Remix OS Review

Remix OS, if you’re not familiar with it, is a heavily modified version of Android which aims to replicate the full functionality and features of a larger desktop experience. 

Creator Jide has already released it in the from of the Remix Mini PC, and it’s now been confirmed that an Alpha version will be available for curious gadgeteers from 12 January.

 So then - how does it work?







Jide has a number of USB sticks pre-loaded with the Remix OS at its CES stand, but you can also make your own by saving the Remix OS download to the stick itself.
Once that’s done, it’s simply a case of manually forcing your Mac or PC to boot from the USB drive and choosing to load the OS in either guest or regular mode.

There are plans to add multiple user profile support to the OS itself in future, letting more than one person have their own files, apps and games sectioned off in their own respective accounts.

The entire OS runs off the USB stick itself, so there’s no need to mess around with installation. Turn off the power, take out the stick, and boom, you’re back to regular Windows or OS X.

Remix OS looks like an Android/Windows hybrid, with a familiar desktop and taskbar setup, along with some useful tricks brought over from the world of grownup desktops.

These include copy and paste keyboard shortcut support, right-click mouse functionality, and a very useful file browser. No, it’s not revolutionary stuff we’re talking about here, but it certainly makes a big difference in regular use compared to Android’s stock options.

Today at Mobile World Congress, the company announced that the software's beta will be available to download — for free — from March 1st, adding support for more machines and over-the-air updates. We tried out an early version on a Dell laptop, and the results were impressive. Although there were a few bugs and glitches, like delays with resizing windows, overall the experience felt pretty smooth and looked just as good. The company says it's currently reaching out to early users to try and iron out these ticks.

"THE NEXT AREA [FOR ANDROID] IS GOING TO BE MOVING INTO THE PC SPACE."

Speaking to The Verge, Jide's co-founder David Ko says he believes the future of Android definitely includes desktop devices. He says that after many years, the app ecosystem is now strong enough to support this transition, and the necessary hardware is cheap and available. "The next area [for Android] is going to be moving into the PC space," says Ko. "Productivity is going to be key."

You could point to the success of Google's Chromebooks as an inexpensive parallel here. Chromebooks tend to be positioned as a simple way of getting basic tasks done — checking email, typing out documents, browsing the web — and Remix OS seems like it could fit into the same market. It even looks quite a bit like ChromeOS, although Ko says Jide is targeting a "different sector."

However, the operating system needs more work before it's ready for wider adoption. Jide say the first full release of Remix OS should be coming out in three to six months, but the company is still waiting for Google's approval to directly integrate Google Play Services and the Play Store into the OS. These items have to be sideloaded at the moment (and this isn't really optional), and it's an extra bit of hassle for those who want to test out the software. Ko says the company is "constantly talking" to Google about this, and is confident they'll get full approval some time later this year.

Jide seems certain that desktop computer are part of the future of Android. The company is working with a number of other firms to bring the software to new devices, and says hardware partners are aiming to release the first dedicated Remix OS machines in 2016 and 2017.  Right now, though, the software is available as a free download, or preloaded onto Jide's pebble-like mini-computer. And, if you've got an old machine that you fancy breathing some new life into, Remix OS might be worth a try.