July 2016 Summaries

This project allows users to receive SMS notifications when certain Pokémon are found around their location, using a custom-built service with Node.js, Express, and Twilio. The system uses an unofficial API to retrieve Pokémon data and can be customized by adding subscribers who want to receive notifications for specific Pokémon at specific locations. Users can send Subscribe messages to join the notification list, and the system will respond with an SMS containing the list of nearby Pokémon. The project also includes a feature to automatically watch for specific Pokémon at regular intervals, sending notifications when they are found.

To send SMS and MMS messages in a Visual Basic .NET application using the Twilio API, first sign up for a Twilio account and obtain your Account SID and Auth Token. Purchase an SMS-capable phone number and download the Twilio .NET library. Using the library, create a new instance of the Message resource and specify the To, From, and Body parameters for your message. You can send messages to multiple recipients by creating an array of recipients and iterating through each phone number in that array. Additionally, you can send MMS messages by specifying a parameter for the URL of media, such as an image. The Twilio API provides a rate limit for sending messages, and you can check the capabilities of numbers in your account portal or query the Available Phone Numbers resource to search for Twilio numbers that are MMS enabled.

To use the Twilio REST API in a Delphi application, you need to sign up for a free Twilio account, purchase an SMS-capable phone number, and create an instance of the TTwilioClient class. You can then send outgoing SMS messages by posting to the Messages resource using the provided `TTwilioClient`. The code samples are written in Delphi 10.2.3 and include examples of sending a text message and making a phone call. Twilio provides a REST API reference, SDKs, helper libraries, quickstarts, and tutorials for various languages and platforms, as well as resources on sending bulk SMS messages and more.

Twilio is announcing a new Messaging Feedback API that enables developers to report back critical deliverability information, helping the company improve message delivery and identify network issues. The API allows users to track user actions such as entering a two-factor authentication code or clicking on a unique link in a message, providing valuable feedback to Twilio's global customer base. With this new feature, Twilio aims to leverage its vast network effects to detect and quickly react to changes in the global messaging networks, ultimately improving the deliverability of messages for its customers.

Simply Business, a UK-based business insurance broker, has revamped their call center using Twilio's TaskRouter and Voice APIs. The company aimed to improve customer experience by reducing long hold times and repetitive information. They built an automated task router powered call center, which integrates with their existing application. To test the integration, they developed a set of end-to-end tests using RSpec, Capybara, and Turnip. These tests simulate real user interactions, allowing them to ensure the system works as expected. The tests cover various scenarios, such as receiving calls, hanging up, and handling call failures. To make the tests more efficient, they used Twilio's TwiML for automated phone responses and dynamically injected ngrok callback URLs. The tests are now run on Semaphore CI, a third-party continuous integration environment, where they save time and allow for internal code refactoring with confidence.

The author of the article, Greg Baugues, successfully taught his dog to text selfies using an Arduino Yun and Twilio's Programmable MMS service. The project involves a simple program running on each processor of the Arduino Yun, which waits for a button press, takes a picture with a webcam, uploads it to Dropbox, and sends the selfie as an MMS via Twilio. The entire process is achieved using less than 60 lines of code and relies on pre-installed Python scripts for Linux on the Arduino Yun. This project showcases how simple hardware hacking can be with WiFi-enabled devices like the Arduino Yun, which have lowered the barrier to entry for web developers interested in Internet of Things projects.

To receive a POST request in Node.js, developers can use three popular frameworks: Express, Hapi, and Koa. For simplicity, they can reply with an SMS in plain text by setting the Content-Type header as text/plain. Ngrok is used to expose the local development server to Twilio, allowing it to receive HTTP requests. The chosen framework requires installing its library and middleware, such as body-parser, and writing a route that handles the POST request. Express, Hapi, and Koa each have their own way of routing and handling requests, but they all share similarities in using middleware and passing a request and response to callback functions or handler functions. By following these steps and experimenting with different frameworks, developers can build a web app that receives an inbound SMS webhook from Twilio and responds accordingly.

Twilio's SDK Engineering group at Twilio is responsible for building and maintaining two real-time communications products, including web and mobile SDKs for making and receiving VoIP calls and Programmable Video for adding video chat capabilities to developers' apps. The testing requirements for these products differ from those of typical REST services due to the unique demands of real-time media development. To address this, Twilio has developed a comprehensive testing approach that includes unit tests, end-to-end tests, mobile-specific tests, and automated tests for resource consumption, device testing, browser compatibility, and media quality. The company's quality engineering efforts have been successful thanks to collaboration with TestDevLab, which allows for 24/7 development process management using the follow-the-sun model.

Sync is a real-time state synchronization API designed for Twilio Programmable Voice, Video, IP Messaging, or other Twilio products, allowing developers to easily synchronize state across devices and between users. With Sync, developers can focus on building features instead of managing complex state synchronization infrastructure. The API provides three types of mutable JSON objects - Document, List, and Map - suitable for different use cases, including pub/sub, location data synchronization, and presence management. Sync is available as a developer preview, with initial access limited to a select number of developers who can request early access through the Twilio website.

Twilio has introduced a new resource called Stack Overflow Documentation, which provides code examples and written guides to help developers get the most out of Twilio's APIs. This new addition aims to complement Twilio's existing documentation resources by offering more in-depth and practical content. The goal is to provide a comprehensive set of examples that showcase how to use Twilio's APIs in various programming languages, while also leveraging the collective expertise of the developer community through Stack Overflow.

Twilio is a cloud communication platform that enables developers to build custom phone systems, including conference lines, with ease. By following Kyle Kelly-Yahner's step-by-step guide, users can create their own conference line using TwiML Bins, which are the building blocks of Twilio's API. With just a few minutes of effort, users can write code that responds to incoming calls, greets callers, and connects them to a conference call. By connecting this code to a phone number, users can test their conference line in real-time, making it easy for anyone to join a conference call without needing extensive coding knowledge.

WNYC's Note To Self podcast challenged its listeners to stay focused amidst information overload by sending them 300,000 texts as part of the Infomagical Campaign. The listeners were given daily challenges via SMS and checked in on their progress throughout the day. Over 50% of users reported feeling less overwhelmed by the end of the first day, with 71% feeling less overwhelmed by the final day. By leveraging SMS to foster a direct connection between the host and listener, WNYC was able to help its listeners overcome distractions and find a better part of themselves, as noted by Manoush Zomorodi, the podcast's host.

Whisbi is using WebRTC-based click to call technology from Twilio to provide a seamless customer engagement experience for companies like Fiat, Porsche, Nissan, Jeep, Audi, Land Rover, and Vodafone. This allows customers to have a visual walkthrough of products while on phone calls with sales representatives, making the buying process more immersive and interactive. With Twilio's global presence, Whisbi can easily scale its business worldwide, managing multiple territories with ease from a single dashboard. By partnering with Twilio, Whisbi can focus on serving its customers and less time on communications providers, allowing for greater efficiency and effectiveness in customer engagement.

Twilio is expanding its global reach by providing more detailed data about law enforcement requests for information received by Twilio, as part of its "no shenanigans" approach to data privacy. The company's semi-annual transparency report informs users of the volume and nature of these requests, with a focus on promoting public safety while protecting user privacy and security. Twilio advocates for strong data security principles and has joined efforts to defend individual privacy and security, including a court brief in support of Apple and a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Encryption Working Group. The company's transparency reports aim to provide visibility and trust with its users, who place vital communications with Twilio.

With the IBM Watson Twilio Add-on, developers can now analyze the sentiment of text messages sent to their Twilio numbers. A Flask app was built to demonstrate how to use this add-on, which uses the Twilio Python library and ngrok to send requests to a publicly accessible URL. The application receives an HTTP request from Twilio containing the message received by the Twilio number, as well as sentiment analysis data provided by IBM Watson, including a score indicating whether the sentiment is positive or negative. The Flask app then generates a response based on this sentiment, which can be used to improve customer experience or other applications.

Nancy Lublin, CEO of Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit organization that supports individuals through suicidal thoughts, sexual abuse, drug addiction, and more via Twilio SMS, is on a mission to put her organization out of business by providing effective crisis support and data-driven policy solutions. With nearly 20 million texts exchanged so far, the organization measures response time in minutes and seconds, aiming for sub-1.4 minute response times for high-risk individuals. Crisis Text Line uses its records to recall safety planning for users and aggregates anonymized data on crisistrends.org to inform policy makers. The organization's data is helping to identify crisis hotspots across America, such as counties with higher rates of substance abuse or physical abuse. By analyzing these data points, Crisis Text Line aims to influence policy and drive smarter funding and changes in schools and police departments.

The 2016 State Of The Builder Results Are In` A survey of over 4,000 builders was conducted to understand their development environment and habits. The majority of participants identified as developers, with the most common duration of coding experience being between 3-15 years. Non-developers faced challenges in adopting new technology due to time constraints and internal approval processes. They relied on LinkedIn for news on companies they're evaluating.

Sending an SMS with PHP and Twilio requires just a few lines of code and can be achieved by signing up for a free Twilio account, buying a phone number, installing the PHP helper library, and using it to create a new message from the Twilio number. The process involves including the helper library, creating a Twilio client using account credentials, and sending a message with a specified destination phone number and body. Once completed, saving the file and running it will result in receiving an SMS on the designated phone number.

Yasmine Mustafa recognizes that chance played a significant role in saving her life, but she refuses to let it dictate the course of her future. She and her team at ROAR have developed Athena, a wearable device that uses communication technology to alert emergency contacts in case of an assault. Athena's success can be attributed to its thoughtful design, core social mission, and need for a solution to address violence against women. The company donates a portion of their proceeds to educational programs that increase empathy and reduce violence, aiming to create a world where such products are no longer necessary.

Here is a neutral and interesting summary of the provided text: A temporary phone number can be a useful tool for various purposes, including online transactions, business communication, and personal privacy. With the rise of digital selling platforms, it's become easier to sell items online without using your real number, which can lead to privacy issues. By setting up a temporary phone number in just 5 minutes with Twilio, individuals can verify accounts, receive SMS messages, and increase their sense of privacy and data protection. This process involves creating a TwiML Bin, buying a programmable phone number, and configuring the temporary number for text verification or to receive SMS online. With Twilio's offerings, users can find and use a number best suited for their business needs and maximize their reach with minimal impact to their business.

Kenny Polcari, a 35-year veteran of the New York Stock Exchange, witnessed his 181st tech company IPO and wrote his first line of code on a livestream from the NYSE floor. He initially thought coding was inaccessible to him due to generational gaps, but after being introduced to Twilio's investment thesis and witnessing hundreds of developers working on a livestream, he quickly became engaged in building his own app. This experience ignited a fire within Kenny, making him want to continue learning and exploring the world of software development.

A developer named Nathan Leinz created a project that allows users to send previews of songs via phone call using Twilio, Phoenix, Elixir, and the Spotify API. The project starts with sending an HTTP POST request to a preconfigured URL with song title and requester information, then searching for the song on the Spotify API and fetching a preview URL. The application dispatches a message to Twilio's API, which calls the recipient and plays the song preview. The project uses Elixir and Phoenix as the programming languages and frameworks, and Twilio and ngrok are used for communication with the phone number and tunneling of the HTTP request, respectively. With the help of environmental variables, ExTwilio library, and some routing modifications, the application is able to send messages and make phone calls through Twilio's API.

Twilio has announced three new features for its IP Messaging SDKs: Reachability indicator, Message attributes, and Granular push notification configuration. The Reachability indicator provides real-time notifications when a user's status changes, allowing developers to display an "online" or "offline" state that takes into account both online/offline status and reachability via push notifications. Message attributes enable the sending of contextual data with chat messages, such as images, ratings, and pricing information, while granular push notification configuration allows for individual control over which types of notifications can be subscribed to, including new message, added to channel, invited to channel, and removed from channel notifications.