Introduces Near Field Communication, NFC Modes, Android APIs and mysterious NDEF Format (NDEFMessages, NDEFRecord, RTC, TNF, etc.)

1. NFC

2. about
Sven Haiges, hybris GmbH
Twitter @hansamann
Android, HTML5,
Groovy & Grails
sven.haiges@hybris.de

3. about
Sven Haiges, hybris GmbH
Twitter @hansamann
Android, HTML5,
Groovy & Grails
sven.haiges@hybris.de
NFC

4. Basics Card
Emulation
Reader/Writer
P2P
NFC
TagTechnologies
Tag NDEF
Dispatch APIs
Android

5. Basics

6. NFC roots: RFID
• RFID - Radio Frequency Identification
• 1983: First RFID patent granted
• Typical, well-known use-cases for RFID
animal identification, road taxes, libraries
• 2004: Nokia, Philips and Sony established
the NFC Forum

7. NFC
• “transfer data at low speed, without
security, over short distances”
• ~10 centimeters, in reality less
• 424 kBit/s
• 13.56 MHz

8. NFC Devices
• First mainstream Android
smartphone: Nexus S
• Common in new top
Android phones
• New RIM / Nokia devices
• Apple iPhone?

9. Nokia 6131
• released 2006
• early 2007: iPhone!
• J2ME Spec: JSR 257
Contactless Communication API
• NFC is not new!

10. Forecast
NFC handsets (k units)
600000
450000
300000
150000
0
2010 2011(e) 2012(e) 2013(e) 2014(e) 2015(e)
Source:IHS iSuppli,compiled by Digitimes,May 2011

11. Payment

12. Tickets
Coupons
Smart Poster
Payment

13. Tickets
Coupons
Smart Poster
Payment
Identity
Keycard
Personal ID

14. NFC Checkin
Tickets
Social Coupons
Gaming vCard Smart Poster
Payment
Identity
Keycard
Personal ID

15. NFC Checkin
Tickets
Social Coupons
Gaming vCard Smart Poster
Payment
WiFi
Connections
Bluetooth Identity
Keycard
Personal ID

16. Transponder
Format Technology/Capacity
13.56 Mhz
Wristbands 125 Khz
Cards Labels
Sticker Keyfobs NFC Forum
Tags Type 1-4

17. can be
made read
only!
NFC Forum Type 2 Tag
Mifare Ultralight - 64 bytes
Mifare Ultralight C - 192 bytes

19. Mifare Ultralight
All Surface Tag

20. Mifare Ultralight
All Surface Tag
Mifare Ultralight
Paper Ticket

21. Mifare Ultralight
All Surface Tag
Mifare Ultralight
Paper Ticket
Mifare Ultralight
Square Label

22. Mifare Ultralight
All Surface Tag
Mifare Ultralight
Paper Ticket
Mifare Classic
Mifare Ultralight
Keyfob
Square Label

23. Shops
• tagage.net
• rfidshop.com
• smartcardfocus.com
• and many more...

24. Comparing NFC
Source:NFC Forum

25. NFC Modes

26. NFC Modes
• Peer-to-Peer Mode
• Reader/Writer Mode
• Card Emulation Mode

27. Android NFC Support
• Peer-to-Peer Mode: limited
• Reader/Writer Mode: excellent support
• Card Emulation Mode: no support

28. NFC & Android

29. NFC & Android
• Tag-Reading ab Android 2.3, API Level 9
• Tag-Writing ab Android 2.3.3, API Level 10
• Core classes: NFCAdapter, NFCManager,
Tag Technology Classes

30. Android Manifest
• NFC Permission
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.NFC" />
• API Level
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />
• NFC Feature
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.nfc"
android:required="true" />

31. Android Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="de.flavor.android.nfc"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0">
<application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".MimeActivity" android:label="MIME">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.nfc.action.NDEF_DISCOVERED"/>
<data android:mimeType="application/json" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.NFC" />
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.nfc" android:required="true" />
</manifest>

32. Android Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="de.flavor.android.nfc"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0">
<application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".MimeActivity" android:label="MIME">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.nfc.action.NDEF_DISCOVERED"/>
<data android:mimeType="application/json" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.NFC" />
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.nfc" android:required="true" />
</manifest>

33. Android Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="de.flavor.android.nfc"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0">
<application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".MimeActivity" android:label="MIME">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.nfc.action.NDEF_DISCOVERED"/>
<data android:mimeType="application/json" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.NFC" />
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.nfc" android:required="true" />
</manifest>

34. Android Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="de.flavor.android.nfc"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0">
<application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".MimeActivity" android:label="MIME">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.nfc.action.NDEF_DISCOVERED"/>
<data android:mimeType="application/json" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.NFC" />
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.nfc" android:required="true" />
</manifest>

35. NFCManager
• NFCManager used to get the NFCAdapter
• Boring
• Shortcut for
getSystemService(NFC_SERVICE)

36. NFCAdapter
• the real thing
• Control Foreground Dispatch and
P2P NDEF Push
• check if NFC is turned on

37. Checking for NFC
if (!getNFCAdapter().isEnabled())
{
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(),
"Please activate NFC and press back to return to the application!",
Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
startActivity(
new Intent(android.provider.Settings.ACTION_WIRELESS_SETTINGS)
);
}

38. Reading a Tag
• Unlock phone,
touch tag :-)
• Most likely, the
intent chooser will
open

39. Foreground Dispatch
• Foreground Activity may redirect all intents
related to tag, technology or NDEF
discovery to itself
• Getting all tags while activity is visible:
enable in onResume(), disable in onPause()

40. Foreground Dispatch
nfcAdapter.enableForegroundDispatch( techListsArray does not matter
activity, here, as ACTION_TECH_DISCOVERED
is not in intentFilters array. It can
pendingIntent, be null :-)
intentFiltersArray,
Most basic TAG-catch-all:
techListsArray); use ACTION_TAG_DISCOVERED in
filterList, no techs
intent = PendingIntent.getActivity(activity, 0,
new Intent(activity, activity.getClass())
.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_SINGLE_TOP), 0);
IntentFilter ndef = new IntentFilter(NfcAdapter.ACTION_NDEF_DISCOVERED);
ndef.addDataType("*/*");
intentFiltersArray = new IntentFilter[] { ndef };
techListsArray = new String[][] { new String[] { NfcA.class.getName() } };

41. Receiving a Tag
public void onNewIntent(Intent intent) {
Tag tag = intent.getParcelableExtra(NfcAdapter.EXTRA_TAG);
}
...
tag.getId() //returns id as byte[]
String techs[] = tag.getTechList();
for (String tech : techs) {
if (tech.equals("android.nfc.tech.Ndef"))
{
Ndef ndef = Ndef.get(tag);
ndef.getType()
ndef.getMaxSize()
ndef.canMakeReadOnly()
ndef.isWritable()
NFCUtil.printNdefMessageDetails(ndef.getCachedNdefMessage()));
}
}

42. Tag Technologies
Tag Technologies map to
tech specifications or to
pseudo-technologie or
capabilities like NDEF or
NDEFFormatable
TagTechnology
MifareClassic MifareUltralight NdefFormatable Ndef
NfcA NfcB NfcF NfcV
IsoDep

43. Tag Technologies
Tag Technologies map to
tech specifications or to
pseudo-technologie or
capabilities like NDEF or
NDEFFormatable
TagTechnology
MifareClassic MifareUltralight NdefFormatable Ndef
NfcA NfcB NfcF NfcV
IsoDep

44. NDEF
• NFC Data Exchange Format
• NFC Forum
• Records can be MIME-type media, URIs or
RTDs (Record Type Definitions)
1 *
Ndef-Tag NdefMessage NdefRecord

45. NdefRecord
TNF Type ID Payload

46. NdefRecord
TNF Type ID Payload
URI URI :-)
NdefRecord WELL_KNOWN SMART_POSTER
MIME TEXT

47. Reading Tag Content
//r = NdefRecord
if (r.getTnf() == NdefRecord.TNF_ABSOLUTE_URI) {
b.append(String
.format("TNF_ABSOLUTE_URI: type(%1$s), id(%2$s), payload(%3$s)n",
new String(r.getType()), idBytes.toString(),
new String(r.getPayload())));
}
else if (r.getTnf() == NdefRecord.TNF_MIME_MEDIA)
{
b.append(String
.format("TNF_MIME_MEDIA: type(%1$s), id(%2$s), payload(%3$s)n",
new String(r.getType()), idBytes.toString(),
new String(r.getPayload())));
}

48. Tag Dispatch

49. Tag Dispatch
Foreground Activity Dispatch
NDEF Data Dispatch: ACTION_NDEF_DISCOVERED
Tag Technology Dispatch: ACTION_TECH_DISCOVERED
Fall-back Dispatch: ACTION_TAG_DISCOVERED

50. Direct Start
• Write custom NDEF
MIME-type media
messages
• Use custom
IntentFilter to bind to
your messages

51. Writing NDEF MIME
NdefMessage msg =
NFCUtil.getNdefMimeMessage("application/json", "{"key":"value"}");
Intent i = new Intent(this, WriteActivity.class);
i.putExtra(WriteActivity.NDEF_MESSAGE, msg);
startActivity(i);

52. Writing NDEF MIME
NdefMessage msg =
NFCUtil.getNdefMimeMessage("application/json", "{"key":"value"}");
Intent i = new Intent(this, WriteActivity.class);
i.putExtra(WriteActivity.NDEF_MESSAGE, msg);
startActivity(i);

53. Writing NDEF MIME
private static NdefRecord getMimeRecord(String mimeType, String content) {
NdefRecord record = new NdefRecord(NdefRecord.TNF_MIME_MEDIA,
mimeType.getBytes(), getRandomIdBytes(), content.getBytes());
return record;
}

54. Writing NDEF MIME
Ndef ndef = Ndef.get(tag);
if (ndef.isWritable() && ndef.getMaxSize() > this.msg.toByteArray().length)
{
ndef.connect();
ndef.writeNdefMessage(this.msg);
ndef.close();
}
else
//show toast?

55. P2P: NDEF Push
• Create NDEF Message which is pushed to
another active device once the other
device is close
NfcAdapter.enableForegroundNdefPush(activity, ndefmessage)
NfcAdapter.disableForegroundNdefPush(activity)

56. about
Sven Haiges, hybris GmbH
Twitter @hansamann
Android, HTML5,
Groovy & Grails
sven.haiges@hybris.de

57. about
Sven Haiges, hybris GmbH
Twitter @hansamann
Android, HTML5,
Groovy & Grails
sven.haiges@hybris.de
NFC