• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, July 10, 2015

Amazon Web Services is making app testing easier with a new service, the AWS Device Farm, which allows developers to run their apps on a whole range of real devices and observe the results, which should help iron out bugs and performance issues, the company announced Thursday.

According to the blog post announcing the service, the AWS Device Farm will give app developers more accurate results than virtual device emulators in areas including memory, CPU usage, and manufacturer modifications. Developers just have to upload their Android or Fire OS app to the farm and choose which devices they want to test it against.

Once the app is uploaded, developers can tailor the test by specifying location, language, app data, and installing other apps to simulate real-world conditions; they can also customize it with open-source frameworks including Appium, Calabash, and Espresso.

The blog post didn’t specify exactly how many different kinds of devices are available for testing, but the use of the word “farm” suggests it’s a lot -- I’m imagining a warehouse filled with rows of beeping, blinking gadgets (creepy). Mixing metaphors a bit, the company adds, “We are always adding devices to the fleet.” It’s a ship farm!

As for the fee: after the first 250 minutes, offered free as a come-on, prices depend on the number of devices and length of tests, with a flat rate of 17 cents per device minute. There’s also an unmetered testing plan with a flat monthly fee of $250 per device.