Mobile Technology

XP Mod for Android makes phones look and feel like Windows XP

XP Mod for Android makes phones look and feel like Windows XP
XP Mod brings the Windows XP experience to Android
XP Mod brings the Windows XP experience to Android
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A shot of the default desktop, the wallpaper is fully customizable
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A shot of the default desktop, the wallpaper is fully customizable
Opening My Computer will open the familiar Windows Explorer
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Opening My Computer will open the familiar Windows Explorer
The Windows XP Start menu is back and as easy to use as ever
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The Windows XP Start menu is back and as easy to use as ever
XP Mod brings the Windows XP experience to Android
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XP Mod brings the Windows XP experience to Android
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The recently-released XP Mod is an Android Launcher, or home screen replacement, that recreates the look and feel of Windows XP. Perhaps its most impressive feature is the functional Windows Explorer clone, which makes finding files stored on your phone a similar experience to browsing files on a PC, making the app more than mere novelty. Currently in beta, XP Mod is missing a few key features that will likely keep it from being an everyday application, but this could change with future updates.

Upon start-up, XP Mod greets you with a familiar log-in screen, the classic Windows XP chimes play, and you are brought to your desktop. In the current beta release, there are only four icons available on your desktop: My Documents, My Computer, Recycle Bin, and Internet Explorer. Each of these opens a specific Android application. You'll also find the Start menu, which functions much as you'd expect albeit with a few limitations. All of your installed apps are available within the "All Programs" tab, however certain items like the Control Panel are not yet functional. Additionally, you cannot add icons to the desktop yet, which really cuts down XP Mod's customization options.

A shot of the default desktop, the wallpaper is fully customizable
A shot of the default desktop, the wallpaper is fully customizable

By recreating the experience found on desktop computers, XP Mod has managed solve some of Android's file system woes. Windows Explorer has long been at the heart of Windows operating systems, and it feels right at home on Android (swapping out hard drives for SD cards). Touch control is fully implemented, meaning you can flick and scroll through folders, making accessing specific files on your SD card fast and easy.

Opening My Computer will open the familiar Windows Explorer
Opening My Computer will open the familiar Windows Explorer

XP Mod features desktop style resolutions. On a phone, this means icons will look tiny, making them hard to press accurately. However, on a tablet the experience looks just like a Windows netbook, and using a USB mouse adds to the realism.

XP Mod is free to download. For now its the easiest way to convince friends you've installed Windows XP on your Android handset.

Source: XP Mod via Android Police

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6 comments
6 comments
Michael Mantion
That's odd because I currently trying to get my android emulator to work with the touch screen on my XP laptop.
Ender Wigin
What, no command console? Backwards on my command no.1, full speed
agulesin
Having been a prisoner in the Windoze camp for the past ten years I'm not going to dirty my Android with it. Thanks, but not for me!
atul292
Android for large screens is at best a school kid's OS and at worst a mere joke. It's still ok for phones and small screens.
I am excited to use this mod on my Android 4.0 Asus Transformer Prime because my windows 8 tablet is still a good 6 months away, and also it is going to cost a bomb
Till such time, XP mod is pretty exciting for tablets !
Charles Bosse
And they don't think MS is going to sue the pants off them as soon as they make an appreciable amount of money on this?
Also, what? Android for large screens is a joke? Huh. Works pretty well for me. I'll not make it worse by pretending it's an OS that only sort of worked to begin with though.
pmshah
Why is Android a joke on a larger screen ? Forget the larger screen I can't wait for it to appear on my desktop PC. My phone does everything I need to do everyday and it does it with almost no power consumption compared to my desktop. We already have 7" tablets with standard USB port AND a keyboard fitted in a leather case the size of a largish softback, sporting ICS and selling for just about US$ 170/=. Just waiting for the Google tablet to arrive on the market.