Arduino + Android Projects for the Evil Genius: Control Arduino with Your Smartphone or Tablet

Arduino + Android Projects for the Evil Genius: Control Arduino with Your Smartphone or Tablet Review

Discover how to create cool Arduino devices that “talk” to Android smartphones and tablets!

Arduino + Android Projects for the Evil Genius brings two popular open-source technologies together with a series of hands-on projects that marry the worlds of touch-screen devices and physical computing. The book covers the Android Open Application Development Kit and USB interface, showing you how to use it with the basic Arduino platform. Other projects demonstrate methods of communication between Android and Arduino—including sound, Bluetooth, and WiFi/Ethernet—that don’t require the ADK at all.

From fun, inventive projects such as building a Geiger counter or Bluetooth-controlled Arduino robot, to practical home automation projects, the book contains something for everyone. Included is a beginner’s guide to programming the Arduino that will help those who are new to the platform start with a firm foundation.

Arduino + Android Projects for the Evil Genius

• Demonstrates how to use the Android Open Accessory Development Kit (ADK) with the basic Arduino platform
• Features self-contained projects that include an clear explanation of the theory as well as practical, step-by-step instructions thoroughly illustrated with drawings and photographs
• Shows how to use Ethernet, Bluetooth, and short-range RF links to talk to Arduino
• Reveals the author's own never-before-seen sound-based link for making the two devices communicate with audio tones
• Provides the fundamental knowledge you need to create your own projects
• Contains techniques that work with ANY Android device
• Explains how to create practical, useful home automation devices and communicate with them by radio or Internet

Everything for the Evil Genius!
Bluetooth-Controlled Robot; Geiger Counter Using ADK; Light Show Using ADK; TV Remote Using ADK; Temperature Logger Using ADK; Home Automation Controller; Controlling Mains Devices; Smart Home Thermostat; RFID Door Lock; Power Consumption Meter; Delay Timer; Programming Primer

Each fun, inexpensive, and slightly wicked Evil Genius project includes a detailed list of materials, sources for parts, schematics, and lots of clear, well-illustrated instructions for easy assembly. The larger workbook-style layout and convenient two-column format make following the step-by-step instructions a breeze.

Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (Wdm): High-impact Technology - What You Need to Know: Definitions, Adoptions, Impact, Benefits, Maturity, Vendors

Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (Wdm): High-impact Technology - What You Need to Know: Definitions, Adoptions, Impact, Benefits, Maturity, Vendors Review

In fiber-optic communications, wavelength-division multiplexing (Wdm) is a technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths (colours) of laser light. This technique enables bidirectional communications over one strand of fiber, as well as multiplication of capacity.

This book is your ultimate resource for Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (Wdm). Here you will find the most up-to-date information, analysis, background and everything you need to know.

In easy to read chapters, with extensive references and links to get you to know all there is to know about Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (Wdm) right away, covering: Wavelength-division multiplexing, Optical fiber, Optical amplifier, Arrayed waveguide grating, Optical attenuator, Bend radius, Buffer (optical fiber), Cable jetting, Optical fiber cable, Chiral Photonics, Cladding (fiber optics), Cladding mode, ClearCurve, Cleave (fiber), Concentricity error, Core (optical fiber), Coupling loss, Cross-phase modulation, Cutback technique, Delay line interferometer, Distributed Bragg reflector, Distributed temperature sensing, Effective mode volume, Equilibrium mode distribution, Fanout cable, Fiber laser, Fiber Management System, Fiber optic coupler, Fiber optic sensor, Fiber pigtail, Fiberscope, Fizoptika, Fusion splicing, Glow plate, Gradient-index optics, Guided ray, Fibre optic gyroscope, Half Acceptance angle, George Hockham, Hydrogen darkening, Hydroxyl ion absorption, Index-matching material, Interconnect bottleneck, Narinder Singh Kapany, Kingfisher International Pty Ltd, Launch angle, Launch numerical aperture, Leaky mode, Manakov system, Mandrel wrapping, Material dispersion coefficient, Mechanical splice, Microducts, Modal dispersion, Mode field diameter, Mode scrambler, Mode volume, Tsuneo Nakahara, Normalized frequency (fiber optics),

Linksys WRT54G Ultimate Hacking

Linksys WRT54G Ultimate Hacking Review

This book will teach the reader how to make the most of their WRT54G series hardware. These handy little inexpensive devices can be configured for a near endless amount of networking tasks. The reader will learn about the WRT54G's hardware components, the different third-party firmware available and the differences between them, choosing the firmware that is right for you, and how to install different third-party firmware distributions. Never before has this hardware been documented in this amount of detail, which includes a wide-array of photographs and complete listing of all WRT54G models currently available, including the WRTSL54GS.
Once this foundation is laid, the reader will learn how to implement functionality on the WRT54G for fun projects, penetration testing, various network tasks, wireless spectrum analysis, and more! This title features never before seen hacks using the WRT54G. For those who want to make the most out of their WRT54G you can learn how to port code and develop your own software for the OpenWRT operating system.

*Never before seen and documented hacks, including wireless spectrum analysis
*Most comprehensive source for documentation on how to take advantage of advanced features on the inexpensive wrt54g platform
*Full coverage on embedded device development using the WRT54G and OpenWRT

App Inventor for Android: Build Your Own Apps - No Experience Required!

App Inventor for Android: Build Your Own Apps - No Experience Required! Review

Create Android mobile apps, no programming required!

Even with limited programming experience, you can easily learn to create apps for the Android platform with this complete guide to App Inventor for Android. App Inventor for Android is a visual language that relies on simple programming blocks that users can drag and drop to create apps. This handy book gives you a series of fully worked-out apps, complete with their programming blocks, which you can customize for your own use or use as a starting point for creating the next killer app. And it's all without writing a single line of code. Don't miss the book's special section on Apps Inventor Design Patterns, which explains computer terms in simple terms and is an invaluable basic reference.

• Teaches programmers and non-programmers alike how to use App Inventor for Android to create Android apps
• Provides a series of fully worked-out apps that you can customize, download, and use on your Android phone or use as a starting point for building the next great app
• Includes a valuable reference section on App Inventor Design Patterns and general computer science concepts
• Shows you how to create apps that take advantage of the Android smartphone?s handy features, such as GPS, messaging, contacts, and more

With App Inventor for Android and this complete guide, you'll soon be creating apps that incorporate all of the Android smartphone's fun features, such as the accelerometer, GPS, messaging, and more.

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From the Author: Getting Data In and Out of App Inventor Apps

In today’s mobile world, applications are expected to not only provide functionality locally but also have up to date content and external awareness.

"How do I get all this data into App Inventor?" is one of the most frequently asked questions by new developers. Initially getting rows and columns of data into App Inventor was a kind of linear equation. You used the TinyWebDB or you turned to some of the third party hacks that are available.

The TinyWebDB component is still a possibility for volatile data that needs to be pulled from the internet and placed into App Inventor. It has the added benefit of being quick and allowing write to the web database. For getting rows and columns of data into App Inventor the algorithm would follow these steps:

1. Pull data from WebService and place in temporary variable.
2. Parse data into psuedo-array
3. Write data to a local TinyDB
This is still an option for getting tabular data into App Inventor. It has the advantage of being fast and stable. It has the disadvantage of needing the TinyWebDB service installed and running on a web server. Setting up and installing the TinyWebDB service can be complex and frustrating. There is the added complexity of needing a separate application to actually pre-populate TinyWebDB with data.

The App Inventor team recently released an update to App Inventor that includes functionality to allow access to the Google Fusion Tables. Google Fusion Tables is an online database solution that allows simple SQL like commands to be sent via HTTP to stored data. There is a nice back-end management solution that allows a user to pre-build and pre-populate data into created tables. All of the data lives in Google’s "cloud" service. The back-end management system will be very familiar to users of Google Docs or other Google cloud products.

The algorithm for getting tabular data into an App Inventor app using Fusion Tables will follow these steps:

1. Create the desired Fusion Table and populate the table with data using the Web backend.
2. The app will be "initialized" by pulling the data from a Fusion Table.
3. The app will store the returned Lists in a local TinyDB
The advantage of Fusion Tables is the ability to easily pre-populate the online data by hand entering or importing a spreadsheet of values. This will allow the developer to maintain the data that all the deployed apps consume. Thereby, fresh content and data could be added to applications by changing the data in the Fusion Table.

The disadvantage of Fusion Tables is the data retrieval method. When the data is pulled from the Fusion Table the application stops while displaying a notification that it is pulling data from a Fusion Table. Which appears a little bit hokey on a professional level application. It is also linear and fairly slow. In other words you will not likely be repeatedly and frequently pulling data from a Fusion table in the same App session. Instead, an application would likely pull data once when the application starts and then only when specifically refreshed.

The options and power that are given to developers with the new Fusion Table has yet to be fully explored and I look forward to some exciting uses of Fusion Tables. (Hint: Someone should use this for a text based MMORPG ... the possibilities are endless. ) The newest version of App Inventor released by the incredible rock stars on the Google App Inventor developer team includes the long awaited Holy Grail. I am, of course, talking about the "WebComponent". Now the web component as it currently exists is a little bit limited and not easy to implement. However, it is REALLY powerful even in its current iteration. It has the power to send HTTP formatted requests to existing web services and web sites and then store and manipulate the returned data. It combines the speed of the TinyWebDB service requests and the flexibility of using existing data like with the Fusion Tables. The web component brings the ability to use HTTP POST and GET commands which are the foundation of most simple web services. The algorithm for using the WebComponent would (or at least could) follow these steps:

1. Establish (or use existing) web service that will respond to GET/POST.
2. Use the WebComponent to send a GET request to the service.
3. Use the Text parsing blocks to parse out the tabular data sent by the web service.
The advantage of using GET/POST commands is the speed with which they can be used inline with programmatic functions in an application. Another advantage is the flexibility of using existing data and or maintaining external data in a database behind your webservice. The WebComponent opens up App Inventor to REAL web service and interactive internet services development.

I am excited about the direction the App Inventor team is taking this awesome product and look forward to an even more mature Rapid Application Development framework.

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The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns

The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns Review

Mobile technology not only lets marketers reach customers where they are, it allows them to engage mobile users by targeting their immediate and specific needs. Giving users what they want when they want it is the unique value proposition of mobile marketing, and businesses, agencies, and nonprofits of all types and sizes can create successful campaigns without breaking the bank. In this practical handbook, mobile marketing consultant Kim Dushinski offers easy-to-follow advice for firms that want to interact with mobile users, build stronger customer relationships, reach a virtually unlimited number of prospects, and gain competitive advantage by making the move to mobile now. If your organization wants to reach mobile device users locally, nationally, or within a specific demographic niche The Mobile Marketing Handbook will help you put your message in the palms of their hands.

Real-Time Embedded Application and Techniques: Worst Case Response Time in CAN and Bluetooth

Real-Time Embedded Application and Techniques: Worst Case Response Time in CAN and Bluetooth Review

Real-Time Embedded Systems Are Becoming Smarter and More Network-Friendly Every Day. Also Real-Time Embedded Systems Are Widely and Increasingly Used Throughout Society (E.G. Flight Control, Railway Signaling, Automotive and Telecommunication). Real- Time Embedded Systems Are Present In Many Industries, Defense, Transportation, Automation, and Communication and Aerospace. Embedded Systems Reside In Machines That Are Expected To Run Continuously For Years Without Errors. Embedded Systems Are Computer Systems In The Widest Sense. An Embedded System Is A Computer-Controlled System. For Example, NASA's Mars Path Finder, Lockheed Martin's Missile Guidance System, And The Ford Automobile All Contain Numerous Real-Time Embedded Systems. This Book Will Be Useful For Computer Science & Information Technology And Electronic Communication Students And Research Scholars.

Bluetooth Application Developer's Guide

Bluetooth Application Developer's Guide Review

"Bluetooth (enabled devices) will ship in the billions of units once it gains momentum." - Martin Reynolds, Gartner Group
Bluetooth is the most exciting development in wireless computing this decade! Bluetooth enabled devices can include everything from network servers, laptop computers and PDAs, to stereos and home security systems. Most Bluetooth products to hit the market in 2001 will be PC cards for laptop computers and access points, which allow up to seven Bluetooth devices to connect to a network. Reports indicate that by the end of 2003 there will be over 2 billion Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Bluetooth-enabled devices communicate with each other through embedded software applications. Bluetooth Developer's Guide to Embedded Applications will provide embedded applications developers with advanced tutorials and code listings written to the latest Bluetooth's latest specification, version 1.1. Written by Bluetooth pioneers from market leaders in Bluetooth software development, Extended Systems and Cambridge Silicon Radio, this is the first advanced level Bluetooth developer title on the market.

White Hot Topic!.While other books introduce readers to the possibilities of Bluetooth, this is the first comprehensive, advanced level programming book written specifically for embedded application developers
Authors are responsible for SDK, the market-leading development tool for Bluetooth
Comes with Syngress' revolutionary Credit Card CD containing a printable HTML version of the book, all of the source code and sample applications from Extended Systems and Cambridge Silicon Radio

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders: Ten Inventions to Spark Your Imagination

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders: Ten Inventions to Spark Your Imagination Review

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders: Ten Inventions to Spark Your Imagination Feature

• ISBN13: 9781593271886
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

The creative minds behind The NXT STEP blog are back with a brand-new collection of innovative robots. Whether you're just getting started with LEGO robotics or have been building and programming robots for years, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders is packed with new and exciting techniques, advice, and robots that guarantee awesome results. And best of all, you'll only need one NXT Retail kit to build all ten of them!

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders will make it simple for you to construct even the most complex of these ten robots, all while you learn the ins and outs of the NXT kit. You'll learn to build and program:

• CandyPicker, a candy-picking robot with built-in generator and remote control
• PunchBot, a robot that you program using old-fashioned punchcards
• M, a robot that sorts your M&M candies by color
• NXT Dragster, a super-fast racecar that will take you all the way to the drag strip
• BobBot, a versatile skid-steer loader, equipped with a ball grabber or demolition claw
• RoboLock, a security system for your robots
• The Hand, a robotic replacement hand to protect you from those dangerous cleanup jobs, like picking up your brother's gym socks
• SPC, a robotic vehicle that can park itself between two objects using front-wheel drive
• GrabBot, a robot that finds, grabs, lifts and moves objects autonomously
• The Bike, a two-wheeled robot that can balance and steer

Armed with the knowledge you gain from this book, you'll be inventing your own amazing creations in no time.

Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set (LEGO set #8527). Make sure you have this set, and not the NXT 2.0 set (#8547), which has different building elements.

Automotive Intelligentsia Money-Saving New-Car Guide

Automotive Intelligentsia Money-Saving New-Car Guide Review

The Automotive Intelligentsia Money-Saving New-Car Guide can help you keep thousands of dollars in your pocket over a typical vehicle ownership period.

The book takes an engaging step-by-step approach to acquiring a new car or truck, keeping a sharp eye on the bottom line at every turn. You'll discover how to choose a vehicle that best meets your needs and budgets, and has the lowest long-term ownership costs; you'll learn the best way to take a test-drive, get the most money for your trade-in and negotiate a rock-bottom price.

The Automotive Intelligentsia Money-Saving New-Car Guide also provide segment overviews and capsule reviews for all makes and models in 11 separate new-vehicle categories to help jump-start your research. That's 254 cars and trucks in all.

About the Author

With nearly 25 years’ experience as a consumer automotive journalist, Jim Gorzelany is editor and publisher of Automotive Intelligentsia new-car guides. He's a Contributing Editor for Consumers Digest magazine and writes frequently on automotive topics for print and online publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Hemispheres, Executive Travel, ForbesAutos.com and MSNBC.com, among others; his work is also syndicated in over 50 newspapers across the U.S., including the Boston Globe, New York Daily News and San Francisco Chronicle by CTW Features.

Jim Gorzelany is also author of the “Automotive Intelligentsia 2009-2010 Sports Car Guide,” available in both Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon.com and other outlets.