Category: Developing 101

This is where I talk about programming techniques and patterns that I think need to be better documented; things that are simple, yet you can’t seem to figure out how to do. These are problems I had and want to save other people the trouble of learning the hard way.

How To: Backup Your Settings with Android Backup Service

Wouldn’t it be nice if you get a new phone, and you install Angry Birds, and you can just continue where you left off?

When a user turns on their Android phone for the first time and goes through the initial setup, they are offered the chance to opt-in to have Google back up their apps and settings to Google’s servers. If they opt in, all of their backed up settings will be restored and previously installed apps will download from the Google Play Store. As a bonus, those apps can also backup their settings to be restored on a new device as well. Of course, the developer has to configure their app to handle this, and not enough do. Anything less than all apps is not enough.

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How To: NFC Part 1: Scanning an NDEF-formatted NFC Tag

In this article we’ll be discussing how to read data from an NDEF-formatted NFC Tag in an Android app.

In case you aren’t aware, NDEF is a format (think NTFS or FAT). Android has simple, easy-to-use support for NDEF, so there’s no need for hacky methods to use it. If you are designing your project with NFC in mind, stick to NDEF as your formatting. All decent manufacturer’s support NDEF formatting, and so does your platform. Stick to it. Save the headache.

Continue reading How To: NFC Part 1: Scanning an NDEF-formatted NFC Tag