The Basics of BlackBerry Device Simulators - Smartphone Development

There are many BlackBerry simulators available to mimic the functionality of actual BlackBerry products; this includes BlackBerry devices and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. No matter which device simulator you choose, it will demonstrate and test how the BlackBerry device software, keyboard, trackwheel/trackball, and screen will work with the application you’ve created. There are even more benefits to using simulators, two of which include being able to simulate behavior in varying wireless network conditions and the fact that simulators work as excellent tools for use in presentations.

Simulators can also be integrated with the BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE), and when combined, the two work together to debug apps that were developed in the BlackBerry JDE. It should be pointed out that each simulator package essentially represents an in-market device model along with its handheld software version.

There is also a BlackBerry e-mail and MDS services simulator package that is capable of mimicking specific aspects of the BlackBerry Enterprise server. This simulator can be used in conjunction with a device simulator, which would enable developers to simulate sending and receiving e-mail or application data traffic, as well as browsing web content. Similar to a device simulator, this type of simulator package can assist in the application development process and testing; it is also ideal for sales presentations.

BlackBerry MDS Simulator

BlackBerry’s MDS simulator is specifically designed to simulate the BlackBerry MDS connection component of BlackBerry’s enterprise server. When you combine and use both the BlackBerry smartphone simulator along with the MDS simulator, developers can test network, push HTTP, and browser apps that are specifically designed for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.