Is anybody aware of the market available NFC reader hardware accessory for the iPhone? This should have Objective-C API (i.e. use of the "External Accessory framework") and should use the dock connector, not Bluetooth.
I am aware of the iCarte 420, but I am not sure if they are delivering small quantities for developers.
Any comments and experience with programming of NFC external HW on iPhone is welcomed.
Regards,
STeN
I have written apps using the iCarte 420.
You do have to include the external accessory framework, as well as the api provided by WDI (the iCarte manufacturer). It is accessed via the dock, and not through blutooth.
The provided API is extensive, but lacks NDEF, so you must communicate with your tag of choice at the 'block' or sector level with say mifare, or tranceive command for something like Desfire.
Your best bet is to contact the folks at iCarte (WDI) and purchase a development kit. They've been helpful gettingme started.
Be aware that before you can submit your app to the app store, WDI will have to 'whitelist' each app before apple will accept.
Related
I would like to know what all possibilities are there to submit an iOS app that interact with third party hardware over wifi.
Do I need to go for MiFi certification for the hardware?
I have seen STB (Set Top Bbox) application which does similar things and STB are not Mifi certified
If apple allows such application then Do I need to send my hardware to apple while submitting application?
Regards,
You don't need certification. You only need certification when your device communicates via bluetooth or the 30-pin connector.
Exactly.
No, you don't need to send your hardware. You do, however, need to make sure your code properly handles the case when your hardware isn't available. You should also provide detailed notes to the reviewers explaining what your hardware does etc.
Edit (see comments): In some cases Apple has requested access to hardware in order to review apps.
a far as i know, only bluethooth hardware need to be apple certified, not wifi hardware...
I want to develop application like this :
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paypodd/id341546114?mt=8
I am going to develop one application for credit card reader but i have no idea for connect external device to iPhone. right now i am using ExternalAccessory Class for find connected device but i am not getting any event after connect any Accessory to my iPhone
if anyone has developed this kind of application please provide me the flow
i am really confused..
Thanks .!
Do you plan on producing your own credit card reader for the iPhone/iPod? If so, you will probably need to go through Apple's "Made For iPod" (MFi) program. See: http://developer.apple.com/programs/mfi/
If not, your options for connecting the reader to the iOS device are limited. You cannot connect generic USB or Bluetooth devices -- one of the few devices I'm aware of which gets around this is the Square reader, which is a custom hardware device which communicates over the audio jack. Setting this up likely involved a lot of custom audio engineering on Square's part; it is not an easy task, nor is it something that can be done with off-the-shelf parts.
If you have other plans for what type of reader to use, please add details to your question!
I want to develop an iOS app that uses an external hardware plug-in, kind of like Square https://squareup.com. However I was unable to find any references in Apple's documentation. Can someone point me to the right direction?
If you want to use the iPod connector to connect to your hardware, the only option is the External Accessory framework. Be advised that you must be a registered accessory developer (more expensive than the standard developer license).
I believe Square uses the audio input (others may correct me), an ingenious hack that doesn't require use of the iPod connector. If your hardware can operate over (analog) audio in/out, that might be an option to consider.
This book might help you: Building iPhone OS Accessories: Use the iPhone Accessories API to Control and Monitor Devices
In order to develop hardware accessories, you must be a member of Apple's MFi program. Despite what the user above stated, it doesn't cost anything. But it does require a lot more work than becoming an app developer.
Accessories don't necessarily need to go through the MFi process if they are NOT over 30pin connector OR bluetooth (ie, the Square connecter goes through the headphone port, or any WiFi accessories).
I'm in the process of planning out a personal project that will be a media player and one of the things I would like to do is be able to dock my iPod touch (or any iPod or iPhone) and control it and play music off it like the speaker docs do that you can buy.
I found some information while searching around online for this but my question is can I make up a cable and use the serial protocol from any device or does Apple have this locked down so only certified/approved devices can communicate this way?
If you are looking to do this for yourself, I would recommend jailbreaking and the following resources on the web. These describe some methods of the Apple Accessory Protocol, and include some parts (at sparkfun) to execute. To get approved for the Apple method you need a corporation (or similar structure) and even legal counsel before you can get approved to even see the agreement you have to agree to in order to join.
http://nuxx.net/wiki/Apple_Accessory_Protocol
http://www.sparkfun.com/categories/101
There are even some great articles out there such as:
http://courses.cit.cornell.edu/ee476/FinalProjects/s2007/awr8_asl45/awr8_asl45/index.html
Good luck!
EDIT:
Since this is a relatively popular post, keep in mind that you can now use Bluetooth 4.0 LE for serial communication without approval from Apple (other than AppStore approval).
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/NetworkingInternetWeb/Conceptual/CoreBluetooth_concepts/AboutCoreBluetooth/Introduction.html
Only devices in the Made for iPod program which use Apple's proprietary authentication chip can communicate with the External Accessory framework on the iPhone or iPod touch. Such devices must also expose a protocol that iPhone applications can use.
It is a reasonably involved process to be approved as a Made for iPod vendor of products (similar to the App Store approval process, but for hardware), but it has become a lot easier than it used to be. With iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has opened up the program to many more third parties than just the usual large accessory providers.
In your case, I'd actually wait and use another vendor's iPhone-controllable stereo. Manufacturers are just starting to come out with hardware controllable via iPhone applications, so it's only a matter of time before one of the larger accessory providers creates something like what you want. If they expose a protocol for controlling the device, all you'll have to do is write your application to control the device via that protocol.
I'm an iPhone/iPod-touch newbie, and would like to write an iPhone application utilizing the built-in ANT wireless radio. As I found out both the iPhone and iPod Touch have an ANT wireless module, that is used in the Nike+iPod Sport Kit to connect the Nike sensor with the iPhone/iPod.
After some googleing, I didn't find much (one article was interesting, but not what I'm looking for).
So my questions:
Is it possible to access the built-in ANT Wireless device in iPhone/iPod Touch?
Is it possible to access the built-in GPS module in iPhone?
Are there some APIs or SDKs that provide access to the ANT or the GPS module?
I can imagine that Apple is not eager opening the access to all of the iPhone features. But at least the GPS module should be accessible.
The GPS radio is only accessible through the Core Location API, which will give you a latitude and longitude fix to your desired level of accuracy, but does not provide any low-level access to the radio. The ANT radio is not available using public APIs, although it may be possible to talk to it on a jailbroken phone. Any such application could not be distributed through the App Store, however.
There are no APIs to take advantage of the ANT protocol. However, there is an API to exploit the integrated GPS, called Core Location and fairly easy to use.
The upcoming SDK 3.0 provides support for connecting to external devices through both cable and Bluetooth connections.