Transfer pictures from external camera circuit within my iOS app programmatically

Question

I'm working on my senior engineering design project and I need your help! For this I have my iPhone app receiving images from a external camera circuit, which I built.

To interface my iPhone app to the camera circuit, I have looked into the following approaches:

1. Build a bluetooth module on the camera circuit, to transfer images to the iPhone

2. Use Eye-Fi SD card to transfer images to my app somehow! link:http://www.eye.fi/products/iphone

3. Build a circuit, to make a wired connection to the iPhone with the 30-Pin dock connector

Here are the problems I'm facing with each of these. My actual questions for you guys are highlighted in BOLD:

1. The iOS BlueTooth framework (4S only), only supports Low Energy Devices. Looking at the the modules out there like this one, I'm doubting it will work for image transfer, which seems to be a bulky task for low energy bluetooth. I know there are jailbreak apps on the cydia store, which do regular bluetooth transfers, but I was unable to find those private APIs for such a task. (NOTE: I'm making this app for my purposes, so feel free to suggest any private/unofficial APIs). Question#1: How can I interface to a regular bluetooth device (not another iPhone) and transfer data?

2. EYE-FI card sounded amazing as a consumer because the company has their proprietary iPhone app to transfer the images from the EYE-FI SD card. Problem is I can't figure out how to easily interface with the EYE-Fi card in my code. I researched the iOS CFNetwork framework, but haven't had any luck. Question#2:How can I interface with the EYE-FI card in my app?

3. Building a circuit seems simple enough with this development board, but I read somewhere that the iPhone may not recognize an "un-registered" accessory. I have a developer license but not a MFi licence. Question#3: Do I need to be registered as a MFi developer to create and use this external accessory in my App for my own purposes???

Answer 1

You might try setting something up through a serial port since joining the MPi program is prohibited for individuals. You could possible use a connector like this one http://www.amazon.com/neXplug-Ultra-Small-Micro-Adapter/dp/B0055PCVDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339309918&sr=8-1

The Apple website recommends individuals/hobbyists to use " recommend that you use a third-party solution which will allow you to connect iOS devices to serial devices and to write iOS apps that communicate with these serial devices" (from mfi.apple.com/faq).

I am also working on an external camera that can hook to the iphone/ipad. I will be using a serial port in order to get around the MFi requirement for external iphone/pad devices. Trying to use bluetooth is too complicated and the data stream isn't big enough for pictures. the wired version will work much better.

I hope this helps and that your college term and project are not already finished. Best of luck.

Answer 2

As T Reddy has already mentioned, if you want to create hardware the interfaces with external hardware framework, you have to sign up with the Apple MFi program which you, as an individual, can not do.

I'm not sure of how the Eye-Fi system works but it sounds to me that it basically syncs the images to their server and once you download their Apple App, the app can sync the photos for you.

Whether you are using Bluetooth or the 30-pin connector, there is no way to interface to an external device unless that device is MFi compliant and a part of the MFi program. I suggest you try the following options to solve this delimma--

1. If this is a "Senior Project" at some University, see if your University is part of MFi. Apple will not let individuals join the program, so if you are going to gain access, you have to access it through another organization or, possibly, an educational institution. I don't know if Apple has worked with schools in this regard, but you never know. It might be possible.

2. If your school isn't in the MFi program then you may want to consider re-writing your application for an Android device. Android devices are not locked down like iOS devices, so that may be a more reasonable approach.

I hate to bring bad news but circumventing these hardware restrictions on an iOS device is excessively prohibited. Your options are quite limited and none of them are probably what you either want or need to hear.