The BlueStacks App Player, currently in beta, is your key to accessing Android applications on your PC and is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Downloading

Simply click the "Download Now" button and run the .EXE file. Keep in mind that the .NET framework 3.5 utility is necessary before the app player can be installed.

The Post-Download Process

Once you have clicked the "Yes" button to indicate that you have an Android phone, you will be required to supply an email address along with a telephone number. This information is necessary since Bluestacks will proceed to send either an email or SMS message which entails directions for syncing your phone with App Player.

Start Gathering Apps

After properly following the prompts you will be ready to use the App Player, which happens to come with some pre-existing apps available for you to sample. They include StumbleUpon, Documents To Go, Barnes & Noble's Nook App, Pulse, and Evernote.

Downloading new apps is intuitive enough - either search for your app of choice or go browsing through some of Android's other app stores, like GetJar, the Amazon app store for Android, or Soc.io Mail. There is actually a "basket" icon located at the top of the screen.

Cloud Connect App

This completely free app allows you to sync your existing Android apps on to the desktop App Player. Cloud Connect can be found through Google Play and requires a PIN that you will find in your email upon installation. Just select the apps you would like to sync with the App Player and hit the "sync" button at the top of the screen. Adjacent the "sync" button can be found a box that offers you the option of syncing all apps to your desktop.

Let us know how smoothly this process goes for you, and if you happen to stumble upon any great tips or peculiar issues, be sure to post them below!