Microsoft goes rogue: Windows on Android

Mashable ^ | April 3, 2015 | Evan Blass

[dayglored]

At a recent Windows Hardware Engineering Community summit in China, Windows chief Terry Myerson revealed a number of newsworthy tidbits about Windows 10,...

At the very end of the news items, almost as an aside, came word of a unprecedented trial that Microsoft is undertaking "in partnership" with popular Chinese handset manufacturer Xiaomi. According to Myerson, a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 owners (power users, he calls them) will be invited to test out a custom Windows 10 ROM on their devices. Devices that ship running not Windows out of the box, but Android.

Let me restate that, so the full implications of such a program are clear:

Microsoft has prepared a build of Windows 10 for phones, that is capable of powering Android hardware

This is not just an emulator or even a dual-boot option, but an actual replacement for the stock Android firmware.

...

[Conan the Librarian]

Please add me to the Ping List.

[miliantnutcase]

Unfortunately, Android API is way too similar to Java and thus has significant security and performance hindrances.

[catbertz]

I bought the family a 2013 retina MBPro, thinking they would like osx, since they’re iphone clones. They hated it, so I boot camped win 8/8.1, with restored start menu and desktop. They love that laptop. Amazing hardware, especially the trackpad. We hate the various restrictions on usage that Apple, and now somewhat Google imposes without rooting/jailbreaking. More freedom and choice!