AndEX
Lollipop 5.0.2 is the second latest version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google. I call my remaster of it AndEX Lollipop Live DVD. It uses “my” special kernel 3.10.58-exton-android-x86 with some extra features. I.e. extra drivers and NTFS read/write support. My Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 builds from 2015-03-21 will cost you 8 $ and my Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 build from 2015-03-30 7 $. They have two advantages over the Lollipop version: A newer kernel (3.18.8 respectively 3.18.2) is used and you can run the systems in VirtualBox. Read more about the KitKat 4.4.4 version 150321 or DOWNLOAD it instantly. Read more about the KitKat 4.4.4 version 150330 or DOWNLOAD it instantly.

Installing new apps in AndEX Lollipop
Use Google Play Store or Aptoide App Manager, which are pre-installed. Just make your choices. Normally you should use Google Play Store, but if you can’t find the app you are looking for you can try Aptoide.

Install the system to hard drive
Say for example that you have a laptop with Windows 8.1 installed as the only operating system. If you just create one extra partition of about 5 GB you can install Android Lollipop on this extra partition and then “dual-boot”. I.e. you can turn on your computer (called “booting it up”) and decide whether you want to start Windows or Android Lollipop. Grub will be installed as boot handler/loader during the installation of Android Lollipop. Note: The installation will take only about one minute. And the installation to hard drive is so simple that a 10 year old child can do it.

What’s the point?
Well, if you like your Android phone and all the apps you have installed on it I’m sure you will also like to run apps from your laptop. Bigger screen and better sound etc. Also: In AndEX version 150426 almost all apps and games can be installed via Google Play Store.

Screenshots
Screenshot 1 – AndEX Desktop without modifications
Screenshot 2 – AndEX Desktop with modifications
Screenshot 3 – AndEX installed apps
Screenshot 4 – AndEX preventing rotation
Screenshot 5 – AndEX using Google Maps

READ MORE or download the ISO file instantly…

About how useful an Android-x86 system can be for the average computer user

kitkat-desktop-small-waterfall-wpA great discovery
This morning I discovered (once again) how useful an Android-x86 system can be. As a matter of fact it can do everything the average computer user needs to do! I.e. you can browse the Internet with different browsers (for example Google Chrome), easily check your mail with the app Gmail or other apps, watch YouTube movies with the YouTube app, handle Facebook with the Facebook app, edit your photos with PicsArt Photo Studio and manage all kinds of documents with QuickOffice or WPS Office. You’ll have to have Google Play Store installed though. And as an extra “App Finder” Aptoide App Manager (when you can’t find the app you want on Google Play Store).

Replacement for Windows, Mac or even Linux Desktop systems?
Some belive what I just said. The Android-x86 Project (Run Android on your PC) is about porting the Android Open Source Project to x86 platform. My Android-x86 version 4 of March 30, 2015 has just about everything the average computer user can wish for pre-installed.

Pre-installed apps and prerequisites
Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 Exton build version 4
can run live (from CD) on almost all laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Ausus laptops. The Android system is distributed in the form of an ISO file as the rest of my Linux distributions. I.e. you must (as usual) burn the ISO file to a CD if you want to run the system live on your computer or install it to hard drive. Read about how to burn ISO files. Or skip that. Just use ImgBurn. Nothing can go wrong. You can also very easy install the system to your hard drive and install new apps. You can also install new apps while running the system live. Google Play Store and Aptoide App Manager are pre-installed so you can just make your choice. My Android-x86 version 4 replaces version 1 and version 2 of my Android-x86 KitKat builds. In version 4 I’ve added the following apps: Google Play Store (quite difficult to install) Aptoide App Manager, YouTube, Nature Live Wallpapers, Rotation Control Lite, Facebook, WPS Office, QuickOffice, QuickPic and PicsArt Photo Studio.

Running Android-x86 Exton build version 4
When you run the system for the first time from CD, a USB stick or hard drive you can install Google Maps and Google+. You’ll also get the chance to update Google Play Services to the latest version. Watch this slideshow.

Install Android-x86 Exton build version 4 to hard drive
That can be done virtually in VirtualBox if you don’t want to touch your hard drive.. I.e. run it directly from the ISO file and install it to a hard drive created in VirtualBox. You can of course also make a “real” hard drive installation – see my instructions. Be sure to create a install partition of about 5 GB in advance with the filesystem ext4 if you already use Grub as boot manager or the filesystem ext3 if you want to install Grub during the installation of Android-x86.

USB installation
Also a very smart way ro run an Android-x86 system if you don’t want to touch your hard drive. Installing Android-x86 to a “good” USB pen drive is almost as useful as having the system on a hard drive. I.e. if you install my Android-x86 version 4 on (for example) a SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 stick the system will run very fast. And you can enjoy persistence of you follow my instructions. It is for AndEX (Android) Lollipop, but the same instruction works for all of my KitKat versions.

Screenshots

The Desktop pic 1
The Desktop pic 2
The Desktop pic 3
All pre-installed apps except Sled Mayhem and Bike Mayhem. (They can be installed after a hard drive installation of Android-x86 KitKat version 4)

DOWNLOAD android-x86-4.4.4-kitkat-exton-build-626mb-150330.iso for 7 $


md5sum

Run Android-x86 from a USB stick with persistence!

android-logoYesterday I discovered that “my” Android-x86 systems can be installed to a USB stick with persistence. I.e. all system changes are saved directly on the stick. This is how it is done.

1. Format a “good” USB stick with the ext3 (not ext4) filesystem. This has to be done in a installed Linux system or while running a live Linux system from CD or a USB stick.

2. Insert your formatted USB stick and start up one of “my” Android-x86 systems (KitKat or Lollipop) from CD. In the slideshow below I’m installing AndEX (Lollipop 5.0.2) to my USB stick SanDisk Contour.

Watch this slideshow (showing the install process).

What is it good for?
Well, you don’t have to touch your hard drive. Installing Android-x86 this way won’t effect your “ordinary” boot loader. And as I say above: All system changes are persistent!

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

Run Android 5.1 Lollipop Exton build on your Raspberry Pi 2

logoNEWS 150405
I have compiled an Android 5.1 Lollipop system which can run on Raspberry Pi 2. I call “my” new system RaspAnd.

What is Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

model-b-plus-300x225
Raspberry Pi model B made in February 2015. It has a 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU and 1GB RAM. Read more…

Kernel
Kernel 3.19.0-exton-v7+ is used in RaspAnd.

Booting up RaspAnd – Slide show
Just place your SD Card in your Raspberry Pi 2 machine and turn on the power. Watch this Slide show.

READ MORE or download the ZIP-file instantly

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

A new and better version (4) of Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 – Exton build – with Google Play Store and Aptoide App Manager

android-kitkat-exton-20150330-screenshot6-smallAndroid-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 Exton build version 4 can run live (from CD) on almost all laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Ausus laptops. The Android system is distributed in the form of an ISO file as the rest of my Linux distributions. I.e. you must (as usual) burn the ISO file to a CD if you want to run the system live on your computer or install it to hard drive. Read about how to burn ISO files. Or skip that. Just use ImgBurn. Nothing can go wrong. You can also very easy install the system to your hard drive and install new apps. You can also install new apps while running the system live. Google Play Store and Aptoide App Manager are pre-installed so you can just make your choice…

Replacement
This version (version 4) replaces version 1 and version 2 of my Android-x86 KitKat builds. In version 4 I’ve added the following apps: Google Play Store (quite difficult to install) Aptoide App Manager, YouTube, Nature Live Wallpapers, Rotation Control Lite, Facebook, WPS Office, QuickOffice, QuickPic and PicsArt Photo Studio.

Slideshow (showing the start up process from CD or a USB stick)

What’s the point?
Well, if you like your Android phone and all the apps you have installed on it I’m sure you will also like to run apps from your laptop. Bigger screen and better sound etc.

Screenshots
The Desktop pic 1
The Desktop pic 2
The Desktop pic 3
All pre-installed apps except Sled Mayhem and Bike Mayhem. Those big games (and others of course) can be installed after a hard drive installation of Android-x86 KitKat version 4.

READ MORE or download the ISO file instantly

My third build of Android-x86 KitKat with kernel 3.18.8-exton-android-x86: v.150321

Android logoI have compiled yet another Android x86 system (KitKat 4.4.4), which can run live (from CD) or be installed on almost all laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Ausus laptops. The Android system is distributed in the form of an ISO file as the rest of my Linux distributions. I.e. you must (as usual) burn the ISO file to a CD if you want to run the system live on your computer or install it to hard drive. Read about how to burn ISO files. Or skip that. Just use ImgBurn. Nothing can go wrong.

Replacement for Windows, Mac or even Linux Desktop systems?
Some belive what I just said. The Android-x86 Project (Run Android on your PC) is about porting the Android Open Source Project to x86 platform. The Android-x86 Project’s latest release is Android-x86 4.4-r2 from 2015-01-01.

My Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 v3 build from 2015-03-21 will cost you 8 $. It has three advantages over the my free Lollipop 5.0.2 versionAptoide App Manager (Google Play Store is used as App Manager in my first version of Android-x86 KitKat from 150301) is pre-installed, a newer kernel (3.18.8) is used and you can run the system in VirtualBox. Read more about my KitKat 4.4.4 version 3 or DOWNLOAD it instantly…

Screenshot
Click to view a larger picture

Kernel

Kernel 3.18.8-exton-android-x86 is used.

Installing new apps
Aptoide App Manager is pre-installed (among many other apps) so you can just go ahead and make your choices. Aptoide works even better than Google Play Store, which is used as App Manager in my first version of Android-x86 KitKat from 150301.

Other important pre-installed apps in version 150321
Facebook, IMDb, Spotify, WPS Office, Instagram, Tvitter, Yr.no, Rotation Control Lite, 1Mix Radio, Secure Web and Wallpaper Store.

Screenshots

The Desktop pic 1
The Desktop pic 2
The Desktop pic 3
All pre-installed apps
Aptoide App Manager is used
Shows how easy it is to change Desktop wallpaper
Poweroff

Reviews
Softpedia’s review of AndEX (Android-x86) Lollipop 5.0.2

Softpedias review of Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 Exton build 1 and 2 150307
_____________________________________________________________________

READ MORE or DOWNLOAD the system instantly…

Note that Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 Exton build 1, Exton build 2 and Exton build 3 can run on many more laptops/computers than AndEX (Android-x86) Lollipop 5.0.2.

My Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 builds now reviewed by Softpedia

softpediaMy Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 builds 150301 and 150307 were reviewed by Softpedia 150319.

These special builds of the Android-x86 Linux operating system are currently distributed as Live CD ISO images that contain software packages optimized only for 32-bit (x86) hardware architectures

Comes with Google Play Store, Aptoide App Manager and many cool applications
As mentioned, these are special builds of the original Android-x86 project that include the official Google Play Store application, allowing the user to install all sorts of Android applications on their computers. The second build of this special Android-x86 operating system runs even a newer kernel, version 3.18.8, and uses the Aptoide App Manager package manager instead of Google Play Store.

Among the pre-installed applications, we can mention Quickoffice, Google Now Launcher, Gmail, Netflix, Keep, Facebook, Drive, RSS Reader, Spotify, Play Newsstand, Play Movies & TV, Speech Recorder, Calibration, LIME-HD Settings, File Manager, Play Books, and Superuser. The Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 build 150307 includes even more pre-installed applications.

READ MORE…

My second build of Android-x86 KitKat with kernel 3.18.8-exton-android-x86

Android logoI have compiled yet another Android x86 system (KitKat 4.4.4), which can run live (from CD) or be installed on almost all laptops (and some Desktop computers). For example Acer (Aspire), HP, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Ausus laptops. The Android system is distributed in the form of an ISO file as the rest of my Linux distributions. I.e. you must (as usual) burn the ISO file to a CD if you want to run the system live on your computer or install it to hard drive. Read about how to burn ISO files. Or skip that. Just use ImgBurn. Nothing can go wrong.

Replacement for Windows, Mac or even Linux Desktop systems?
Some belive what I just said. The Android-x86 Project (Run Android on your PC) is about porting the Android Open Source Project to x86 platform. The Android-x86 Project’s latest release is Android-x86 4.4-r2 from 2015-01-01. The ISO file can be downloaded for free from SourceForge.net or Softpedia. My Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 v2 build from 2015-03-07 will cost you 8 $. It has three advantages over the my free Lollipop 5.0.2 versionAptoide App Manager (Google Play Store is used as App Manager in my first version of Android-x86 KitKat from 150301) is pre-installed, a newer kernel (3.18.8) is used and you can run the system in VirtualBox. Read more about my KitKat 4.4.4 version2 or DOWNLOAD it instantly…

Screenshot

Kernel
Kernel 3.18.8-exton-android-x86+ is used.

Installing new apps
Aptoide App Manager is pre-installed (among many other apps) so you can just go ahead and make your choices. Aptoide works even better than Google Play Store, which is used as App Manager in my first version of Android-x86 KitKat from 150301.

Screenshots

The Desktop (after I have added a few apps)
All apps (after I have added a few)
Aptoide App Manager is used
The file manager is used
Poweroff

Softpedia’s review of AndEX (Android-x86) Lollipop 5.0.2

Note that Android-x86 KitKat 4.4.4 Exton build 1 and Exton build 2 can run on many more laptops/computers than AndEX (Android-x86) Lollipop 5.0.2.

READ MORE…

Softpedia’s articles about AndEX (Android) Lollipop

AndEX (Android) Lollipop is now on Softpedia.
Review page: http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Linux-Distributions/AndEX-103735.shtml
It appears to include all the stock Android applications, such as the Google Chrome web browser, Google Calendar, Google Maps, the stock Android web browser, as well as the Email, Clock, Calculator, Phone, Navigation, Music, Gallery, Messaging, and File Manager apps.

In addition, AndEX includes the Aptoide App Store that allows users to install more apps, and many other useful apps, including Advanced Facebook, Nature Live Wallpapers, Bulmedia Gallery, WeLine, YourMap, RSS Reader, WiFi Analyzer, Quickoffice, Speech Recorder, Terminal Emulator, and Like.

Bottom line
In conclusion, AndEX proves to be a good competitor for the Android x86 operating system, which is currently based on the Android 4.4 Kit Kat mobile OS from Google. Unfortunately, it will only run on modern, powerful computers, as old hardware components are not currently supported.

…and here’s a nice article about AndEX: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Run-Android-5-0-2-Lollipop-on-Your-PC-with-AndEX-Live-CD-475695.shtml
Arne Exton had the pleasure of informing Softpedia about its brand-new Android-based Live CD operating system that allows anyone to run the latest Android 5.0.2 “Lollipop” mobile operating system on desktop or laptop computers. The distribution uses Arne’s special Linux kernel 3.10.58-exton-android-x86+, which includes support for the NTFS file system, as well as some extra drivers.

While the well-known Android x86 project already offers a live operating system based on Google’s Android mobile operating system, which is used on all sorts of mobile devices worldwide, the AndEX project brings the game of running Android on PCs to a new level, as it uses the latest Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OS instead of the old 4.4 Kit Kat one.

READ MORE about AndEX…