This is a continuation of the Walkie Talkie application discussion from a previous post.

A Walkie Talkie application allows us to listen to all the activity on our chosen channel, then hit the big Speak button when it’s our turn to talk. Most applications require WiFi or Mobile network connections but this one doesn’t because it leverages Bluetooth stack.

The point-to-point connectivity is made private by the pairing of Bluetooth devices. APIs are available from most mobile platforms that include the following:

-          Scan for Bluetooth devices

-          Query the local Bluetooth adapter for paired Bluetooth devices

-          Establish RFCOMM channels

-          Connect to the other devices through service discovery.

-          Transfer data to and from other devices.

-          Manage multiple connections.

For Bluetooth-enabled devices to transmit data between each other, they must first form a channel of communication using a pairing process. One device makes itself available for incoming connection requests. Another device finds the discoverable device using a service discovery process. After the discoverable device accepts the pairing request, the two devices complete the bonding process in which they exchange security keys. When the session is complete, the device that initiated the pairing request releases the channel that had linked it to the discoverable device. An application can make use of the APIs by declaring several permissions in the manifest file.  Once the application has permission to the Bluetooth adapter, it can call the APIs for three steps to make a connection. These are:

1.       Find nearby Bluetooth devices

2.       Connect to a Bluetooth device

3.       Transfer data with the connected device

This application itself will have to provide user controls, navigations and experience that are typical for any application on a mobile application. The navigation to the homepage, the display of the talk button, the refreshes to the page from both from user navigations to it from external applications or from internal navigations within the application.

Finally, the application must demonstrate that it handles all the lifecycle and display events that are associated with the application. If these handlers are correctly written, the user experience in viewing the report will be smooth and satisfying.