Digital Player

Push Notifications

Even before the launch of iPhone 3GS, Apple already promised the availability of push notifications on their devices which will provide the alerts from our emails, messages, and other applications that provide announcements. This was mentioned as early as June last year. However, September of 2008 already passed without a word from Apple regarding the promise. Until the new model was released, it was just then when the pledge had been fulfilled.

With the use of the push notification feature, iPhone 3GS becomes fully reliable when it comes to multitasking activities. This is as mentioned by Apple. This capability of the new model is brought by the iPhone OS 3.0, which, as mentioned, is also a recent improvement to the iPhone specs. With this new feature, background tasks can be performed without worrying about the battery life of one’s gadget. This is due to the fact that this application is not just capable to be a substitute for background tasks, it also helps in preserving the battery’s life and make it usable for a longer time. As emphasized by Apple, background tasks are the usual reasons why users get hold of their charger more often.

With these words from the manufacturer, do the notifications perform as background task as well? Does this feature accomplish the ideal of the company to keep a constant connection for its end-users? Based on our experience, we do not really find it as such. There are only few applications that can provide the service that most users are looking for. But still, Apple will surely come up with more of these advancements.

Push notifications is really a useful application as it directs you to a certain application. It gives you added information and it will even keep you updated. As a note, this is really a great addition to the iPhone 3GS.  However, they cannot really replace the performance that AIM sessions can do. There are just some aspects with push notifications that cannot just replace background tasks. With push, you can really be notified about certain applications. But still, it appears as one of the irksome pop-ups of 3GS. Sometimes, it even appears as an audio message. Though the push notification is really a helpful tool, it will be more admired if the company can find a better way to address it in a unobtrusive way. This is because, as of the moment, the popping out of notices can really be annoying and cannot be considered as a tool for multitasking at all. Even more, it will be better if Apple can come out with something that really gives the needs of its users like Gmail. We are really looking forward to a better version of iPhone in relation to this aspect.

Moreover, with some experience about background tasks through Android, you might agree that anyone can really handle this kind of activity without worrying about the battery. Additionally, notifications do not seem to be an answer to the multitasking needs of Apple’s customers. But still, the manufacturer will be able to improve this aspect if given more time and feedback.