Android for Raspberry Pi – Could it Change the Digital Media Player World?
A digital media player running an Android OS has may advantages over a digital media player that does not. Android for Raspberry Pi could really make an impact in the digital media player world -it could combine the power, flexibility and functionality of an Android OS with the low cost (and flexibility) of a Raspberry Pi. For me, despite my high praise of the Raspberry Pi, I still tend to lean towards Android devices, mainly because they can smoothly switch between Netflix and other streaming service apps, Kodi and even retro game emulators.
Ric96 over at Geek Till it Hertz has been working on developing a version of Android on the Raspberry Pi. Their latest version 6.0.1 – Marshmallow – can be downloaded and tried out now. I tell you this is definitely a step in the right direction and is some really really cool work, but I should give you fair warning it is not perfect.
ETAPrime has been doing a series of YouTube videos trying out different applications on the Android for Raspberry Pi platform. His latest video has noted that the CPU and GPU drivers, while better than previous versions, still aren’t quite up to snuff. Check it out below.
Still, it is worth checking out and playing around with and I really hope Ric96 keeps up the good work. I’ve tried briefly myself and wasn’t able to get it up and running. However, if you follow ETAPrime’s videos and spend a bit of time, I’m sure you can take a good run at it.
There have also been rumors that Google is working on a version of Android for Raspberry Pi.
Personally, I think that if there is a viable version of Android for Raspberry Pi, will change the landscape in the digital media player world. I don’t think the impact can be understated.
Cheers!
~digiMoot
