Myriad Group has unveiled Myriad Alien Dalvik, which enables Android apps to run on non-Android platforms. (Dalvik is the virtual machine in the Android OS. Before execution, Android applications are converted into the compact Dalvik Executable [.dex] format.) Myriad says that Alien Dalvik will be commercially available later this year on the MeeGo platform, and that support for other platforms will be announced in the coming months.

The company says the launch opens up the Android experience to new audiences, generating new revenue opportunities for mobile operators, OEMs and app store owners by enabling them, to access the Android ecosystem and deploy Android apps across multiple device operating systems, without compromising performance.

It adds that Alien Dalvik enables “the majority” of Android apps to run unmodified, allowing app store owners to quickly kick-start Android app store services by simply repackaging Android Package (APK) files. Myriad does not specify whether it enables feature phones to run apps, and on being asked the question, has told us that this will be down to market demand.

To the user, Alien Dalvik is completely transparent. Alien Dalvik apps appear as native and can be seamlessly installed on the device without user disruption. All the user sees is that they now has access to a wider range of apps, thus encouraging a higher frequency of downloads and increased ARPU.

“The proliferation of Android has been staggering, but there is still room for growth. By extending Android to other platforms, we are opening up the market even further, creating new audiences and revenue opportunities,” says Myriad Group CEO, Simon Wilkinson.

Myriad is a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), and to date, has shipped over 3.7bn software applications on more than 2.2bn phones. The company will be demonstrating Alien Dalvik on the Nokia N900 at this year’s Mobile World Congress at its hospitality suite on The Avenue, Stand AV91.

Update:

We asked Myriad why Meego was chosen as the first platform for Alien Dalvik, as opposed to more mainstream platforms. Heres what they told us:

“Meego was selected after discussions with various potential customers. Its broad scope means Alien Dalvik can be applied beyond just mobile phones – indeed some of these markets have particular reasons why adopting “full” android may be difficult. It was also an ideal first platform from a development point of view, as it is open source and is well documented.