14 DAY TRIAL // Dual-OS computers are pretty rare, and they usually can't run the two operating systems at the same time. VolksPC decided that living in such a world would just not do, so it released a new PC that runs a software called MicroXwin.
The reason most operating systems can't run on the same computer at the same time is because they format and arrange data on disk drives too differently.
You can circumvent this by adding a secondary storage unit and installing each operating system on its own drive and selecting a different boot drive upon system startup.
This won't avail the vast majority of people though, since most PCs only have one storage device. Also, those who use an HDD and an SSD usually employ the latter as cache, meaning that the system sees the HDD and SSD as a single entity, so you can't pull the above maneuver.
Also, running two operating systems at once on the same computer is mostly impossible, even when it's the very same OS, let alone two differently coded ones.
VolksPC wanted to do it anyway, so that's what it did. It had to create a new software that would boot and run the OSes, but it did it, and then made a computer that had it installed by default.
Don't let the name of the software fool you though. As much as MicroXwin suggests that Microsoft's Windows is part of the package, Windows is not, in fact, included. Instead, the MicroXwin allows the new VolksPC mini PC to run Android and Debian Linux.
Not that the PC would have lent itself well to a Windows installation. It's based on an ARM chip after all, not an Intel or AMD x86 CPU/APU.
Specifically, the VolksPC mini personal computer has a dual-core Rockchip RK3066 ARM Cortex-A9 CPU (1.4 GHz), backed by 1 GB RAM, 8 GB storage space, an extra 8 GB via microSD card, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, one micro USB OTG port, and an HDMI output (for video).
The Android and Debian versions that can boot at the same time are Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and Debian 7.0 Wheezy. Thus, you can run both Linux and Android apps at once, though you will still need to swap between the Android and Linux desktop environments to switch between the apps running at any given time.
VolksPC needs a pledge of $119 / €88.66 - €119 to ship you one of the mini computers, which will happen in October. Well, assuming their Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign raises the intended $80,000 / €59,500.
