Remix OS is basically Android skinned for a desktop interface and experience. It’s made by a company called Jide that was founded by a couple of ex-Googlers. Version 2.0 of the OS launched during CES last week and a developer version is now available to install.
From initial screenshots and videos of Remix OS, it appears that Jide was successful in creating a fully featured operating system that you could use to get work done. It has resizable windows, multitasking, system-wide keyboard shortcuts, and right clicking. It also has a pretty user friendly file manager that supports external storage. The occasional Android app is going to be convenient, but users can always fall back to using Chrome for most of their tasks.
Apps are downloaded from the Play Store and through your own Google account. Unlike previous attempts of desktop Android apps, there are no third-party app store that users need to go through. As this is full Android, Google Play services should be fully working so this technically has a leg up over ARC apps on Chrome. Remix OS also supports touchscreen laptops, so it has a leg up over all other Android tablets in terms of features and optimizations.
The version available for download on Jide’s site is an alpha intended for early adopters and developers, so expect a few bugs. It’s a nearly 700MB download and requires an 8GB USB 3.0 flash drive that writes at a speed of 20MB/s. Remix OS should work on any Intel x86 computer that supports USB legacy boot option, which both Mac and PC computers do. Full install instructions are available at their site.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLWJcnE7ywc]
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