The service is named AWS Device Farm and it's meant to make it easier for developers who are writing mobile apps to make sure the code they write works on various Android and Amazon Fire OS phones and tablets. Developers upload their code into the service and it automatically tests it and informs the developer which devices it works on and which it doesn't. It also provides reports and screenshots to ensure the application code appears correctly on the device.
The move represents an effort by AWS to enhance its cloud a platform for building new applications, including those meant to run on mobile devices.
"Developers are front and center for Amazon nowadays," said Frank Gens, chief analyst at research firm IDC, noting that the company has made a variety of announcements in the past year that have been focused on making its platform appealing to application developers. "Every cloud player understands that the solutions that are built on top of their infrastructure is where the real value for users is, so they're all competing for the hearts and minds for developers."
At the AWS Summit, the company also announced a new API Gateway, which allows users to create APIs for apps running in AWS's cloud. The company also announced the general availability of some services it initially announced last fall at its reinvent show in Las Vegas, including CodeCommit, CodeDeploy, both of which help developers manage the lifecycle of new application development.