Android Emulator

dasyad · 8 Jul 2011 at 19:11

Anyone else find it runs like an absolute dog? I've tried googling it but not really had much luck finding a solution, I admit I might not be looking hard enough

.

So has anyone got any advice on how to get it running properly?

tntcoder · 8 Jul 2011 at 19:15

It's bound to be relatively slow, you're emulating ARM.

dasyad · 8 Jul 2011 at 22:19

The odd thing is though that the webOS and WP7 emulators seem to run okay, at least they are usable. I wonder if it is a configuration issue with my machine or just how it is. I've got an Android phone to play around with but was kinda hoping I could develop in the emulator before testing on phones and stuff.

topdog@OC · 8 Jul 2011 at 22:23

The android emulator is primitive at best.

Good for ensuring your app will work on a grass-roots device and not be vendor locked to whatever flashy object you have connected up in debug mode because of some dependency, but beyond that, not much cop.

GravyMonster · 8 Jul 2011 at 22:30

Someone asked a similar question a while back, and the answer is just yes, it is that slow to use. The first time you boot the emulator it'll take a couple of minutes sitting doing apparently nothing before it springs into life. It's best when you close the emulator to save its' state so you don't have to go through the whole startup rigmaroll every time, although eventually it will need to be rebooted.

Google really need to up the game on the dev tools if they want to attract developers. Although not having to use obj-C is the biggest attraction IMO

dasyad · 8 Jul 2011 at 22:47

Yeah I'm a C# guy, which doesn't differ syntax wise massively from Java. I mean there is at least some familiarity so it doesn't feel like something completely different.

Not sure if it is just me but obj-C just looks too "busy", like more complex than it needs to be, too many characters seemingly there just for the sake of it

HumbleCoder · 9 Jul 2011 at 00:32

I find it very very slow to start up but generally, once it's up, it is not too bad.

Secret, don't kill and restart it between debug sessions

peterwalkley · 9 Jul 2011 at 10:02

You might want to keep an eye on these guys: http://www.bluestacks.com/. The product is in alpha at the moment, but its claiming to run android apps natively on a PC. I also remember seeing somewhere about running android in a VM under windows, but can't see a sensible link at the moment.