Introducing The Swift Framework

In this video we’ll introduce you to SWIFT: Samsung’s new developer framework. SWIFT or Samsung Web Integrated Framework Technology is an embedded web server framework for all of Samsung’s Android devices. SWIFT uses standard web technologies such as PHP, HTML, JavaScript and Java, so any web developer can easily create applications But first, let’s see SWIFT in action… A group of friends sit down to play a game, but instead of huddling around a game console, they’re each sat with their own devices: phones, laptops and tablets playing Blackjack together. At the centre of the action is a Samsung Android phone running the SWIFT web server which co-ordinates the game. The players are all using the same WiFi connection and access the Android device from a standard web browser. The Blackjack game is launched on the Android device and all the other players join in. It’s not just for multi-player games, SWIFT is a very powerful and flexible framework. The web server embedded on the device allows the device content and services to be accessed from another phone, tablet or PC- or the device’s own browser. For mobile devices you’ll need a WebKit based browser. These other devices talk to the Android device running SWIFT through the same WiFi access point, they can also use the Android device’s own mobile access point. The SWIFT framework offers many compelling opportunities for developers. Let’s look at these in more detail. The device can be used as a central storage point for personal data. There is no need to synchronise data between devices, as it can be accessed by any device with a browser. An example of this concept already exists with the Kies Air application. Kies Air is a free Android application which is available from Samsung Apps. It allows a user to manage the content on their Samsung Galaxy S, S2 or Tab device from the web browser on their PC. The device can create a local intranet co-ordinated by the SWIFT web-server, which exposes web services for clients to use. An example of this concept is the Blackjack game we showed at the beginning.The SWIFT device co-ordinates the game and allows users with different devices to play together. The web server on the device can be used to enable file sharing between devices, using the WebDAV protocol. An example of this concept is allowing delegates at a convention to access material directly from a representative’s device. Web developers can create applications using the device’s browser and standard web languages. This opens up many possibilities for developers who may not have considered creating applications for mobile devices before. To help you get started developing applications for this platform we’ve createda SWIFT beta lab on the Samsung Mobile Innovator website. This lab is available for all SMI members. You can download the SWIFT platform packages and access all the information you will need to create your applications from this site. You’ll also find the API documentation, samples and everything you need to get started. Thanks for watching.