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Apple now needs a judge's order to hand over push notification records
Law enforcement will now need a judge's consent in order to obtain push notification data from Apple.
With Mavericks just around the corner, websites begin supporting Safari push notifications
Apple is expected to unveil -- and ship shortly thereafter -- the final version of OS X 10.9 Mavericks at its media event today. With the new OS' launch fast approaching, some big-name websites have decided to switch on Safari push notifications a little early, notes MacRumors. If you're currently running a build of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, you can navigate to The New York Times and NBA.com to check the new feature out. With Safari push notifications in OS X 10.9 Mavericks, users can choose to get popup alerts from websites announcing breaking news or other information, even when Safari is closed. The notifications will appear in your desktop and in OS X's Notification Center, as notifications do now in OS X 10.8, and will also appear on your lock screen under 10.9.
Apple asks developers to prepare for Safari Push Notifications
Apple has sent an email to developers asking them to get ready for Safari Push Notifications, reports Cult of Mac. In the email titled, "Get ready for Safari Push Notifications," the company lays out what Safari Push notifications entail and directs developers to the Safari Push Notifications website. OS X Mavericks introduces a powerful new way to keep users engaged with your website. You can now use the Apple Push Notifications Service to send notifications to your website users, right on their Mac desktop -- even when Safari isn't running. Safari Push Notifications work just like push notifications for apps. They display your website icon and notification text, which users can click to go right to your website. While push notifications from websites may be a good thing for breaking news, it seems like its an area that's ripe for exploitation. If push notifications become push ads, it's a feature that will easily annoy instead of inform. Let's hope developers remember that so they don't ruin the fun for everybody.
Court lifts injunction barring iCloud mail push notifications in Germany
Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents is reporting that a German court this week lifted an injunction which precluded iOS users in Germany from receiving iCloud mail push notifications. The injunction had been in place for about 18 months before being suspended this week. Recall that the patent underlying the injunction is owned and was initially asserted by Motorola back in April of 2011. According to Mueller, once Apple posts a bond -- which effectively serves as a pre-payment in the likelihood Motorola ultimately prevails on the merits -- push notifications for affected iOS users will be enabled once again. On the flip side, it's also possible that Apple, in the event that it emerges victorious in this litigation, will be entitled to damages from Motorola for the "enforcement of an injunction that shouldn't have been granted in the first place."
Gmail push notification no longer works with Mail on new iOS devices
Google's Gmail has provided push notification to iOS users through Mail.app for years, but an announced change has taken effect that will leave users with new devices without push notification in the iPhone's native mail app. Google announced in December that the Microsoft Exchange support offered with Google Sync would be removed, and the company ended that support on January 30, 2013. For those who are using the Gmail push notification feature on existing hardware, there's no cause for concern as Google has grandfathered in your accounts. However, when you get a new iOS device through an upgrade or replacement, you'll find that you can no longer receive instant push notifications for Gmail accounts. According to a post on Apple Insider, these changes went unnoticed by most people, with a number of new threads popping up on the Apple Support Communities regarding push notification issues and even Apple Genius representatives expressing bewilderment with the issue. Gmail users using the iOS Mail app now need to set new devices to fetch their mail on a timed basis (screenshot at right), grab new mail by manually launching the app and refreshing, or begin using another app to continue receiving push notifications. Google's free Gmail app provides push notifications of new emails, as does the highly prized Mailbox app. For those who want to continue using Mail.app, third-party notification service Boxcar can send push notifications separately. Google also provides Exchange support with push notification to Google Apps customers, starting at a monthly cost of US$5 per user.
Facebook testing iOS notification that bugs you to update your status
In a stellar example of how annoying push notifications can be if misused by app developers, social media giant Facebook is testing a push notification on its iOS app that bugs a user to update their status if they have not updated it in a while. The "feature" was first discovered and tweeted by Bijan Sabet, a general partner at Spark Capital and confirmed by Mashable. A Facebook representative admitted to Mashable that the feature is in a "small test we're running." Facebook is notorious for testing new features in certain geographic segments across the globe. However, just because they're testing this does not mean that the company will make it a standard "feature" on the app. But if it does, I can easily see this annoying the heck out of users. Sometimes I just don't need to update my Facebook status every day or week, and if my app is always asking me to do so, it will quickly be deleted.
Wireless Sensor Tags alert you to movement and temperature changes, fit on your keyring
There's plenty of sensor gear around for hobbyists to play with, but not so many polished products for the monitoring-obsessed. Cao Gadgets is attempting to fill that niche with its functionally named Wireless Sensor Tags -- small devices which monitor movement and temperature, notifying you if anything's amiss. A magnetometer registers movement by changes in its orientation, and can inform you of door openings or similar disturbances, while the temperature triggers are based on upper or lower thresholds. The $15 sensors (or $12 if you want three or more) have a battery life that should last several years depending on their setup, but there is one catch -- you also need the Tag Manager hub ($50), which plugs into your router via Ethernet. It keeps in frequent contact with any subordinates in its 200-foot range, and if after several attempts it finds one MIA, a warning can be sent in case any of your home guards have walked or fallen asleep. The tags also have inbuilt beepers which can be pinged to track down any rogue possessions they're partnered with, like your keys. A lot of thought has been put into micromanaging the tags, which are customizable through web-based, Android or iOS apps, and will send out alerts via email, Twitter, or push notifications on slates and phones (text-to-speech is available if you're too lazy to read). If you're into your data, you can also access trigger statistics from the software, complete with graphs. The home monitoring kit is available now, and instead of crashing your browser with too many embeds, we've decided to point you to the source below for the half-dozen demo vids.
Apple inadvertently teases iCloud.com banner notifications, pings your browser iOS 5-style
Apple already made clear that it was expanding iOS 5-like notifications to the desktop with OS X Mountain Lion, but it now looks as though that's extending to your web browser, too. Some visitors to iCloud.com have reported seeing notifications show at the top of the page that were both based on iOS' look and which were clearly not ready for prime time -- not unless Default Title for English is a new iCloud feature, at least. There's no indication of how advanced notifications might become in Apple's web portal, or if they'll transition from development cocoon to public butterfly at all. In the meantime, though, keep an eye on the top of your browser and let us know if you see anything leap out in the near future.
Sparrow for iPhone will wow with its design, but lacks push notification
After a long wait, Sparrow for iOS made its debut in the App Store on Wednesday. Similar to the desktop version, the iOS mail client promises to provide you with an efficient and pleasant mailing experience, and the app mostly delivers on this promise. Sparrow supports Gmail, iCloud and IMAP, but not POP email accounts. When you launch the app for the first time, you are prompted to setup your first email account. The app will try to auto-configure your settings using your email and password. If it fails, you can enter the server details manually. During the setup process, you can also link to Facebook and pull down your contacts' images. The first thing you notice about Sparrow is the user interface, which is clean, efficient and intuitive. Unlike the native mail client which uses tapping to navigate through the app, Sparrow relies heavily on swiping. You can swipe left and right to move between your account settings, mailbox and individual messages. When you're reading an email, you can swipe up and down to move through other messages in the conversation. You can also swipe on any message to reply, star, label, archive or delete a conversation. Sparrow is not only easy on the eyes, it also supports advanced features like Google labels and identities. I've used lots of email clients, and many struggle with the management and usage of identities. Sparrow, however, is just perfect. Identities are easy to setup and even easier to select when you are going to send an email. Just tap the "From" at the top of the email composition window and a list of email accounts will appear. The app also tracks which account received an email and will automatically select the correct identity when you reply. Like any good email client, Sparrow has a search function that lets you search up to 1000 messages on your phone. You can filter by "From", "To" and "Subject". Search on the phone is great in a pinch, but I found it easier to search on the desktop which is faster and extends to all your messages. Message composition is straightforward. You are prompted right away to select a contact and assign them to either the main recipient, the CC or BCC. As noted above, you can easily select the account from which the email is sent. Writing the email is as simple as typing in text or using the voice-to-text feature. There is no text markup so you can't bold or underline parts of your message. Sparrow also lets you add an image from within the app. When you click on the paperclip icon, you are presented with the option to pick an image from your library or take a new one. Images can be resized when you hit the send button. All this simplicity, however, is overshadowed by one missing key feature: push email. For most people, email is time sensitive. You need to know when an email hits your inbox so you can respond (or at least read it) right away. That's why you need push notification and why Sparrow for iOS is disappointing in that regard. The beta version of Sparrow had push notification, and it worked wonderfully. Unfortunately, Apple rejected the app. According to developer Dom Leca, Apple said no to Sparrow because it used an API, the same one used by VoIP apps, that allows an app to be woken up in case of a network event. This lets Sparrow stay virtually connected to the mail server so it can receive push emails. This always-on type of connection is not allowed by Apple. Even though the solution worked flawlessly in the beta, Sparrow had to remove it for the public release. As it works now, Sparrow will sync your email when you open the app or manually pull down to refresh. You can read Sparrow's statement about push notifications on its website. Without push notification is Sparrow really worth the US$2.99? It depends. If you can't miss an email and your response time is critical, then you should stick with the native mail app. On the other hand, if you're looking for a fresh UI and an efficient way to manage your emails, then you should buy Sparrow without hesitation. You will quickly learn to live without push email or find ways to work around it. It's not elegant, but one work around is to keep notifications in the native Mail app active and then use Sparrow to read and respond to your mail. As noted by Think iOS, you can also use Boxcar notifications to alert you of an incoming email. You can follow the setup instructions on Think iOS's website to get Boxcar up and running. Sparrow for the iPhone is available in the App Store for $2.99.
Twitter for Android gets push notifications, multiple account support
Having a hard time juggling your full-cast reproduction of Harry Potter masquerade Twitter accounts? No worries, the firm just sent out an update to its Android app that will let you switch between multiple accounts with ease. It's almost magical. Not saddled with the burden of weaving a complex narrative across multiple online identities? That's okay, there's something here for everyone; this update includes push notification, updated home screen widgets, and assorted bug fixes. Version 2.1.0 is live today, assuming you're rocking Android 2.1 or higher.
Facebook 2.0 finally brings push notifications to Windows Phone 7
On the heels of yesterday's release of Mango for the developers out there, Facebook has finally dropped version 2 with support for push notifications -- Toast and Live Tile. For those of you that've been waiting with baited breath, included are notifications for: messages, wall posts, feed comments and replies, photo tags and replies, or in short about everything your addiction requires. We've not had a chance to light our screens up with this just yet, so why not be a dear and give it a go and let us know what you think.
Windows Phone adds multitasking, deeper OS integration, and sensor access to dev platform
We knew it was coming, and today at MIX 11, Microsoft showed off its developer platform for the next version of Windows Phone, which developers will be able to get their hands on for free in May. The new application platform adds: Multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer, and fast app switching, including background audio playback for HTML5 webpages Deeper integration of apps into the OS, allowing programs to leverage Live Tiles, including push notifications via Live Agents running in the background Raw access to the camera and sensors (gyro and compass) via the Motion Sensor library, letting apps to control device hardware Microsoft hopes this will allow developers to make even more creative and engaging apps. To get our juices flowing, it showed off demos of new app concepts from Skype, Spotify, Layar, Qantas, Amazon Shopping, and Kik Messenger. Check out our gallery below and hit the break for the details. %Gallery-121151%
MobileNotifier: iPhone alerts improved (video)
If you haven't jailbroken your iPhone yet then MobileNotifier might just push you over the edge -- a place you're probably already teetering upon given Apple's pathetic push notification implementation. MobileNotifier beta v3 is a free open-source rewrite of iOS' notifications from Peter Hajas (lead developer) and Kyle Adams (UI and UX). Perhaps the biggest feature of MobileNotifier is the addition of unobtrusive alerts that appear at the top of your existing app. Unlike Apple's interfering popups, MobileNotifier alerts can be ignored, leaving them on the display without inhibiting use of the device. You can also take immediate action on alerts or tap them away for later. Pending alerts can be found in the AlertDashboard -- the previously unused area above the app switcher, accessible with a double-press of the iPhone's home button. Pending alert counts are also displayed as a line item on the Lockscreen. We've been running MobileNotifier for a few hours. While it's not perfect (opaque windows?) we have no plans to remove it either. At least not until we see what Apple has in store for iOS 5 which, with any luck, will be revealed on Wednesday for a summer launch. Another screenshot and demo video can be found after the break.
Real-life mailbox mod tells your iPhone when you've got snail mail (video)
Do you spend your days desperately awaiting credit card bills, coupons to Pizza Hut, and reminders from your dentist's office that it's time for another cleaning? We've pared down our dependence on USPS, but for those who still get physical communications of note, Make has developed an Arduino-based mailbox mod that sends push notifications when the post is in. Back in 2005, we saw a clunky device called POSTIN that did much the same thing. Thankfully, this system doesn't require an extra gadget, instead it sends messages straight to your iPhone. The postal alert system uses a snap-action switch, connected to an Arduino sensor, to signal when your mailbox is opened. A piece of code waits for the signal and then requests a URL from a PHP-enabled server, pushing an alert to your cellphone using the Prowl iPhone app. Die-hard USPS fans can check out the instructional video after the jump.
iPhone receives push notifications from real-world mailbox
Sure, push notification is nothing new for iPhone users. But when was the last time that you received notification that real-live mail -- the kind made of atoms, not bits -- has shown up in your mailbox? One of the new evil geniuses at Make Magazine online, Matt Richardson, decided he'd like to get notification when the flesh-and-blood mailman delivers something to his mailbox. Using a standard USPS-approved mailbox, he installed a snap-action switch that signals when the mailbox door has been opened. That switch is connected via wire (yeah, I was also surprised that it wasn't wireless) to an Arduino. Some simple code watches for the mailbox door to be opened and closed, and then grabs a piece of PHP code from a web server that also has to be running. The PHP and web server are necessary since Matt is using the Prowl: Growl Client app (US$2.99) to get the push notifications. Prowl requires an SSL connection, which that Arduino can't make. As Matt notes, the end product is something that can send push notifications to your iPhone whenever some physical state changes -- when the garage door is left open, when home power usage exceeds a certain level, etc... Any switch or sensor connected to the Arduino can send a push alert. There's video of the construction and use of the setup on page 2. [Tip of the hat to Boing Boing and Gizmodo]
Facebook for Android updated with chat and push notifications
Facebook chat addict? How about an Android phone owner? Well, if you answered "yes" to both of those questions, you're in luck this lovely evening. Closing the gap a bit between its Android and iOS offerings, Facebook has finally gone and added both chat and push notifications to version 1.5 of its Android app. It took us less than a minute to install the update from the Market, launch the app, and confirm that the chat button was indeed locked on the homescreen. Naturally, being the crazy tech writers that you know us to be, we sent a chat message to our friend Mike, and seconds later we got a push notification alerting us that he had responded with a clever "what's up?" How's that for killing two birds with one stone? We took some quick shots of the new features below, but you know you'd rather go try it out yourself. %Gallery-110583%
myPhoneDesktop controls and sends information to your iPhone or iPad
Sometimes an app is more than an app -- it's about being excited about the underlying technology and why it makes it easier for users to get done what they want to get done, without extra steps that stand in the way. myPhoneDesktop [US$1.99] is that kind of app. It transforms the way you move data from a Mac to an iPhone, simplifying the process along the way. I tested it on an iPhone 3GS and a Mac. Imagine you are sitting at your Mac, looking at: a URL Directions on Google Maps a YouTube video of a cat vs. a lobster (well, crawfish) a phone number of someone you need to call an app in the App Store on iTunes that you want to download a picture you want on your iPhone Most of the time when I am faced with that situation I send myself an email to my "@txt.att.net" address, but that's fairly inelegant: launch mail program, copy information, type address, click send. Not only that, but when I get the message on my iPhone, then I have to manually do something with it. I also have the Pastebot app [$3] installed, but I have to make sure that's running on my iPhone before it will receive any data from my Mac. And again, it's not going to do anything with that information, it's just going to copy it. Here's how I do that with myPhoneDesktop: Select URL, text, phone number, picture Press and hold ⌘, press C twice. Boom. Off it goes over the Internet and appears on my iPhone moments later. But myPhoneDesktop can do a whole lot more than just simply sharing text. Read on for more...
Google Voice is now your real-time pusher (on Android)
Once upon a time, Google undercut its own infant OS by offering rival platforms some of the best features of Android. Those days are long gone, and once again -- as much as we love Google Maps Navigation -- the poster child for only-on-Android functionality (in the US) is Google Voice. That's because as of this week, the Android version supports push notification of incoming messages in real time, as well as a neat interface for your reply (as evidenced by the above pic). Feel free to tease your iPhone and Pre-addicted friends, people; multitasking or no, they're not going to get a heads-up of incoming voicemail transcriptions with plain ol' HTML5.
Found Footage: Urban Airship's AirMail takes push notifications to the next level
Here's an exclusive TUAW video preview of Urban Airship's latest product, AirMail. Like their other products, AirMail is powered by a precompiled drop-in library that developers add to their iPhone applications. AirMail adds a whole new spin on push notifications by transforming them from lightweight messaging into a more durable and interactive product. Normally push notifications give a simple heads-up to users along the lines of "You have mail" or "Someone tweeted your name." AirMail goes further. It uses the iPhone's push notification infrastructure to enhance two-way communications between service providers and their customers. As this video shows, push notifications are no longer throwaway products. Using AirMail, they can be stored and referenced through an in-app library. Applications can create message histories that persist well beyond the life of a normal push message. What's more, those notifications can involve the user in a multi-directional process, whether confirming that they have taken their pills (as shown here), are ready to take a meeting, or that they acknowledge that a security alarm was triggered in error, among other uses.
Get your current weather from Outside
Outside [iTunes link] is a new, personal weather app for the iPhone/iPod touch that provides a visual forecast with some paid options for push notifications. I like the idea of the app; it has some nice graphics and a fresh approach to weather information. The GUI is based on a metaphor of looking out a window: you can get the current conditions or a five-day forecast, if you want to glance into the future. For the relevant stats, like humidity, cloud cover and winds, you just flick up the screen, and it'll tell you everything you need to know. The app also features an interesting pay model: when you buy the U.S $2.99 app, you get 30 days of push notifications for free. Then it's $0.99 for the notifications every three months. Notifications include letting you know if rain is in the forecast, the UV index when it goes above a set level, a warning if the temperature goes below your preference, and a notification that the weather is OK to wear a T-shirt. There are a few things that would make this app better. First, it'd be nice to reduce the need to flick the screen so often. The five-day forecast could be placed on one page, not five. And the notifications are unique, but a bit strange. I'd much rather be notified of upcoming storm warnings rather than T-shirt weather, but there is no such option -- especially since the notifications are so pricey (getting them for a year costs more than the app itself), it'd be nice to have some more options. And if you want weather from a different location, you have to enter that location manually. There is no list of favorites. I think weather junkies would be better off with the Weather Channel app [iTunes link], which is free, Weather Channel Max for $3.99 [iTunes link], or MyWeather [iTunes link] mobile which provides very detailed info for a one-time $4.99, and includes (free) push notifications for severe weather. There is some clever thinking behind Outside, and it's a fresh approach to a function that's seen its share of rainy days. But I wish it had more information on the individual screens, and it wasn't so expensive to get notifications.
