WeFi Brings Wi-Fi To Android Apps Through New API

If you’re an Android Application developer, you should be aware of user experience, ensuring that various things are loading quickly and running smoothly. Unfortunately, developers have no control over how quick the customer’s current mobile/data connection is and therefore the user experience can suffer by no fault of their own. A company called WeFi is looking to change that.

When you use WeFi your phone attempts to find free local Wi-Fi hotspots like coffee shops, hotels, airports and other areas where your phone can get a free Wi-Fi connection – and then it connects:

The company recently opened up an API that will allow application developers to take advantage of this service. This way, when you’re using their application, you’ll automatically connect to faster data speeds whenever possible, simultaneously improving the user experience when using their app.

The folks at WeFi provide 3 examples of apps that use their API, but I wanted to point out the one I thought would have the biggest impact/improvement on the offering – a video streaming service:

ZooVision is a mobile video streaming content aggregator that is changing the way people use their wireless phones and access entertainment. They stream on-demand videos and audio customized to the mobile experience. Zoovision believes that the mobile customer demands a video experience that is delivered quickly and of the highest quality. Therefore, ZooVision partnered with WeFi to guarantee seamless and high-bandwidth connectivity to users wherever they want to consume their content.

Check out the full press release:

WeFi API Delivers on Wi-Fi for Android Apps
Android Application Developers Benefit From WeFi’s Exceptional Connectivity and High Mobile Bandwidth Capability, Along With Superior Wi-Fi Intelligence

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS – Barcelona, Spain – February 16, 2010: WeFi Inc. (www.wefi.com), creator of the world’s largest community-based global Wi-Fi network, today announced the launch of WeFi API, a software integration package that enables mobile application developers for Android phones to benefit from WeFi’s award-winning Wi-Fi technology. Android developers of data-intensive applications can benefit from WeFi’s high-performance global Wi-Fi network, which ensures automatic and fast access to the best Wi-Fi connection available, as well as from WeFi’s extensive detailed intelligence relating to over 50 million hotspots worldwide.

WeFi will be demonstrating at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Please visit us at the Israel Mobile Association Pavilion – Hall 4, Level 1, Stand #11.

For over 3 years WeFi has been building the world’s largest Wi-Fi network, which recently passed 50 million recorded hotspots around the world. Millions of WeFi users contributed to building this network, and continue to do so every day.

WeFi API provides the following benefits to Android application developers:

· Automatic Wi-Fi connection and full control over Wi-Fi connection process.
· Up-To-Date, highly detailed business data on Wi-Fi hotspots such as the type of location (café, library, etc), whether or not the access point is requires a password, costs money or if free, requires a web homepage sign-in or not, and more.
· Locating all available hotspots respective to a user’s location, beyond the phone’s Wi-Fi range

WeFi’s API Partner Program is already in full swing, with a number of Android application developers already adopting WeFi API into their platform. These include:

LookATOR, developed by LoFT (www.loftdev.com), is an Augmented Reality-based application for finding better Wi-Fi access. The WeFi API allows LookATOR users to get a wide variety of useful information about Wi-Fi networks they see, and helps them get better and more fluid Wi-Fi access through LookATOR.

DroidSecurity (www.droidsecurity.com) is a pioneer of mobile security solutions providing the tools and services needed to safeguard smartphones. Their solutions protect mobile devices and data against security, privacy and identity threats. DroidSecurity develops an application called “Safe Network” which uses the WeFi API to control the Wi-Fi connectivity process and verify the security level of hotspots the user connects to.

ZooVision (www.zoovision.com) is a mobile video streaming content aggregator that is changing the way people use their wireless phones and access entertainment. They stream on-demand videos and audio customized to the mobile experience. Zoovision believes that the mobile customer demands a video experience that is delivered quickly and of the highest quality. Therefore, ZooVision partnered with WeFi to guarantee seamless and high-bandwidth connectivity to users wherever they want to consume their content.

Android application developers who wish to apply for the WeFi API Partner program can contact WeFi by email at [email protected], or visit: http://wefi.com/developers

“With a sharp increase predicted in mobile Internet use over the next few years, increased Wi-Fi availability is significantly useful in unleashing mobile Internet applications and services,” said Zur Feldman, CEO of WeFi. “Following the success of the WeFi application on the Android market, WeFi decided to open up our technology to the mobile application developers community, so that everyone can enjoy the great connectivity and mobile bandwidth potential. We believe that the users of every mobile app can greatly benefit from our solution and eventually make mobile Internet better, easier and more affordable to all.”