Networking in Windows Phone 8

Networking in Windows Phone 8:
A couple of weeks ago at //BUILD I did an overview of the API surface and features offered for networking in Windows Phone 8. Over the next few months, I’ll be writing drill-down posts focused on the individual sections I showed in the networking session. These posts will use the examples I used at //BUILD, which showcase Windows Phone 8 support for sockets, Bluetooth, NFC, and more. The team has had a number of requests for the //BUILD session code samples, and we’ve uploaded them to MSDN. Please download the samples, use them, and prepare your questions!
Follow-up posts will drill into the following topics and include answers to the following questions:

1. Socket basics: How to create a TCP socket and send and receive simple data using managed, Windows Runtime (WinRT), and Winsock sockets.




• Why bother with sockets?


• What socket API should I choose?




2. How to create a Bluetooth RFCOMM socket connection to an external device from Windows Phone 8.




• Why would I use Bluetooth?


• What Bluetooth profiles are supported?


• Is Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) supported?


• Can I write my own profile?




3. How to download data to your app asynchronously using HTTP with Windows Phone 8.




• Can I use the await keyword with my HTTP API?


• Can I call HTTP APIs using the await keyword?




4. How to use NFC tags with Windows Phone 8. 




• Why would I use NFC tags?


• What types of NFC tags are supported?


• How do I write to them and make them read-only?




5. How to create a Bluetooth RFCOMM socket connection from Phone to Phone using NFC.




• How do I control what type of network is used for Phone to Phone connections?


• What data transfer speeds should I use?


• Why would I use this socket?




6. How to launch an app using a URI scheme, with an example of how to use an NFC sticker.




• Why would I use this?


• What if someone takes my URI scheme?

I’d love to hear your feedback on the //BUILD session code samples. You also can review my video session from //BUILD. I’m looking forward to your questions and comments on follow-up posts.
-Tim Laverty
Program Manager, Developer Platform, Windows Phone

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