March 2021 Summaries

Ditto has received approval for its first non-provisional patent, US Patent No. 10,931,753B1, which was granted in under three months by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This patent, titled "Landing Page Redirect with Synchronized Mini-Server," represents a significant innovation in contactless technology by enabling communication between client devices like mobile phones and mobile mini-servers, which can be various battery-operated devices. A notable application of this technology is in the aviation industry, where it allows passengers to order meals and amenities contactlessly using their mobile devices, without needing the airline's app, by connecting directly to a flight attendant's iPad. This system ensures data consistency across devices and aims to enhance passenger experience, streamline crew operations, and generate additional revenue for airlines. Adam Fish, CEO of Ditto, emphasizes the transformative potential of this technology in delivering digital experiences across industries, highlighting its benefits in improving safety and passenger comfort during flights.

Core Bluetooth is a framework by Apple that allows developers to integrate Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) capabilities into iOS and macOS applications. This framework abstracts BLE concepts, enabling devices to communicate wirelessly with minimal power consumption, which is particularly useful for IoT devices and health monitoring systems. Core Bluetooth operates on a server/client model, where devices can function as either a central or a peripheral. This interaction involves discovering services and characteristics on devices to handle data exchange. Developers utilize Core Bluetooth to manage connections, handle data transmission, and ensure secure communication within the BLE ecosystem. However, challenges exist, such as data size limitations, security concerns, and maintaining stable connections. Despite these challenges, Core Bluetooth remains a crucial tool for developing applications that require seamless wireless communication, as seen in various health and IoT applications. The framework also involves a learning curve, requiring developers to understand BLE's intricacies to fully leverage its capabilities in building robust and efficient wireless communication solutions.

Ditto is a technology enabling devices to connect and sync data without the internet by utilizing available network transports to form a mesh network. This capability is demonstrated through the Ditto Presence Viewer, which visually displays how devices recognize and connect with nearby peers using LAN, WiFi-direct, and Bluetooth low energy. In a practical demonstration, two iOS devices and one Android device running Ditto illustrate the seamless connection management, with iOS devices maintaining a stable link via Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL) while WiFi and Bluetooth connections are dynamically enabled and disabled to show Ditto's ability to disconnect and reconnect. Although multiple transport connections can be established between two peers, Ditto ensures efficiency by keeping only one virtual connection active. Further insights into Ditto's network transport handling are available through their blog post on the multiplexer, and interested users can test the Presence Viewer by downloading the demo apps for iOS and Android.