Category: Collaborative benchmark development

Something old, something new

on June 25, 2015

Last week, we talked about porting TouchXPRT 2014 to be a Windows 10 universal app. This will let it run on devices running Windows 10 and those running Windows 10 mobile.

We won’t be retiring TouchXPRT 2014 when we release the Windows 10 universal app version. Windows 8 doesn’t support Windows 10 universal apps, but Windows 10 will be able to run Windows 8 applications. This means you’ll also be continue to be able to use TouchXPRT 2014 to test Windows 8 based systems, as well as to compare Windows 8 and Windows 10 performance.

The results from TouchXPRT 2014 and the universal app version of the benchmark won’t be compatible. Even though the test scenarios will be the same, the porting process means that we have to change the APIs the benchmark is using and rebuild the benchmark with different tools.

We’re currently debating changing the way we version the benchmarks. As the number of versions of each benchmark increases, it may make sense to move away from year-based versioning. This will obviously affect what we call the new Windows 10 version of TouchXPRT. If you have any thoughts on this, please let us know!

Eric

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT development community, Collaborative benchmark development, Future of performance evaluation, TouchXPRT, TouchXPRT 2014, TouchXPRT release cycle, Windows 10, Windows 8 |

Rolling with the changes

By Eric Hale

on June 4, 2015

While WebXPRT 2015 has been running fine on earlier beta versions of Windows 10, we have found a problem on some recent versions. Starting with build 10122, the Local Notes test hangs when using the Microsoft Edge browser. (Note: This browser still identifies itself as Spartan in the builds we have seen.) Chrome and Firefox on Windows 10 have successfully run WebXPRT 2015, so the problem appears to be restricted to Edge/Spartan.

Because WebXPRT ran successfully on earlier builds of Windows 10, we are hoping that upcoming builds will resolve the problem. However, we have been investigating the issue in case there is something we can address. The problem is that the encrypted strings that the test is trying to write to LocalStorage are not being written correctly. Non-encrypted strings are being written correctly.

As soon as the problem gets resolved, we’ll let you know.

In other news, we’ve been looking at Android M. There are a lot of interesting changes coming, such as the difference in the way that Android M manages app permissions. We’ve decided to delay releasing the design document for the next version of MobileXPRT so that we can make sure that the design deals with these changes appropriately.

Eric

Posted in Android, Benchmarking, Chrome OS, Collaborative benchmark development, MobileXPRT, WebXPRT, WebXPRT 2015, Windows 10 |

It’s not the same

By Eric Hale

on May 21, 2015

We sometimes get questions about comparing results from older versions of benchmarks to the current version. Unfortunately, it’s never safe to compare the results from different versions of benchmarks. This principle has been around much longer than the XPRTs. A major update will use different workloads and test data, and will probably be built with updated or different tools.

To avoid confusion, we rescale the results every time we release a new version of an existing benchmark. By making the results significantly different, we hope to reduce the likelihood that results from two different versions will get mixed together.

As an example, we scaled the results from WebXPRT 2015 to be significantly lower than those from WebXPRT 2013. Here are some scores from the published results for WebXPRT 2013 and WebXPRT 2015.

Please note that the results above are not necessarily from the same device configurations, and are meant only to illustrate the difference in results between the two versions of WebXPRT.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Eric

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT, Collaborative benchmark development, WebXPRT, WebXPRT 2013 results, WebXPRT 2015, What makes a good benchmark? |

WebXPRT 2015

By Eric Hale

on May 7, 2015

Tomorrow we’ll be releasing WebXPRT 2015, with mirror site in Singapore to follow soon. We’ve been talking about it for a while and we’re delighted to finally make it available to the public.

As we’ve discussed over the past few weeks, the new WebXPRT is a big improvement over WebXPRT 2013. Some of the changes are

An improved UI. In addition to a cleaner, sleeker look, the UI now has a progress indicator and on-screen test descriptions. There is also a Simplified Chinese version of the UI.
Test automation. WebXPRT 2015 lets you automate testing, giving labs more flexibility and making it easier to test lots of devices.
New and improved tests. In addition to enhancing the existing tests, WebXPRT 2015 adds two new tests, Explore DNA Sequencing and Sales Graphs.

If you haven’t checked out the new WebXPRT, now is the time!

And remember the design document for the next generation of MobileXPRT should be out by the end of the month. If there are things you would like to see, it’s a great time to let us know.

Eric

Posted in Android, Automation, BenchmarkXPRT development community, Collaborative benchmark development, Future of performance evaluation, MobileXPRT, WebXPRT |

The XPRTs at IDF15 Shenzhen

By Justin Greene

on April 23, 2015

We recently traveled to Shenzhen, China to anchor Principled Technologies’ booth in the IDF15 Shenzhen technology showcase. Over 60 companies set up displays to interact with approximately 2,000 attendees, and it was a great opportunity for us to connect with innovators in one of the fastest-growing technology hubs in the world.

We spent most of our time talking with people about the benefits of the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community, demonstrating the XPRTs on our display systems, and describing the scope and abilities of each XPRT. Many of the people we talked with showed great interest in the XPRTs’ commitment to developing easy-to-use benchmarks that measure performance and battery life while doing everyday tasks.

Of course, we also spent a good deal of free time exploring Shenzhen and nearby Hong Kong. If you ever get the opportunity to visit either of these dynamic cities, you won’t be disappointed!

The IDF15 Shenzhen technology showcase floor. Our booth is just to the right of the gray-and-white balloon. The booming Shenzhen skyline, including the soon-to-be-second-tallest building in the world.

If we missed you at IDF15, or you have questions or comments about the Benchmark XPRT Development Community, feel free to contact us.

Justin

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT development community, Chinese, Collaborative benchmark development, IDF, Principled Technologies, Simplified Chinese, Trade Shows |

Time for a merger of equals?

By Eric Hale

on April 16, 2015

As I said last week, we’re working on the design document for the new version of MobileXPRT, and we expect to have it out in the next couple of weeks. We have several ideas we’re pretty excited about.

One of the ideas we’ve been considering is merging BatteryXPRT and MobileXPRT into a single benchmark. This would be similar to what we’ve done with CrXPRT, which has tests for both battery life and performance. As with CrXPRT, you’d be able to run either test, and you could get performance and battery life for a device in a single day using a single benchmark.

If we as the community do decide to merge the benchmarks, there will be a lot to think about. For example, MobileXPRT is unaware whether it’s connected to the Internet, while BatteryXPRT not only detects how it’s connected, but selects the appropriate Airplane mode or Network-Wifi Mode test. And, of course, we’d have to figure out what to call it.

What do you think about merging the two benchmarks? Would it make your life simpler? What other features would you like to see in the new MobileXPRT? This is the time to speak up!

Eric

Posted in Battery life, BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android, BenchmarkXPRT development community, Collaborative benchmark development, CrXPRT, Future of performance evaluation, MobileXPRT |

Category: Collaborative benchmark development

Something old, something new

Rolling with the changes

It’s not the same

WebXPRT 2015

The XPRTs at IDF15 Shenzhen

Time for a merger of equals?

Check out the other XPRTs: