Category Archives: General

Does your device support Bluetooth LE? Here is how to find out.

See Part 0 for a brief introduction to this series and Bluetooth LE plus our past tutorial series on classic Bluetooth for communicating between Android devices, and between an Android device and an Arduino board with external Bluetooth transceiver.

Note – Bluetooth LE was introduced in the Bluetooth 4.0 specification. As of this writing, the latest version of the specification is 4.2. Bluetooth LE introduced capabilities to support very low power, battery operated devices that are designed to operate for weeks to months on a single battery or battery charge

Does Your Device Support Bluetooth LE?

To find out if your smart phone or tablet can work with Bluetooth LE: Go to the Google Play store and install the free app “BLE Checker” on your Android device. The app is simple – it tells you whether your device supports Bluetooth LE or not and that is all it does.

Devices that support Bluetooth LE will support BLE connections between compatible devices. However, this app does not tell you if your device supports a special BLE feature called “advertisements”. You can use Bluetooth LE without the “advertisements” feature but you will not be able to use all BLE features.

Continue reading Does your device support Bluetooth LE? Here is how to find out.

Appinventor.pevest.com web site read in 183 countries around the world!

Wow! I just checked the web server data and the server estimate the http://appinventor.pevest.com web site is now read in 183 countries!

Using the United Nation’s count of 241 countries and territories, that means residents of 58 countries and territories have not visited yet!

But that means people in up to 183 countries are learning how to program Android apps using MIT App Inventor!

Some computer joke in this

Saw this sign at a campground, identifying 4 separate roadway loops where people may camp.

For programmers, this sign is amusing. “A Loop”, and “BCD Loops”. BCD stands for binary coded decimal, which is a way of storing decimal numbers for financial calculations. I know, bad joke – but one of those things that makes us software developers have a good laugh 🙂

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MIT Professor Seymour Papert, passed away 31 July 2016

MIT Professor Seymour Papert was a forward looking visionary who pioneered the adoption of computing concepts in children’s education, including the development of Logo, Mindstorms and turtle programming. His distant work back in the 1960s and 1970s lay the foundation for today’s use of MIT App Inventor in children’s education. His contributions to education and computing are greatly appreciated.

Much more about Paupert’s background may be read in the NY Times or in this essay by a colleague here.

Introducing my “Internet of Things” Blog

The “Internet of Things” refers to connecting all types of products and sensors to the Internet.

Sensors, microcontrollers and communications are so inexpensive they can be built in to many objects and devices.

For example, a light bulb (or light switch) can detect the presence or absence of people in a room – and automatically turn a light on or off. A light bulb that can detect people in a room could also become part of a security system by transmitting the room status to another device (security alarm) or to a smart phone app or to an Internet application running in “the cloud”.

In this way, a “dumb” device (light bulb) becomes enhanced to perform new functions and become more valuable than “just a light”.

The Internet of Things (or IoT) refers to adding sensors, controllers and communications to all sorts of “things”. Devices become connected to the Internet – and even our lightbulbs might end up with IP addresses!

I just launched a new web site – “Coldstreams Internet of Things” – that will focus on the Internet of Things, and the related subjects of robotics and automation.

Regarding robotics and automation, the same inexpensive technology that makes IoT possible is creating new opportunities for robotics and automation. We will see the development and adoption of new kinds of automation, far sooner than most people realize. These technologies are not in the distant future but are available now, particularly in business and industry.

To visit the web site, go here: Coldstreams Internet of Things

Follow on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/coldstreams

While IoT is separate from App Inventor, there will be overlap. I am sure many of us are dreaming of MIT App Inventor apps that interface with external devices! I know I am!

Why the name Coldstreams? Long story but I’ve had that name and URL for a very long time. It was used in the past for a small business and then for a blog on technology and business. I have relaunched the web site to focus on Internet of Things. That said, about 2,000 original and now dated blog posts are still there – and on the Facebook page!