A practical guide to developing and deploying Near Field Communication (NFC) applications
There has been little practical guidance available on NFC programming, until now. If you're a programmer or developer, get this unique and detailed book and start creating apps for this exciting technology. NFC enables contactless mobile communication between two NFC-compatible devices. It's what allows customers to pay for purchases by swiping their smartphones with Google Wallet, for example. This book shows you how to develop NFC applications for Android, for all NFC operating modes: reader/writer, peer-to-peer, and card emulation.
The book starts with the basics of NFC technology, an overview of the Android OS, and what you need to know about the SDK tools. It then walks you through all aspects of NFC app development, including SE programming. You'll find all you need to create an app, including functioning, downloadable code and a companion website with additional content. Valuable case studies help you understand each operating mode in clear, practical detail.
- Shows programmers and developers how to develop Near Field Communication (NFC) applications for Android, including Secure Element (SE) programming
- Expert authors are NFC researchers who have a deep knowledge of the subject
- Covers app development in all NFC operating modes: reader/writer, peer-to-peer, and card emulation
- Includes valuable case studies that showcase several system design and analysis methods, such as activity diagram, class diagram, UML, and others
Professional NFC Application Development for Android offers the clear, concise advice you need to create great applications for this emerging and exciting technology.
Table of Contents:
Introduction xix
Chapter 1: Overview of Near Field Communication 1
Ubiquitous Computing and NFC 2
Wireless Communication as NFC 3
RFID Technology 5
Essentials of an RFID System 6
Common RFID Applications 6
Smart Card Technology 7
Types of Smart Cards: Capability-Based Classification 7
SCOS 8
Types of Smart Cards: Mechanism-Based Classification 9
Common Smart Card Applications 10
NFC Technology 10
NFC Devices 13
NFC Operating Modes 14
NFC Applications 18
Summary 22
Chapter 2: NFC Essentials for Application Developers 23
NFC Mobile 24
SE 25
NFC Interface 28
Interface Between SE and NFC Controller 29
HCI 31
Standards Used by NFC 32
Proximity Contactless Smart Card Standards 33
NFCIP 35
NFC Operating Mode Essentials 35
Reader/Writer Mode 36
Peer-to-Peer Mode 45
Card Emulation Mode 48
Standardization of NFC 49
Diversity of NFC Platforms 50
Summary 51
Chapter 3: Getting Started with Android 53
What Is Android? 54
Linux Kernel 55
Android Runtime 56
Libraries 56
Application Framework 56
Applications 56
Android SDK 56
What You Need to Start 56
JDK and JRE 57
Android SDK 57
Adding More Platforms and Other Components to the SDK 59
SDK Packages 62
Android API Levels 63
Structure of Android Applications 65
Android Application Components 65
Intents 66
Intent Filters 66
Manifest File 67
Application Requirements 68
Application Resources 69
Processes and Threads 69
Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM) 71
Platform Tools 71
SDK Tools 72
Android Virtual Device 74
Summary 75
Chapter 4: Android Software Development Primer 77
Creating Your First Android Application 78
Components of the Project 81
Running the Project 83
Running Applications on Your Mobile Phone 83
Running Applications Instantly 84
Running Applications by Manual Installation 84
Distributing Android Applications 85
1. Gathering Materials and Resources 85
2. Configuring the Application for Release 85
3. Compiling and Signing with Eclipse ADT 86
4. Publishing on Google Play 87
Understanding Hello World 87
Using Multiple Views 90
Android Project Resources 90
Alternative Resources 91
Accessing Resources 92
Using an Event Listener 92
Layout 92
Resources 94
Code 94
Using Relative Layout 95
Using Dialog Builders 97
Layout 98
Resources 98
Code 98
Using Grid Layout 100
Android Activity Lifecycle 102
Implementing Multiple Activities and Intents 104
Step 1: Creating the Layout File 105
Step 2: Building the ListView 105
Step 3: Implementing onItemClick 106
Step 4: Editing AndroidManifest.xml 106
Step 5: Creating a New Layout 107
Step 6: Creating a New Activity 108
Using Menu Items 108
Creating a Menu XML File 110
Layout 110
Code 111
Summary 112
Chapter 5: NFC Programming: Reader/Writer Mode 115
NFC APIs in Android 116
android.nfc package 116
android.nfc.tech package 117
Tag Intent Dispatch System vs. Foreground Dispatch System 117
NFC Tag Intent Dispatch System 118
How NFC Tags Are Dispatched to Applications 118
How Android Handles NDEF-Formatted Tags 120
NFC Properties in the Android Manifest File 121
Filtering NFC Intents 122
Action_NDEF_Discovered 122
Action_TECH_Discovered 125
Action_TAG_Discovered 127
Checking NFC Adapter 127
Tag Writing 128
Preparing NDEF Data 128
Writing NDEF Data to Tags 132
Tag Reading 135
Getting an NDEF Message 135
Processing an NDEF Message 136
Android Application Record 140
How It Works 140
Intent Filters vs. AAR 141
Important Notes on AAR 141
Using AAR 141
Foreground Dispatch System 141
Working with Supported Tag Technologies 143
Getting Available Tag Technologies 144
NfcV Example 145
Summary 147
Chapter 6: Reader/Writer Mode Applications 149
NFC Smart Poster Use Case 150
Smart Poster Tag Writer Application 150
Smart Poster Reader Application 161
NFC Shopping Use Case 169
NFC Shopping Tag Writer Application 170
NFC Shopping Main Application 172
Student Transportation Tracking Use Case 175
Student Tracking Tag Writer Application 176
Student Tracking Main Application 177
Summary 179
Chapter 7: NFC Programming: Peer-To-Peer Mode 181
Performing Peer-to-Peer Transactions 182
Beaming NDEF Messages 183
Beaming with setNdefPushMessageCallback( ) 183
Beaming with setNdefPushMessage( ) 184
Common Notes 184
Receiving Beams 185
An Abstract Beam with setNdefPushMessageCallback( ) 185
An Abstract Beam with setNdefPushMessage( ) 186
Declaring Intent Filters 187
Using Android Application Records in Peer-to-Peer Mode 187
An Example Beam Application Using setNdefPushMessageCallback( ) 187
An Example Beam Application Using setNdefPushMessage( ) 191
Beam Support for API Level 10 196
Beaming with enableForegroundNdefPush( ) 196
An Example Beam Application Using enableForegroundNdefPush( ) 196
Android OS to Handle the Incoming Beam 199
Beaming Files 203
Beaming with setBeamPushUrisCallback( ) 203
Beaming with setBeamPushUris( ) 204
An Example Beam Application Using setBeamPushUrisCallback( ) 204
An Example Beam Application using setBeamPushUris( ) 204
Summary 205
Chapter 8: Peer-To-Peer Mode Applications 207
NFC Chatting 208
NFC Guess Number 215
NFC Panic Bomb 221
Summary 227
Chapter 9: NFC Programming: Card Emulation Mode 229
Definition of Card Emulation Mode 230
Business Ecosystem 230
Stakeholders in an NFC Ecosystem 231
Business Models 232
Business Model Alternatives 232
General Revenue/Expenditure Flow Model 235
Card Emulation Mode Use Case Alternatives 236
Cashless Payment 236
Mobile Wallet 237
Ticketing 237
Loyalty Cards 237
Coupons 237
Card Emulation Mode Programming 238
Programming Secure Elements 238
Programming NFC Reader 240
Programming Android Applications 240
Enabling Android OS Access to SE 242
Setting up the Platform 243
Accessing SE 244
Summary 246
Appendix A: Uri Prefixes for NDEF 247
Appendix B: Android NFC Packages 249
Index 265
