Genymotion 2.12.1

Genymotion is an easy-to-use Android emulator that has been designed to help app developers test their products within a safe, virtual environment.

The developers provide support for various different versions of the Android operating system that you can choose from; 2.3 to 5.0. Also, Genymotion is able to simulate the characteristics of an array of devices as well. It is worth noting that if you need to create a new virtual device you need to login to a Genymotion account beforehand.

As soon as you have signed in, you are presented with a launch screen. From here you can click 'Add' to select and download an Android machine to emulate. There is a range of various tablets and phones available, all of which cover various builds of Android operating systems. Next up, you just need to start your VM, and viola! you’ll now be able to run an emulated Android environment, in which you can test what you need to, as if it were running on an actual device.

As you would expect, the interface is easy to navigate and it is fairly intuitive. Regarding your chosen VM, Genymotion, helpfully downloads, and then deploys automatically, all the necessary configuration files that are required for each virtual device. This means that your input is marked down to a few simple mouse actions. The app also comes with an array of extra tools that are available to assist your virtual navigation. These can typically be found on the right hand side of the main window. If you need to adjust your settings, such as battery levels and and GPS, you can do so from here.

Overall, Genymotion works really well. If you have a powerful PC then you are in for a treat, as the performance is translated into a rapid, virtual Android VM experience. Ideally, the app is suited for gaming and product testing, and developers will appreciate the available plugins and tools, such as the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) etc.

*Please note: Genymotion emulations run on a VirtualBox engine, which need to be installed on your PC before running the app.