Head First:
Hey there, Android Emulator. I wanted
to start by thanking you for joining us tonight.
Android Emulator:
Well, since I am software I do
have to do what you tell me. Just kidding! Happy to
be here, as always.
Head First:
Fantastic! Just to clear the air here,
there’s been some confusion out in the development
community. Are you a real Android device or, dare I
say, an imposter?
Android Emulator:
I’m neither, actually. I’m not
a hardware device, but I’m as close to one as you’re
going to get with pure software.
Head First:
If you’re not a real device, why exactly
should we use you?
Android Emulator:
There are some seriousbenefits to me being fully software. For starters, it’seasy to quickly test and debug your software withouthaving to carry around a hardware device. Plus,since I’m fully virtual, I can run as different devicesat the same time. If you didn’t use me you’d have tocarry around a bag of phones!
Head First:
Sounds complicated. How do you keep
it all straight?
Android Emulator:
Well that’s exactly what
the emulator configurations are for! They tell
me everything I need to know, from hardware
configuration (like screen size), and device
capabilities (like wireless latency), and even the
version of Android. Everything I need to know about
what device I’m supposed to act like is right there!
Head First:
Neat! So not only is it easier to use youthan a real device for testing, but I can test on alldifferent kinds of devices and Android versions usingyou instead of keeping a stack of Android devicesaround!
Android Emulator:
Precisely my friend. Precisely.
Head First:
That all sounds great, but if there’s one
thing I’ve learned it’s that nothing is ever that easy.
What’s the catch?
Android Emulator:
The catch is that since I’m not
a real device, there are some subtle differences in
how I work than a real hardware device.
Head First:
For example?
Android Emulator:
Well, GPS is a good example.
When I’m running, I sort of spoof a location based
on your computers location, but I’m not really using
GPS, so I can’t be your only test. Photos are another
good example. I don’t have my own camera, so I
have to fake it a little.
Head First:
Sounds like mostly hardware specific
differences.
Android Emulator:
Pretty much. I am emulating
Android hardware devices after all.
Head First:
I think I’ve got it. You’re really
useful for basic testing, with a number of different
configurations. But if I need to test something
hardware specific, nothing beats real world
hardware.
Android Emulator:
Bingo!
Head First:
Great. Thanks for joining us! Now,
don’t you have some apps to run?
Android Emulator:
Sheesh! Always making me
work! Anyway, always a pleasure. I’m off to help
more developers test their apps!
New game