Remix OS is a customized version of Android designed to look and feel like a desktop operating system. You can use it to run just about any Android app, but there’s a desktop, a taskbar, and support for viewing multiple apps at once in windows that you can resize and reposition on the screen.
It basically looks like a cross between Windows and Android.
The operating system is developed by a Chinese startup called Jide, which was founded by three former Google employees. They introduced the operating system to the public in early 2015 when they unveiled a 2-in-1 tablet that came with a keyboard cover, sold for $400, and bore a striking resemblance to Microsoft’s Surface tablets.
Later in 2015 Jide followed up the Remix Ultra Tablet with a tiny desktop computer called the Remix Mini, which sells for just $70.
I met Jide co-founder David Ko at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, where the company was showing off its new Remix OS for PC software that lets anyone download the operating system and try it on a computer they may already have. But what really caught my attention was Ko’s vision of the future.
Right now most of the people using Remix OS are early adopters, beta testers, and geeks. But eventually Ko figures Remix OS could change the way people use computers in emerging markets, where many people’s first experiences with the internet come through a phone and not a laptop or desktop computer. So if and when they make the jump to a desktop, why not give them one that runs software they’re familiar with?
I recently had a chance to do a more in-depth interview with Ko over the phone, and decided to flesh out that interview with a bit of context from a few friends and colleagues. There were some insights from our talk that didn’t make it into the episode, but you can read more on what I learned about Jide’s plans for Remix OS at Liliputing.
This week’s show features David Ko, senior director of industry analysis at App Annie, Ross Rubin, science fiction and fantasy writer (and tech blogger) KT Bradford, and blogger Lory Gil who has written for Liliputing and who is now at iMore.
Here are some links that you may be interested in:
- Download the latest version of Remix OS for PC
- How to install the Google Play Store on Remix OS for PC
- App Annie’s 2020 forecast for mobile app revenue
- Lory Gil @ iMore
- K Tempest Bradford’s blog and The Write Gear podcast
Bluetooth Speaker giveaway
Update: This contest has now ended. Congratulations to our winner, MrWed!
Oh yeah, and as mentioned in the episode, we’re also giving away a Bluetooth speaker. Just fill out this form by February 28th and enter the code-word mentioned in the episode for a chance to win.
The speaker was given to me by Zotac at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and it also functions as an FM radio. This contest is open to residents of the continental United States.
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:08 — 14.0MB)
I was really surprised to hear Jide pronounced as jaid, straight from the creators lips no less. I had presumed it was a pinyin rendering of 记得 (jìdé), meaning to remember in Chinese. An appropriate name for a computer, no? Any idea about the backstory on the company name?
Great show. I had an old Palm m500 and a foldable keyboard that I used to take notes with. I actually enjoyed that more than my more recent experiment with an Asus Transformer a few years ago. Cornerstone had an open source windowing solution for android I was eager to see at the time, but it didn’t get off the ground and I abandoned my Android ‘laptop’ pretty quickly.
All your coverage of remix has been great and I look forward to more. I plan to at least try it out in a VM eventually.