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Meet BlueStacks 2, the revamped Android app player for Windows and Mac

By Liu Hongzuo - on 3 Dec 2015, 10:15pm

BlueStacks launches BlueStacks 2 - the revamped Android app player for Windows

Mobile company BlueStacks revised their best-known product - the eponymous Android app player for desktop users - with an improved user experience for their 100 million users today. Dubbed as BlueStacks 2, the company declares that the new version of the program comes with better features, bridging the gap between desktop use with Android mobile gaming and mobile workspaces. 

The Android app emulator, runing on Windows.

New features found in BlueStacks 2 include its brand-new browser-styled interface, better separation between the actual app and advertisement pop-ups normally found in game apps, and the ability to run multiple tabs of different apps all at once. Files on the desktop are also easier to access in BlueStacks 2, such as if you need to access and upload images on mobile-only social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat. The improvements were inspired by the requests coming from their 100 million-strong user-base, which is currently the 7th largest Android install base worldwide, ahead of companies like Xiaomi and Sony.

BlueStacks sees more than 100 million users for their app player.

"The honest secret to our success has been that our best ideas have all come from our users," said BlueStacks President & CEO, Rosen Sharma. "This release is a perfect example. Things like moving photos easily between Windows and Android and running two apps simultaneously are items people have been asking for a long time."

BlueStacks running mobile-only FallOut Shelter on Windows platform.

Currently, BlueStacks sees 220,000 new users a day – double the numbers compared to a year ago. With a host of innovative products within the Android-to-Windows scene, the four-year-old startup has since attracted various investors, including Samsung, where the Korean electronics company put US$13 million into another BlueStacks product, GamePop.

BlueStacks ranks 7th for Android distribution, with number one being one of their most recent investors.

BlueStacks 2 will also feature a Premium version like its predecessor. Originally, the first BlueStacks’ premium mode spares the user from getting sponsored apps downloaded by the app emulator, and it had a US$2 fee per month, or a yearly subscription at US$24. BlueStacks has said that Q1 of 2016 will see Singapore enjoying a price reduction for Premium subscription costs.

So does the new addition really live up to its billing and how is the user experience? We managed to test it out and here are our findings!

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