Intel Houdini - Binary Translator
ro.product.cpu.abi=x86
ro.product.cpu.abilist=x86,armeabi-v7a,armeabi
ro.product.cpu.abilist32=x86,armeabi-v7a,armeabi
ro.product.cpu.abilist64=ro.dalvik.vm.isa.arm=x86
libhoudini: What It Means for Developers
libhoudini is a proprietary ARM translation layer for x86-powered Android devices. It allows an app that has NDK binaries for ARM, but not x86, to still run on x86 hardware, albeit not as quickly as it would with native x86 binaries.
Given ARM’s near-stranglehold on the Android ecosystem, libhoudini is hugely useful for Intel and hardware vendors interested in using Intel’s mobile CPUs. Without it, only apps that ship x86 NDK binaries would be compatible with x86-powered devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1” tablet. Some developers probably skip x86 NDK binaries, because they are not aware of popular x86-powered devices, or lack one for testing, or are concerned over APK size. The Play Store for x86 would shrink substantially from the million-plus apps available to ARM devices, to those that do not use the NDK or happen to ship x86 binaries. libhoudini makes ARM-only NDK binaries usable on x86, giving x86-powered Android devices access to more of the Play Store catalog.
