This book is fun, disguised as education.
Many folks say that the best way to learn something is by doing it. Even more effective, though, is building something tangible that can immediately be put to use. With this in mind, the book you have in your hands is an impressive accomplishment!
Let's not fool ourselves. Nobody will be able to survive in a technical field without the drive and ability to learn new things. Staying current in this industry can be quite challenging. Aside from the rapid pace with which technology evolves, there's often a palpable tedium of trudging through dry technical materials. One's mind can wander easily. Paragraphs have to be reread several times. Interruptions can feel like blessings.
This book is not like that.
Its title, IoT Projects with Bluetooth Low Energy, is a bit humble. To start off with the book, Madhur Bhargava breaks down the intricacies of the BLE protocol using a conversational voice. Almost without realizing it, the reader internalizes highly technical information, progressing to a full understanding of BLE. To read only that first chapter would be worth the investment of time and money into this book. But there's more! Madhur then accomplishes a feat rare among technical authors. Using the same delivery technique, he provides instructions on building a series of full-stack apps and covering several diverse technologies, without alienating the audience.
Fellow reader, the book's title might suggest that you will learn BLE -- and you will -- but you will learn so much more. Without even intending to.
Somehow, by chapter 4, I had coded multiple versions of mobile apps on both major platforms. I am not a mobile programmer; nor did I rely on copying and pasting code from the companion Github repo. Still, from Madhur's careful explanations, I understood every line of code used in the projects. The short, sweet introductions to Firebase, Xcode, Android Studio and emulators were enough to get me productive in each of them. While I do have programming experience, I haven't created much in Swift or Java. I have to credit the author with being thorough and keeping the instructions straightforward and focused. You will finish this book wanting to learn and do more. There are not enough books like this.
Finally, I should issue a warning. This book may start a costly addiction. If you don't already have the hardware for these projects, you will want it. I have Raspberry Pis, sensors, beacons, Android devices... all sitting in front of me as I write this.
Enjoy your adventure! Time for me to go play with my new toys now.
Jacqueline Wilson
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Cecil College
