Comments on: Apple hands out Push Notification Service API to developers, background apps FTW!

By: diem

diem — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:15:14 +0000

Has no one heard of insomnia, the app that lets you leave the phone apps running when the phone is off? It’s on Cydia. Get it!

By: STEVE

STEVE — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:14:26 +0000

they need to at least let aim myspace facebook and some of the top name apps to be able to use push

By: viveka

viveka — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:08:43 +0000

First: I was replying to a comment claiming that interrupting the apple-made Contacts app by taking a call would result in lost work. This claim is false.
Second: Even non-Apple apps remember state. I can start a twitter post in Twinkle, exit the app, do various other things, return to twinkle and the post is half-completed, just as I left it.
It’s true that there is no third-party multi-tasking or background apps on the iPhone (apart from what you get with Apple’s push notification service). This is a shame. However it does not lead to the problems described by Kyle above.

By: nick

nick — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:44:49 +0000

3rd party apps viv.

as in those not shipped from apple

By: Victor

Victor — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:02:35 +0000

my silent/noise switch also fell. Luckily apple replaced it.

By: viveka

viveka — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:54:53 +0000

That is false. Applications remember the state they were left in. If I am editing a contact and a call comes through, when I end the call I can continue editing the contact from where I left off. I just tested this, and also put my iPhone to sleep, woke it up again, took some photos in the middle of typing this sentence. When I launched safari again this web form was in mid-sentence just as I left it.

By: Partners in Grime

Partners in Grime — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:29:17 +0000

Push email rocks!

By: Dann

Dann — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:32:13 +0000

Haha thanks ;) use it wisely.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:20:50 +0000

My iPhone 3G is working great. No problems. I think the mobile me problems are fairly small and related to email.

I can’t believe MobileMe is not getting rave reviews! Has anyone but me actually used Gallery and iCal online? It’s freaking unbelieveable how much like a real app they are. These work better than local java apps (way better) for me.

You app doesn’t run? Which one? Texas Holdem is, honestly, the best card game ever developed, hands down. Haven’t bought any others yet.

I mean, you can drag the size bar, drag items around, drop and drag to upload, etc…

I don’t use the mail because I use Outbreak for professional stuff and gmail for personal stuff. I never use email for a subscription thing where I may have to renew to keep an address, that is just stupid.

By: kyle kaziman

kyle kaziman — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:02:35 +0000

don’t blame developers for bad battery life when it comes to applications.

On a windows phone for example, it is the users choice. You run an app that requires to be in the background means that you understand that it affects your battery life.

At the end of the day, its my choice. On an iPhone though, it is Apple’s choice.

Additionally, Apple’s argument against background apps doesn’t hold water. While it may be true to apps that need to connect and fetch data, most background apps don’t use much additional battery. For example, (and I’ve done this) lets say I am entering in a new contact on my iPhone and a call comes in. Guess what, all my work is lost because the contacts app cannot be pushed into the background. I can not end the call two minutes later and go back to the contacts.

Apple treats it’s customers like idiots and thinks it can make better decisions for the customer. Well, each customer is different and has different needs. Let the customer choose.

By: steveG

steveG — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:54:11 +0000

Must be where you live because the coverage in San Diego is pretty good.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:47:13 +0000

My biggest complaint is that people constantly complain about how bad firmware 2.0 is but don’t do anything about it. I had issues with 2.0 initially but about two weeks ago I quit installing applications from the App Store and only installed new apps and updated apps through iTunes on my computer. Since then I’ve had exactly 3 crashes and it was with the same game (Sudoku). My phone hasn’t done a single restart and because of that I’m quite the happy camper. It’s not hard to keep the iPhone from crashing and if you are doing these things and it’s still crashing then (and only then) are you allowed to complain about it.

(remember that this SDK and app store is a 1.0 product).

By: PC

PC — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:15:01 +0000

I’m still loving my 1g iPhone :D.

If you think battery life sucks now, wait until applications start using the push notification service. Unless Apple makes the correct restrictions, you can bet that apps using push notify will drain the battery even faster.

By: GeorgeP

GeorgeP — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:05:01 +0000

I love my iPhone.. But: The battery life is terrible, txt messaging and sometimes email typing can be insanely sluggish, the phone locks up every so often for no reason, reception can become unbearable, talk for longer than 10 minutes on the phone and static begins, the list goes on and on….

If MS or Moto released a phone like this, they would have been crucified. RIM should create commercials like the Mac and PC, and talk about unstable the platform is.

I’m really looking forward to the firmware update.

By: Pascal

Pascal — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:30:54 +0000

Is battery life really that bad? I couldn’t complain, I’d have to charge it every 2 days with my normal usage. But the AddressBook definitively needs to get a speed boost.
Oh, and I don’t have a white iPhone, but a black one. These don’t crack, but my silent/ring switcher just _fell_ off. Not broke, but fell. Holy crap!

By: Omar Ismail

Omar Ismail — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:27:07 +0000

Don’t complain about the horrible battery life and then complain about the lack of background applications.

With the current crop of crappy developers and applications, giving them access to background processing would make battery life last 10 minutes.

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:07:22 +0000

Oh, and I hope Apple’s “push notification” actually works… :-)

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:05:36 +0000

I need a native Google Talk app that works like the one on my BlackBerry did… That’s probably the biggest thing I’m missing after switching from BlackBerry to iPhone. I hope Google delivers on this, ASAP!

By: cliff

cliff — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:00:56 +0000

My biggest gripe is ATT, here is San Diego, the coverage SUCKS!

By: Cory O'Brien

Cory O'Brien — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:39:25 +0000

Dann – Wow! I think “blows deformed goats” is my new favorite catchphrase.