TechApple

Category: Mac OS X Zone

  • Use Google Chrome browser as MP3/Audio/Video Player on Android/PC !

    Use Google Chrome browser as MP3/Audio/Video Player on Android/PC !

    Recently, i flashed my phone and I was left with literally no external apps , also I didn’t had the apk packages with me and I had to urgently play some MP3 Songs present on my SD Card. I was looking for options, and then i remembered this article which i used to use Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox as a File explorer cum Media player on PC using “file:///” protocol . So I decided to try my hand with this trick on Android too and it worked! I was able to use Google Chrome as a File explorer + MP3 Player + Video player too! on my Android! . Also this trick works on PC too! so i’ll be mentioning the steps for PC too!

    Google chrome’d File Browser view

    Method to use Google Chrome as MP3/Audio/Video Player on Android

    • First of all Open your Google Chrome browser , you can also use Mozilla Firefox on Android . I tried it and it worked on Firefox too, but other 3rd party browsers like UC browser, Opera Mini and Dolphin browser weren’t able to support our method .
    • Now in the address bar , Type and navigate these locations one – by – one ( Note – I am saying to try all URLs because the File system structure vary from device-to-device depending upon the Android version) .file:///sdcard/
      file://sdcard0/
      file://sdcard1/
      file://storage/

      file://storage/sdcard0/

    • You’ll find that the Browser is able to open / show files on atleast one of these five address locations.
    • Now, click on the folder name to enter it , and browse to the media file you want to open.
    • After reaching the file , Simply Click on it – If its a MP3/Video File it will be played , or if its an image/html file it will be displayed right in your browser!
    • Magical! isn’t it (Check the alongside image for reference) .
    • Note – You can also use this trick to use Google Chrome browser as PDF viewer as Android lacks in-built PDF viewer (Thus, saving your memory required to install PDF viewer on your phone)

    Method for PC Users to use Google Chrome/ Firefox Browser as MP3 / Audio Player on PC (Windows / MAC / Linux )

    • The method is actually the same except you have to enter the URLs like this –

    file://c:/                             (To Access/Open C Drive in windows)

    file://root/                         (For Linux Users)

    file://home/  

    file://Desktop/

    • Now, again one of them will show your folder contents depending upon your OS , Click on the foldername to open the folder and on the media file to play/open it in your Browser 🙂 . It’ll work without any hiccups (You can also use it to view PDF files ).

    The trick is quite simple but I hope, you guys will like it and use it to flaunt your geekiness 🙂 , Signing off with yet another Screenshot of my device using Firefox as the File explorer. If you face any problems or have any doubts/queries feel free to comment 🙂

     

  • ARChon Android Emulator for Google Chrome OS/Linux/Windows and Mac|Install and Run Android Apps in Chrome

    ARChon Android Emulator for Google Chrome OS/Linux/Windows and Mac|Install and Run Android Apps in Chrome

    ARChon is the first Android Emulator which is supported on Google Chrome OS! It works on Google Chrome browser too and thus can be used on Windows , Linux as well Mac OS too!! It uses the default Android Runtime Package for running the Android apps however, sooner we expect that Google will officially launch support for Android apps on Chrome! till then, we can use ARChon as it does the job pretty decently .Archon Android emulator will also Run Android Apk in Chrome OS / Chromebooks.

    Pre-requisites :

    • Google Chrome browser with an Internet Connection.
    • ARChon Runtime Package/Extension installed on Google Chrome .
    • A Modified .apk Android App package for testing Purpose (e.g we will be using 2048 Game Apk for this purpose , You can download 2048 from here).

    Method : 

    • First of all , download the runtime which is appropriate for your system:
    Runtime Download
    ARChon 1.2 – Intel x86 Chrome 64-bit / Chrome OS 64-bit (OSX: Use this in Chrome Canary) BitBucket :: MirrorMD5:d77b468339cc512e121c003cc97715db
    ARChon 1.2 – Intel x86 Chrome 32-bit / Chrome OS 32-bit (OSX: Use this in Chrome Stable) (Win7 32-bit: Use something like Chrome Beta 38.0.2125.77 beta-m) BitBucket :: MirrorMD5:9c9844e2591a27d952098581011a2bce
    ARChon 1.2 – ARM (i.e ARM-based Chromebooks) BitBucket :: MirrorMD5:3d6955c7702baf1e1d16a000d9f67b10
    • Unzip it into a folder ,Now load it as an unpacked extension, as shown in the image below

     For loading Unpacked extensions you will need to enable Developer Mode in Google Chrome you can do it by going to Settings – > Extensions -> Check mark the Developer Mode And Select the Folder where you just extracted the Archron Engine. (You can check the screenshots in this post 🙂 )

    • Once you have loaded the extension , please enable it by checking the Enable option besides the extension name .
    • Now extract the android Apk package which is converted into Chrome OS compatible into another folder and Load that too as an extension in Google Chrome (You can try with the above linked 2048 Game link).
    • Once you have loaded the game as an unpacked extension, it too will be shown with other extensions, now simply click on launch as shown in the image below-
    • Now once you  have clicked on Launch Your Desired Android App will be loaded! as shown below – Amazing isn’t it ?

    Drawbacks –

    • The Default Android Apk files do not work directly they need to be converted first into Chrome Compatible Apk’s which you can be created by an app mentioned here.
    • This is a proof of concept. You can run up to 4 Android applications right now with the regular runtime. Read the multiple apps manual to load more than one application at a time. To load unlimited number of apps read the ARChon runtime guide.

    I personally found this very unique and interesting , do comment your views and problems which you face while installing / running the apps . I am always happy to help 🙂

  • Installation/Setup of Firefox OS Simulator on PC/Mac | Run/Install Firefox OS apps on PC (Windows/Mac OS/Linux) through Firefox Emulator

    Installation/Setup of Firefox OS Simulator on PC/Mac | Run/Install Firefox OS apps on PC (Windows/Mac OS/Linux) through Firefox Emulator

    As soon as Intex and Spice had launched their new feature phones in the Indian Market , I wanted to purchase them for getting my hands on the new Firefox OS but at the same time their limited hardware refrained me from doing so.. hence, I started looking for Firefox OS Emulator for PC , and found that configuring the Firefox OS simulator for testing and checking Firefox OS is really quite Simple! So, in this tutorial I will cover all you need to do for Installation / Setup Firefox OS Simulator on PC , And let me tell you all we require is a Firefox browser for PC – So this tutorial will work for PC as well as Mac , practically any OS – Mac OS, Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora etc) ,Windows XP /7/8/9 all.. 🙂

    Prerequisites –
    Mozilla Firefox 33 (Can work on Previous versions too 26 and later, but its really quite simple to configure and use in 33).

    So , let’s get Started –

    Step 1. Installing Mozilla Firefox 33 on your Default OS

    This will be our ‘base’ for running the Firefox OS Emulator/Simulator , at the time of writing this article Firefox 33 is in beta, but i have tested it and everything works simply fine! also i will update the links as soon as the Final version becomes available. So first let’s Download and install Firefox Browser 33 from these links according to the OS installed –

    Download Firefox 33.0 Beta for Windows
    Download Firefox 33.0 Beta for Linux
    Download Firefox 33.0 Beta for Mac

    Step 2. Navigating to the App Manager

    App Manager is the one-stop destination for Coding  as well as testing Firefox Apps , its been launched from the Firefox Version 33, to Access Manager Perform the Steps below –
    Go to Menu -> Developer -> in the list which appears select App Manager as shown in the alongside image –

     

    Step 3. Adding a Device (Firefox OS Add-on)

    • Now after going to the App Manager , you will be greeted with a screen , showing apps and devices in the left pane . Here , select devices in the left pane and in the bottom pane click on the “Start Simulator” button as shown below –  Here, in the bottom pane , Click on the “Add” button (you can check the below figure for the add button ,The Firefox OS 1.3 shown in image won’t be visible to you, its shown in my image because i already have the device installed 🙂 for making the tutorial)

    After clicking on the Add button you will be redirected to a webpage , there click on the “Install Simulator” button as shown below –

     After clicking on install Simulator , you will be redirected to the Version select page of App-Manager helper, asking you to select the version of Firefox OS you want to install , here select the Firefox OS version you would like to emulate, in my case i selected v 1.3 as it was the latest Stable release shown in the image below –

    After selecting the OS version it will ask you to allow installation of Add-On , please select “Allow or Install Now”  to allow the installation of Add-On ., Now wait for sometime till the add-on gets installed.

    Step 4 . Going to the App Manager after add-on installed , and running the Emulated device

    • After the installation of Add-On again navigate to the App Manager as mentioned in Step 2.
    • Now , go to Device in the left pane , Select “Start Simulator”  in the bottom pane , now you will see your device name – Firefox OS version in bottom pane alongside the Start Label .
    • Here, Simply click on the Firefox OS x.x (in my case it was Firefox OS  1.3) alongside Start label , to start the device and voila! the Device Emulation will be started and your device will appear in a new Window!

    Step 5 . Done! 🙂

    That’s it you have installed your own Firefox Emulator to run and Install Firefox OS , you can browse through the UI by swiping while pressing the left-mouse click , just as in Android Menu. also the deviee automatically takes the Internet Connection of your Computer, So you can start Installing and Running Firefox OS Apps, right through the Firefox App Marketplace present in the Emulated Device itself 🙂

    Here’s a Screenshot of my Emulated device in action , its in-built Music app,automatically detected Songs from my PC’s Music library and i was able to play them from the device itself – 🙂

     You may also like to install WhatsApp on the Firefox OS Simulator by reading this article

    So, just play around and do tell us What you think about the OS, also if you have any problem in configuring/installing the Firefox OS Simulator feel free to comment 🙂

  • 5 Best Android Emulators for Mac OS X to Run Android Apps [2019] | Run and install Android apps on your Mac OS X , Macbook Air/Pro

    5 Best Android Emulators for Mac OS X to Run Android Apps [2019] | Run and install Android apps on your Mac OS X , Macbook Air/Pro

    What are Android Emulators for Mac ? Why do you need them ?

    Android Emulators are software which let you install Android apps and games on your Mac . Thus, enabling you to run apps and play games made for Android on your system. Considering, the vast number of productive apps and great games for Android, it increases the amount of activities you can do on your Mac. As using it, you can even run Android apps in addition to apps made for your Mac OS X system.

    5 Best Android Emulators for Mac OS X –

    1. Bluestacks AppPlayer Android Emulator
      • Bluestacks emulator for Mac OS
        Bluestacks emulator for Mac OS

        Bluestacks AppPlayer is probably the Best Android Emulator for Mac OS because it uses the unique “LayerCake” technology which allows android OS apps to be emulated and run without requiring an external Virtual Desktop Application such as Virtual Box or Vmware.

    Bluestacks for Mac OS X Features & Drawbacks
    Features Drawbacks
    • Inbuilt Manager to browse and install apps inside the Emulator

    • Gaming performance needs to be improved. Some games face lag

    • Double click on any apk file in Mac OS X to install in Bluestacks

    • Snapchat and Pokemon Go do not work

    • Push Notifications support from Bluestacks to Mac, thus enabling use of Chat apps

    • Free version may show some ads

    • Camera support, thus upload live videos to Android app from Mac Camera

     

    2. Nox Emulator for Mac OS X
    Nox Android Emulator for Mac
    Nox Android Emulator for Mac
      • Nox is a great emulator for Mac and Mac OS X and is the best suited for playing games without fuss.

     

    Nox Emulator for Mac OS X Features & Drawbacks
    Features Drawbacks
    • Drag and Drop to install APK

    • Difficult to transfer files between Nox and the Mac OS X system

    • Inbuilt Screen Capture and 60Fps Video Recording Support

    • Camera Module doesn’t work , so cannot use Camera based apps (Video Call)

    • Assign Macro and Keyboard mapping to play touch games via Keyboard

    • The Mac version is less frequently updated compared to Windows version

    • Smooth Video Streaming on Streaming Apps


    NOTE –     You might want to check out this new emulator which runs directly inside Google Chrome Browser – ARChon! Android Emulator., thus it will work on Mac too!

    3. Andy OS
    ANDY Emulator Gameplay
      • Andy OS by Andyroid.net is another great Android Emulator for Mac OS , but it requires Virtual Box to be preinstalled on the MAC. 
      • You can also use your phone as a controller for controlling / playing the games, the picture alongside explains it 🙂

     

    Andy OS for Mac Pro’s & Cons
    Pros Cons
    • Directly launch the apps installed in Emulator from OS X Launchpad

    • Resource Heavy, long-time usage may heat up your system

    • OpenGL Acceleration for Better Graphics

    • Camera Module doesn’t work , so cannot use Camera based apps (Video Call)

    • Camera & Microphone Supported

    • Uses Old Android Version

    Update : You might love it to check out the New Firefox OS on PC – Click here to Configure Firefox OS Emulator on your Mac

     

    4. Genymotion
    Genymotion Live on MAC
    • One of the most striking features of Genymotion is unlike other Android Emulators it allows us to change the type of android device as well as android version we are using!!
    • This is a great feature and allows us to select a particular device as well as particular Android version which we want to emulate.
    • It also supports configuring the amount of resources e.g RAM ,harddisk to be allocated to the Android device is possible! Great feature if your are limited on hardware resources.
    • Directly supports networking through ethernet /Wi-Fi , emulates your connected connection directly so you can use internet directly in your emulated android.
    • ADB Support and it also supports OpenGL hardware acceleration so you can use your Android device fullscreen and play Games on your MAC!
    • Also supports drag and drop file transfer to the emulated SD Card 🙂 , supports Gyroscope,Light and accelerometer sensors too.
    • You need an account on Genymotion Cloud – to Download and deploy Genymotion android device .

     

    5. Xamarin Android Player for MAC
    • Xamarin is yet another android emulator with variety of devices supported, it supports OpenGL, and virtualizes a device instead of emulating it. 
    • This Virtualization increases speed of the emulator to a great extent!
    • Click here to download Xamarin Android Player for Mac.
    • The Configuration/installation instructions for Xamarin on Mac OS can be found here .

     

    So these were the Best 5 Android Emulators for Mac OS , besides these there are other options available too such as the Android SDK (Official) Emulator ,AndroVM , AndroLite but configuring official Android SDK is a tedious task and other two didn’t interest me much , you can check them out too..

    Hope you liked this post, if you have any doubts/queries/suggestions feel free to comment!