Android-x86 is a port of the Android open source mobile operating system to the x86 (32-bit) architecture, allowing users to run Android applications and replace their existing operating system with the Android OS.
Features at a glance
Key features include a KMS (Kernel Mode Setting) enabled Linux kernel 3.10.x LTS, Wi-Fi support, battery status, V4l2 camera support, G-sensor, bluetooth, suspend, resume, audio though ALSA, and mouse wheel support.
In addition, it supports software mouse cursor, external monitors, debug mode through Busybox, external keyboards, netbook native resolution, better disk installer, as well as external storage automatic mount.
Distributed as a 32-bit Live CD
It is distributed as a single Live CD ISO image that supports only the 32-bit hardware platform. From the boot prompt you can start the live environment with default settings, with the VESA framebuffer, or using the debug mode. It is also possible to install the OS to a local disk drive.
Originally designed as a collection of patches for Android x86 support, the project matured enough in the last years to finally be seriously considered as a good alternative operating system for personal computers.
Supported computers
At the moment, Android-x86 was tested only with the ASUS Eee PC platforms, Viewsonic Viewpad 10 tablet, Dell Inspiron Mini Duo hybrid laptop, Samsung Q1U UMPC device, Viliv S5 handheld PC, as well as with the Lenovo ThinkPad x61 tablet.
At the moment, the project is in active development state. The final release of the project will integrate support for multiple targets, multi-touch touchpad, better power management and multimedia support, OpenGL ES hardware acceleration for Intel and ATI Radeon graphics cards, and OpenGL emulation layer.
Conclusions
In conclusion, if you ever wanted to run Android on a desktop computer or laptop, the Android-x86 does just that. It allows users to install the Android OS or just use it directly from a USB flash drive or optical media on their personal computers.
