The Samsung wearable devices are growing by the day in numbers and so too will the need for some apps which would aid them achieve maximum users experience. Apart from individuals, companies are adopting the smartwatches in their business processes. In order to fast track and ease the process of developing softwares, Samsung has released a Software Development Kit for its wearables known as Knox Tizen Wearable SDK
The Knox Tizen Wearable SDK provides Application Point Interface (APIs) which would help users manage and customize their apps and also it features enhanced security. The SDK is a very flexible platform and it supports the use of Samsung Gear devices in both companion mode and standalone mode, where you have the option of managing the device without it being paired with a phone.
The Knox Tizen Wearable SDK features three categories of APIs namely; standard, customization, and attestation. All three APIs can be used by Mobile Device Management (MDM ) Vendors, System Integrators (SIs), and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to create secure solutions for Samsung Gear devices.
The Knox Tizen Wearables SDK only supports Gear S3 smartwatch for now but it is expected to extend to other wearable devices running on Tizen OS soon. As a standard though, to use the Wearable SDK to develop an app for Samsung Wearable gadgets, you need just three tools, the Tizen SDK which can be downloaded from the Tizen Developers website, the Samsung Knox Tizen Wearable SDK also available from the Tizen Developers website. A license is also needed to use the app and that can be gotten also from the Tizen website. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how they function.
- Tizen SDK — Available from the Tizen Developers website, this SDK lets you control Tizen operating system components like the file system and UI. In addition to a Web SDK (which uses HTML5 and JavaScript), there is a Native SDK (which uses C and C++) that provides lower-level control of system components. You can extend this Native C/C++ SDK with existing, open-source Linux libraries to add unique features with minimal effort. The Tizen SDK includes a Tizen studio IDE, a Tizen device emulator, sample code, and documentation.
- Samsung Knox Tizen Wearable SDK — From this web page, you will soon be able to download this SDK for use with Samsung wearable devices. This SDK includes C/C++ functions for device management, customization, and attestation.
- License — From this website, you can get enterprise and customization license keys that you need to run your wearable apps.
The Knox Tizen Wearable SDK also comes in handy in the enterprise environment where IT administrators can use the new SDK to build app that can serve as an agent for the Mobile Device Management (MDM) system which manages company’s devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, and wearables. The app functions in the det up whose ultimate goal is the management of enterprise assets such as employee profiles, security policies, and proprietary apps. This brings the benefit of easy access to important information.
If you are worried about security, don’t forget the Samsung Knox platform brings along a solid, high level security protection against hackers and other forms of threat. The Knox Tizen Wearable SDK on its own, as stated earlier includes the Attestation API which ensures that a Samsung Wearable device has not been compromised by analyzing the device’s kernel to see if its values are consistent with the expected values. This ensures the kernel being run is authentic. The API also checks that the device’s Warranty Bit is intact.
Furthermore, the Knox Tizen Wearable SDK includes a set of methods that mirror the Knox Tizen Standard SDK APIs for mobile devices, which are used to support MDM solutions. The SDK includes APIs that can be used to:
- Manage apps — You can install, update, and uninstall apps; start and stop apps; wipe app data; whitelist and blacklist apps that users can install from the Tizen store; disable preloaded apps; set up user accounts for email apps; and get details about installed apps (version, CPU usage, data usage, memory usage, and so on).
- Manage wearables — You can set up Access Point Names (APNs) and configure browser settings. You can also get device info and available storage capacity; restrict incoming and outgoing calls and SMS; enable call logging, SMS captures, and stats; inject events like calls and get screen captures.
- Secure wearables — You can set up password requirements for unlocking devices; encrypt stored data; set up a firewall to allow or prohibit sources from accessing devices; and disable features like the camera, microphone, screen captures, Internet sharing, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, tethering, USB usage, external storage, desktop syncs, and backups.
The Knox Tizen Wearable SDK provides a set of Customization APIs that enable apps to control wearables. Some features that these APIs control are:
- ProKiosk mode — Enable or disable ProKiosk mode, which restricts the wearable to a single app and limits the functionality of the device
- Hard key — Enable or disable hard key intent reporting in ProKiosk mode
- Bluetooth — Toggle Bluetooth state, HID support
- Status bar — Show or hide individual elements of the status bar, including notifications
- Connectivity — Turn ON/OFF Wi-Fi, mobile data, data usage on roaming
