How to become a lazy and efficient Android developer (2)

InPrevious ArticleAbout dependency injection and the RoboGuice library. Today we will talk about a great test and development tool.

I have been developing Android source code 1.5 and have gone through the development process of Android and Android simulators. I think the speed is improved, but it is not as smooth and easy to use as we think. I believe many Android Developers are tired of opening local simulators and entering the loading interface, then there is no response or lag. Snapshot snapshots can be used to accelerate the process.

In addition, because I am also developing Windows programs, I found that the Windows phone simulator is very fast and outstanding. Unfortunately, I have never done IOS development, but now I have learned about the excellent IOS simulator. Therefore, compared with IOS and Windows simulators, Android simulators are as slow as turtles.

The Android system is very special. The App needs to undergo simulated testing. I agree with this idea. However, I think there are solutions to every problem, so the solution to the performance difference is to use virtualization technology.

So today I decided to write an article about the Genymotion simulator. I think it is very good. Since the launch of this project, I have been sharing it with you and everyone enjoys it. So I think we should share it with readers on this site.

Genymotion Simulator-faster Android Simulator

Q: Do you want to run an App without using a real machine or tablet?
Q: If you are a developer, do you want to test the App more conveniently?

For the above two problems, there is a simple method: Use the Genymotion simulator.

This is a fast Simulator for testing and demonstrating apps. It comes with a friendly user interface that allows you to control various virtual components and sensors, such as battery, GPS, and various accelerators, it also contains a powerful command line tool to build a more complex test environment.

Free Open-Source Software

In fact, this is a test version based on an open-source project AndroVM. Now a commercial version has been released to provide a virtual environment as efficient as possible for running android. Therefore, it is free and open-source. It was completely free before, and now there are some paid services, but the free version is already quite good, and there are many features we like, such as battery management components, GPS and camera components.

Usage highlights and simulator preparation

Assume that you have already played VirtualBox. If you have never played VirtualBox, click the previous link. The Genymotion simulator needs to run in VirtualBox on your machine, which is why it is faster than the local simulator. If you have enabled the simulator before, you do not need to reload it when you open it again. It will load the previous status. This is similar to the "snapshot" feature in the local simulator.

Digress: Early Genymotion versions provide simulators with Google applications, so users can download apps and games from the Google Play Store. However, Genymotion2.0.0 released in November 13 does not support Google applications and ARM class libraries. Google applications are currently communicating with Google, hoping to add google applications back to Genymotion. For details, see Genymotion Changelog.

However, the Genymotion simulator has no Google application. I found the reason on StackoverFlow: How To Add Google Apps and ARM Support to Genymotion v2.0 +.

In addition to speed and performance, Genymotion also provides many useful features:
-Cross-platform support

Because it runs based on VirtualBox, it can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux, you don't have to install anything. You just need to download it from Genymotion's official website and register an account to download different simulator versions.

Sensor control

It enables human management of simulated sensors such as battery power, GPS, and accelerators. For example, if you are developing a GPS-based App and want to test different geographic locations, you only need to drag the map to move the map to the corresponding location, the same operation is required to move the coordinates of X and Y.

Support for Google App Store services

To test an application with the Google Play Service SDK, you need the following Configuration:

• A device compatible with Android2.3 or later versions with the Google Play store;
• With AVD, you can run android 4.2.2 or above;

Here Genymotion provides Google Play Application Integration for some ROM, just like real devices. I clearly remember that it took a few days to test an APP using Google Map API V2. We tested it with Genymotion.

Perfect Integration in Development Environment

Genymotion provides a simple UI operation for creating virtual devices. You can use or install Eclipse or Android Studio/IntelliJ plug-in separately.

Related links:

• Http://www.genymotion.com/
• User Manual: https://cloud.genymotion.com/page/doc/

Note:

• Having a faster simulator doesn't mean you can write programs faster, but you don't have to test it on a real machine. It can help you develop and test apps in a faster way;
• Google + post on Genymotion said that the Android4.4 preview version is supported, but there may be bugs;
• At present, the official website is still developing some ROM and continuously testing and fixing bugs.

Summary:

Genymotion is a faster Android simulator that can be used for development, testing, and even demonstration of apps. It can control virtual sensors such as GPS, battery power, and accelerators.

As a matter of fact, Genymotion has just released its first commercial version 2.0.0, and there are still many problems to fix. I suggest using this simulator with Eclipse or Android Studio/IntelliJ IDE, develop and test apps in a faster way.