Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to use advanced features of the HttpClient. You used the Windows 8.1 seamless integration of HomeGroup technology to enumerate resources on your home network and then queried network information to determine what type of connection was active and see whether it was a metered plan. You leveraged the Sockets APIs to transfer messages and packets of data between a client and a server. You learned how to use NFC to transmit short, fast messages; subscribe to messages; and write data to smart tags. The APIs also enable a scenario to tap and create a persistent connection over your wired or wireless infrastructure, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi Direct. Finally, the background transfer API enabled an app to download a large video resource even when it wasn’t running.
In Chapter 11, “Windows Charms Integration,” you learn more about the special icons that appear on the right side of your monitor when you swipe or hold down Windows+C. These icons, called charms, provide a special way for your app to integrate with the OS and communicate with other apps. Using charms enables scenarios such as streaming media to a projector, using one app to take notes and then sending those notes to another app to post them online, or accessing the specific settings of various apps in a consistent way.