How to use the BlueStacks App Player to play Android Apps on PC or Laptop

I’ve been meaning to do an article on porting Android Apps to a PC or Laptop for some time, but it has always evaded me. Well, I’m finally doing this very short piece on something which I currently enjoy: Free Apps on my Laptops thanks to BlueStacks App Player!

The idea of running Apps on your PC may seem strange. Even stranger is the fact that this software, created by Silicon Valley-based startup Bluestacks in October 2011 as per the article “Android apps can now run on your PC via BlueStacks”, published October 11, 2011 5:59 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News, is absolutely free, making me wonder when they’ll start monetizing. But it’s not, actually.

With the popularity of WhatsApp as noted in my blog article entitled “CTIA reports a 5% decline in US Texing as Instant Messaging ramps up - WhatsApp's now Top Gun as The Dead Zone leads Star Trek Into the Darkness” the desire to have apps such as WhatsApp on your laptop or Desktop may soon see a resurgence.

Subsidized Tablets for 20,000 children donated by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining under the E-Learning Program as described in my blog article entitled “Minister Paulwell gives Parliamentarians and 20,000 Students in 30 Schools Tablets- Future in Science and Technology now rescued Indiana Jones and the Palace of Doom” are coming.

Thus in keeping-up-with-the-joneses desire may arise among many not-so-tech-savvy Jamaican to have their own Tablets and take full advantage of Android features as noted in “How to Run Android Apps on Your PC”, published Feb 8, 2012 6:00 PM By Marco Chiappetta, PCWorld.

Coupled this development the coming of Telecom Provider Digicel’s sub-US$100 (JA$10,000) Android smartphone, the Digicel Dl600 next week as described in my blog article entitled “Digicel to launch the DL600 Smartphone by Mid-May 2013 starting below US$100 - Alcatel One Touch running Firefox OS marketed like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”.

Telecom Provider LIME may be planning to counter-attack Telecom Provider Digicel’s DL600 by putting the sub-US$100 (JA$10,000) Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Y as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “Samsung Galaxy Y is LIME’s sub-US$100 alternative to the Digicel DL600 smartphone”

Especially as many Apps on the Google Play Store are either free or only cost US$1.99 on average, a need may arise to save money by having the ability to emulate Apps on your old yet trusty Laptop of PC. This so that the whole family can enjoy Apps already downloaded on your Tablet without having to pay for them again.

The instructions for using the BlueStacks App Player are as follow:

1.      Download BlueStacks App Player.

2.      Install the BlueStacks App Player

3.      Once installed the emulator environment opens, use you email or Facebook profile to register

4.      You’ll be given a BlueStacks App Player PIN (Personal Identification Number) that uniquely identifies your account

5.      Sign up or login with you Google Account to the Android Play Store

6.      Download the App from the Google Play Store, paying if necessary

7.      Alternately, you van search for the App in the Search Toolbar inside of the BlueStacks App Player

8.      Install and makes sure to accept terms and conditions to access the features of the App

If you already have Apps on your Tablet or smartphone, then the procedure is slightly different:

1.      |During the installation of the BlueStacks App Player, it’ll prompt you to select if you have a Smartphone or Tablet running Android

2.      Once you select yes, you’ll be prompted to enter your email Address and your mobile phone number

3.      Download the BlueStacks Cloud Connect App to you smartphone

4.      Select all of the Android apps on your Tablet or smartphone you'd like to upload to your PC

5.      Select Sync to upload to the BlueStacks Server for download to your PC. You may need to restart the BlueStacks App Player in order to see the transferred Apps

6.      Launch the Get More Apps tool in the BlueStacks App Player once you can see the Apps

7.      Click the Cloud Connect link to see a pop-up screen of all the Apps you uploaded via Synching

8.      Go to MyApps to access your Apps

9.      Click the Subscribe button underneath each App to run the App

That’s it! Now you can enjoy using any app on your PC or Laptop that you see on the Google Play Store whether or not you have a smartphone or Tablet! If you do, then BlueStacks App Player will make you realize that Sharing is Caring.