Wind River announced the Wind River UX Test Development Kit, an Eclipse-based Android software testing platform that aims to reproduce human interaction with user interfaces. Wind River also updated the related Wind River Framework for Automated Software Testing (FAST) for Android to version 1.6, adding a benchmarking index, and new configuration, monitoring, and testing tools.

The UX Test Development Kit is announced as a separate product from Wind River FAST for Android (see farther below), but it appears to be based on, and designed to be used with, this more comprehensive automated software testing platform. Test scripts authored using the UX kit are fully managed and automatically executed using Wind River FAST for Android, says Wind River.

Wind River UX Test Development Kit
(Click to enlarge)

The UX Test Development Kit enables the rapid creation of automated test scripts for Android devices, applications, and browser-based web content, says Wind River. Because the automatic tests mimic human behavior during software testing, developers can dramatically reduce testing cycles, and vendors can reduce returns based on problems encountered with mobile device UIs, claims the Intel subsidiary.

The kit includes abstract tests for standard Android applications such as browser, camera, contacts, media player, and email. There are also sample test scripts for Android Market applications such as Google Maps, Facebook, and Twitter, says the company.

The automated tests are said to enable automation of real-world interactions with graphic interface elements. These are said to include actions such as dragging items across the screen or typing entries on a physical or virtual keyboard.

The tests are reusable across hardware configuration and software versions, helping to decrease the effort to build test scripts for new use cases by as much as 70 percent, claims Wind River. The same test script can be used for Android devices with different hardware characteristics, allowing a quality assurance team to maintain the same test-case database across smartphones, tablets, and other products, says the company.

The UX Test Development Kit is also said to enable the rapid creation of test scripts that interact with HTML5 applications and web pages through the native Android browser. A debugging mechanism is available to track and identify software issues, says Wind River.

UX Test Development Kit demo on YouTube
Source: Wind River
(Click to play)

FAST for Android updated to version 1.6

Wind River also launched version 1.6 of Wind River FAST for Android, an automated testing platform said to be capable of testing any Android-based device. The new release delivers "easier handling and greater insights into the devices under test," claims Wind River.

Wind River FAST for Android, version 1.6
(Click to enlarge)

Major new features in FAST for Android 1.6 are said to include:

• FAST Android Score — benchmarking index that assesses a device's performance compared to Android reference devices, rapidly generating a score from a series of tests
• easy-to-use wizard tools — enables more rapid board configuration and test creation
• monitoring features — new monitors for CPU usage, memory load, and power consumption
• expanded set of test assets — new tests for battery life, update mechanisms, Stagefright media framework, and additional audio and video media capabilities

Wind River FAST for Android 1.6 demo
Source: Wind River
(Click to play)

Stated Cristina Segal, general manager of mobile Linux testing at Wind River, "By using breakthrough Wind River innovation to construct efficient testing tools to develop reliable applications and fulfilling user experiences, operators and device manufacturers can create greater customer satisfaction to improve the bottom line."

Availability

The Wind River UX Test Development Kit and Wind River FAST for Android 1.6 appear to be available now, at an undisclosed price. More information may be found at the Wind River FAST for Android page.

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