Have you ever wished that you could play Angry Birds on your home PC as well as your iPhone? Neither have we, but it might be an option in the near future.
In an interview with IDG, Intel VP Doug Fisher revealed that the company was working on a tool to help port apps written for the ARM architecture - and specifically the iPhone - over to x86 processors. The goal is for the company to bolster the offerings available on its AppUp marketplace as well as the third-party software available for the MeeGo platform.
Fisher explained that "we'll get [apps on] AppUp, then Meego and I imagine Windows...It's basically taking the existing applications, finding the ones that are most relevant to end users, and ensuring they get pulled over".
The VP was right on the mark when he added that "getting people excited to develop to Intel platforms is absolutely critical". While getting developers interested in a fledgling OS is never easy, an effective conversion tool could help devs to broaden their audience and generate more income without a significant reinvestment.
AppUp - Intel's app store for Atom-powered netbooks - has so far been met with trepidation as it attempts to apply a mobile marketplace to the Windows ecosystem. Whether or not mobile apps will find a market on full-fledged computers also remains to be seen, though this development will undoubtedly help build support for MeeGo.
The portable OS is a part of a joint venture between the chip-giant and Nokia that is expected to reach v1.1 later this month. Though it is currently only found running on x86 chips, Fisher expects ARM-based devices to appear in the "first half of next year".
However, he gave no details on when the conversion tool might be made available.
