Software : Bluestacks brings Android apps to the Surface Pro

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Bluestacks brings Android apps to the Surface Pro Posted: Windows 8 users, especially those with a Surface Pro, can now enjoy up to 750,000 new apps for their devices, with Bluestacks launching a new beta version of its Android app player. Advertised as "optimised for Surface Pro, the latest version of Bluestacks joins builds for previous versions of Windows and a version for Macs. The Android App player is sort of like an emulator that lets you run any Android app on devices which are not powered by the Android OS. Bluestacks handles the code and the user interface for the apps. The company recently announced 5 million downloads of its beta software, even before it launched for the touch-friendly Windows 8 environment. There are plenty of punters queueing up for news about the tool's development too, with the company's Facebook page acquiring over a million followers,. Bugs to squish Despite there being a lot of enthusiasm for the project, the software is receiving mixed reviewers from everyday users. Tech site CNET awarded Bluestacks a 'best of CES award' in 2012, but comments on the CNET download page from users are far less favourable; many pointing to a laggy experience within apps. "There's probably not enough space on the internet to list everything wrong with this program, so here's the condensed version: its a disaster," bemoaned one dissatisfied user. Still, that is what beta test periods are for: downloading with an open mind and crossing your fingers for performance enhancing updates. We have confidence that these bugs will be sorted before Bluestacks is ready for prime-time.

Fitbit adds wireless syncing for Android, following Nike FuelBand snub Posted: Fitbit, the purveyor of fine wearable activity trackers, is hoping to capitalise on Nike's decision to abandon Android users, by giving them exactly what the sportswear giant won't. Following yesterday's news that Nike has no plans to launch an Android app for its FuelBand device, Fitbit has launched a sparkling new, and well timed, version of its own offering for Google-based devices. With the updated app, owners of the Fitbit One, Zip and Ultra now have access to wireless syncing over Bluetooth 4.0, meaning all data gleaned by the tracker will be sent back to the Android phone or tablet. The new functionality is only available to Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy S3 users at present, but support for more devices is imminent, the company said. Droid love Fitbit had announced its plans to incorporate wireless syncing at last month's CES Expo in Las Vegas, so it's a quick delivery for those Android users eager to try out the feature During the tech extravaganza, the company also launched the new wrist-based Fitbit Flex device which, like its stablemates, provides information on calories burned, steps taken, distance travelled and length/quality of sleep. In anticipation of the Flex's launch, scheduled for sometime this spring, the new app has NFC support built-in also. The update is available to download from the Google Play store, but remember the fancy new Bluetooth 4.0 syncing feature is only available to Note II and Galaxy S3 owners at present.

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