[Paid Software Announcement and Discussion] apDroid:
Thank you, glad you like it!

Was the phone's screen on during the first time connecting via Wifi? If so, and they did not connect, then the problem is likely that the automatic discovery is not working on whichever port is set in Tablet Talk. Please try other ports such as 8080, 6783, etc. If you need more technical information let me know.

Hmmm, let me make sure I understand what you mean.

1) Are you leaving the app running in a connecting state for extended periods? And they won't connect when brought into Bluetooth range?

First, please do not leave the tablet connecting for very long. Doing so wastes the battery. The documentation needs to be updated on this point, and the settings popup a disclaimer when "until cancelled" selected on the tablet.

Also, in general I would advise against leaving BT apps on your phone running all day awaiting incoming connections. More automated connection options are in the works, including an option for Tablet Talk to connect (regardless if it is opened) when BT is enabled or a preferred Wifi network is connected to.

However, they technically should reconnect when brought into range. I'll have to do some testing and try to reproduce the problem. It may or may not be related to Bluetooth.

Or...

2) You open Tablet Talk and press connect (or use widget) and they simply do not connect? This is a known--and frustrating--issue whereby the devices will not connect after having already connected in the past. I have found reports of this problem online and some have claimed it is related to Android's Bluetooth implementation.

The quickest way to fix this problem is to toggle BT off then back on and then try again. If it still does not work, then unpairing the devices, toggling BT off then on, and then connecting from scratch almost always works. On the TODO list is to implement a convenience option to perform the unpairing procedure from within the app when BT acts up. However, Android APIs do not officially support unpairing devices programatically so it may or may not be possible.

When the connection is idle, the app technically should not be draining the battery. The app's execution thread that handles the connection just sits blocked waiting for incoming data or to be notified that an SMS has arrived and needs to be forwarded. Also, the app does not use any wakelocks while connected.

Nonetheless, if Bluetooth is on... then Bluetooth is on and as you have seen can affect battery life. Using wifi has less of an effect, especially on the tablet which has wifi enabled anyways for internet. When I am at home or work, regardless if I am using Tablet Talk, I enable 2G only and use Wifi not only to save battery but also to reduce data usage (T-mobile caps my speeds after 2 GB).

Please note that while it is okay to leave Tablet Talk connected all night (I do all the time :)), if you are disconnected then connect again in the morning all new messages will sync. Also, it is okay to use the back button to close the app on the phone when connected (and of course leave the screen off).

Of course, please post here or email me with any further questions!

On a different note, does anyone here have an Asus Transformer recently updated to ICS? If so, have you had problems with the textbox disappearing in the main app?

Lastly, someone recently discovered and brought to my attention that if a router's DHCP lease time is set to infinite then it causes seemingly random and/or frequent disruptions of the Wifi connection on some Android devices. This may explain some unresolved connection problems and will be added to the documentation. Please see Issue 20461 and Issue 18648 for more information. Huge thanks to Jon for this information!! This may explain some unresolved Wifi connection problems.