TUTORIAL BASIC4ANDROID > MENGENAL B4A BRIDGE

One of the main problems that Android application developers face is that the Android Emulator is very slow and does not support all devices. To deal with this problem Anywhere Software has introduced Basic4android (B4A) Bridge, a new free tool for Android developers allowing them to test their applications directly on all devices without using the Emulator.

By using B4A Bridge, developers can now test new applications faster and more efficiently. 

Currently developers test their applications in two different ways during the development process:

• Working with the Android emulator
• Connecting to a real device if it supports ADB debugging 

As the Android Emulator is known to be extremely slow when compared to a real device (especially during applications installation), most developers find it easier to work with a real device. The main problem, however, is that certain devices do not support ADB debugging. 

The new B4A-Bridge Tool is aimed at solving this particular problem. It is made of two components: one runs on the device, while allowing the second to connect and communicate directly with the device. The connection requires a wireless network as the connection is done over the network. 

Once connected, B4A-Bridge supports all of IDE features including:

• Installing applications
• Viewing LogCat 
• Watching the visual designer

“By using B4A Bridge developers can save time and complete the whole development process with no added frustration,” said Erel Uziel, CEO of Anywhere Software. “There is no need for a special driver and developers can run their applications directly on the device. Users have already indicated that it works very smoothly and the connection is easy to establish.”