Qualcomm introduces Android smartphone and tablet benchmarking app

Qualcomm has launched a web browsing benchmarking tool that allows IT administrators to determine the performance of Android devices before their deployment.

The Vellamo software tests all aspects of the browsing system, including rendering, JavaScript, user interface and network performance.

Qualcomm has incorporated new and industry standard benchmarks into the application, according to Sy Choudhury, director of product management at the company.

"Vellamo includes a variety of different tests, [and] assesses the performance and stability of the entire browsing system on your smarpthone or tablet device," he said in a demonstration video.

"In the area networking, we test page download, reload [times] as well as cache performance in the browsing system."

There are also multiple tests for HTML5 canvasses as well pixel manipulation and blending tests.

Additionally, the industry standard WebKit SunSpider benchmark and the V8 Benchmarking Suite from Google are used to test JavaScript. There are also multiple scrolling tests that assess the performance of text and images.

After the test is completed, the app provides a final score allowing device performance to be compared.

V3.co.uk ran the benchmarking test on several Android devices in the office, and the Samsung Galaxy S2 came out as the top smartphone with a score of 951.

The dual-core LG Optimus 2x scored a disappointing 680, just ahead of the HTC Desire S on 643 and the Google Nexus S on 600, both of which have single-core processors.

According to the official statistics, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with the best overall performance, but this is unconfirmed.

The Vellamo app is available to download for free from the Android Market.