Mobile hardware and network environment simulation

• US 8,605,613 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zazula, Ralph, Gilley, Greg, Klems, Ryan Rowat, Malone, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US12/969,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/913, 370/241, 370/241.1, 370/245, 370/248, 370/329, 709/229, 709/217, 711/220, 714/1, 714/25, 714/37, 714/38, 714/4, 714/47, 717/107, 717/135, 717/145, 382/100, 703/22, 703/23, 455/556.1, 455/67.11
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

The present technology provides an ability to simulate the performance of mobile content in a more realistic testing environment than previously available. Specifically, the present technology can mimic the fluctuations in network states that mobile devices typically experience. As the mobile content is tested using the simulated network states, the present technology can record the performance of the mobile content and create a log of the performance. Further, the present technology can also analyze the mobile content performance log and recommend various optimizations to increase the performance of the content.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an authoring module that enables a user to author mobile content configured for wireless transmission to a mobile device; and

a testing module for testing how well the mobile content performs on the mobile device, wherein the testing module is configured to;

enable the user to select from a list of connection simulations, wherein each connection simulation is based on different connection statistics reported by other mobile devices used in non-simulated environments;

receive a selection of a connection simulation to simulate; and

simulate wireless transmission of the mobile content to the mobile device based on the selected connection simulation.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a testing configuration interface module configured to accept user inputs that select available simulated connected states that are simulated by the testing module.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a performance monitoring module configured to monitor the performance of the mobile content with the simulated connection states provided by the testing module.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a reporting module configured to report performance statistics obtained by the performance monitoring module.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising an optimization module configured to analyze the statistics reported by the reporting module and based on the analysis recommend optimizations of the mobile content.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulating involves simulating a connection that begins in a first connection state and switches to a second connection state during the simulation for testing the performance of the mobile content.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

simulating a network connection state encountered by a mobile computing device;

testing an operation of an item of content under conditions associated with the simulated network connection state; and

observing a performance of the operation of the item of content on the mobile device under the conditions associated with the simulated network connection state, wherein the simulated network connection state is selected from a list of connection simulations and each connection simulation is based on different connection statistics reported by other mobile devices used in non-simulated environments.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising compiling performance statistics descriptive of the observed performance of the operation of the item of content under the conditions associated with the simulated network connection state.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising recommending an optimization of the item of content based on an analysis of the compiled performance statistics.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the analysis used in recommending the optimization includes a comparison of the compiled statistics against a database of previously observed content performance statistics.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the analysis used in recommending the optimization includes matching a heuristic to the compiled performance statistics.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the heuristic is a high-network-latency heuristic that recommends including additional items into an archive.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the heuristic is a compression heuristic that recommends additional compression of an asset.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the simulated network connection state is selected via a user interface.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the network connection state includes a network, an average download speed, and a latency parameter.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the network connection state includes a variable connection state, and simulating the network connection state involves switching from a first network connection state to a second network connection state.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code stored thereon for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

receiving a selection of a connection simulation that is based on different statistics reported by first mobile device used in a non-simulated environment;

simulating to a second mobile device a network connection state that is based on the selected connection simulation;

testing an operation of mobile content under conditions associated with the simulated network connection state, the mobile content being a collection of assets; and

observing how well the mobile content performs on the second mobile device under the conditions associated with the simulated network connection state.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising compiling performance statistics descriptive of the observed performance of the operation of the mobile content under the conditions associated with the simulated network connection state.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising recommending an optimization of the mobile content based on an analysis of the compiled performance statistics.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the analysis used in recommending the optimization includes a comparison of the compiled statistics against a database of previously observed content performance statistics.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the analysis used in recommending the optimization includes matching a heuristic to the compiled performance statistics.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the heuristic is a high-network-latency heuristic that recommends including additional assets into an archive.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the heuristic is a compression heuristic that recommends additional compression of an asset.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the simulated network connection state is selected via a user interface.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the network connection state includes a network, an average download speed, a percentage of bits dropped and a latency parameter.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the network connection state includes a variable connection state and the simulation switches from a first network connection state to a second network connection state.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the optimization includes recommending resampling of an asset that includes a greater number of pixels that can be displayed by the second mobile device to an asset having the same number of pixels as the second mobile device.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the optimization includes recommending discarding superfluous bits from a cropped image.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the simulated network connection state simulates an observed connection state reported by a field device.