Today we formally released BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android. The BenchmarkXPRT Development Community has been using a community preview for several weeks and now that we’ve released the benchmark, anyone may freely use it.
Also, the BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android source will soon be available to the community. Remember that community members have access to the source, but it is not available to the general public.
Tomorrow is the big day for BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android. After months of development, it’s finally time to release it to the world. We’ve learned quite a bit throughout the process, and we expect BatteryXPRT to become a trusted tool for Android users around the world.
BatteryXPRT will be available for download at BatteryXPRT.com, or through the Google Play Store. It will be available to the public no later than 5:00 PM ET on Friday May 2.
The BatteryXPRT results page allows you to submit test results directly from the app. We hope you’ll use this feature to submit your test runs for publication in the database.
There’s a huge diversity of Android devices out there, so BatteryXPRT.com will link to a page of tips, tricks, and known issues that we compiled during development testing. As with any of the XPRTs, if you encounter any issues please let us know.
Along with the new app, we also invite you to check out the Exploring BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android white paper for a more in-depth discussion of how it all works.
It’s definitely BatteryXPRT’s time to shine, but don’t forget that the new and improved TouchXPRT is coming soon!
Eric
The comment period for BatteryXPRT CP2 ended on Monday. Now we are in the final sprint to release the benchmark.
The extensive testing we’ve been doing has meant that we’ve been staring at a lot of numbers. This has led us to make a change in how we present the results. As you would expect, the battery life when you’re running the test using Wi-Fi is different than when you’re running it using your cellular network. Although individual devices vary, the difference is in the vicinity of 10 percent, about the same as the difference between Airplane mode and using Wi-Fi.
BatteryXPRT has always captured a device’s Wi-Fi setting in its disclosure results, but had not included this information with the results. Because we found it so helpful to have the Wi-Fi setting alongside the results, we have changed the presentation of the results to recognize three modes: Airplane, Wi-Fi, and Cellular. We hope that this will avoid confusion as people are using BatteryXPRT.
Note that we have not changed the way the results are calculated. Results you generated during the preview are still valid. However, results from one mode should not be compared to results from another mode.
We’ve been talking a lot about BatteryXPRT, but TouchXPRT is also looking great! We’re looking forward to releasing both of them soon!
Eric
We recently introduced a new Web form in the members’ area to make it easier for you to submit new benchmark ideas. We’ve already received some interesting suggestions:
Are you interesting in seeing any of these? Or do you have an idea no one has mentioned yet? We know there’s more out there! We like finding new things to measure and new ways to measure them, so please don’t hesitate to share your ideas!
Also, remember that the comment period for BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android CP2 ends on Monday, April 21. CP2 is the first XPRT to feature a Simplified Chinese UI. Please send in your comments. We’ll be aiming for a BatteryXPRT general release soon.
By the way, if you have a language you’d like to see and you’re willing to help with the translation, we’d love to talk to you!
Let us know what you think about potential new benchmarks, language options, or anything else on your mind at BenchmarkXPRTSupport@principledtechnologies.com.
Eric
As promised in Something new, we’re releasing the BatteryXPRT 2014 for Android Community Preview 2 (CP2) to demonstrate BatteryXPRT’s Simplified Chinese UI. See Community Preview 2 is available! for the details (login required).
The general release is coming soon, so this will be a really quick Community Preview. The comment period will last for a week, through Monday, April 21. Assuming there are no significant issues, we hope to release the final version shortly thereafter. Please let us know if you see any problems.
If you are not a community member, it’s easy to join!
Eric
We have seen significant interest from China in the XPRTs over the last year, with particular interest given to MobileXPRT. Given how important Android is in the Asian market, this not a surprise.
Our newest benchmark for Android devices is BatteryXPRT. While it’s still in Community Preview, we’re experimenting a bit with internationalization. On Monday, we’re going to release a second Community Preview with a UI in Simplified Chinese. Here’s what it looks like.
BatteryXPRT uses Android’s global language setting to determine whether to display in English or Simplified Chinese. Assuming your device is currently set to English, this is the setting you change by navigating to Settings → Language & input → Language. For those who are familiar with Android development, the new resources are in the res/drawable-zh-rCN and res/values-zh-rCN directories.
If your device is currently set up to use Simplified Chinese, and if everything is working correctly, BatteryXPRT will open with a Simplified Chinese UI. For any language other than Simplified Chinese, the application will default to English.
Because this is an experiment, the localization is not complete. For example, the User Manual is still in English.
We’re close to the general release, so this will be a really quick Community Preview. We’ll release CP2 to the community on Monday, April 14. We’ll take comments for a week, through Monday, April 21. Assuming the community does not find any significant issues, we hope to release the final version shortly thereafter. Please let us know if you see any problems.
We are very aware that this is a tiny first step on the road to internationalization. We’re currently researching what it would take to localize our various assets such as the documentation and Web sites. If you have any comments or ideas, please contact us at BenchmarkXPRTsupport@principledtechnologies.com.
And if you’d like to try your hand at translating the user manual, let us know!
Eric
