notifications
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iOS notifications might be getting a jailbreak boost (Updated)
When Steve Jobs takes the stage next Monday to introduce the world to iOS 5, one of the things we're most hoping to see is an update to the notifications system -- it's a little old at this point, and we've seen some really innovative suggestions on how to spice it up. Like, for example, this design scheme, put together by a designer named Peter Hajas. In fact, wouldn't it be great if Apple saw this design, and actually hired Hajas to work on an official iOS release? In point of fact, that might be exactly what happened. Last week, the iPhone Download Blog noticed that Hajas posted on his blog about "taking a break" from the public eye and his jailbreak work (his notifications were created as a jailbreak app called MobileNotifier), and Redmond Pie points out that he later tweeted about he's going to work for a "fruit company" in California. It's not too big a jump to guess that he doesn't mean one of California's many citrus-based farms, right? No, we're joking, he very likely has gone to work actually designing notifications for Apple. In fact, the RP post now features an official-looking screenshot of Hajas' internal directory entry, listing him as an employee in iOS apps and frameworks. Hajas posted on May 9 that he was heading out to Cupertino, so it's unlikely we'll see his work right away in any iOS 5 preview on Monday. Still, his story shows that Apple is watching the jailbreak community closely and hopefully bringing some of the best features over into the official OS. This isn't the first talent grab by Apple that might impact notifications. A year ago, former Palm developer Rich Dellinger was bodysnatched to Cupertino, which drove speculation around Apple's plans for revamping the notifications.
iOS 5 to feature 'completely revamped' notifications, widgets
TechCrunch reports that iOS 5, expected to debut at WWDC next month, will feature a "completely revamped" notification system and widgets. Apple has long been rumored to be revamping its notifications system in iOS, and many have expected that such a notification system revamp would make its way into iOS 5. The widgets functionality is somewhat a new concept, however. Besides TechCrunch's mention that there will be iOS widgets, nothing else is known about what they'll look like or what function they'll perform. MacRumors postulates that iOS widgets could "presumably provide quick access to information without the need for launching dedicated apps, much the same as Dashboard widgets in Mac OS X." They might also function similarly to a pretty cool concept video of how widgets might work in iOS.
Designer pitches concept for usable iOS notifications in video
Like many of us here in the TUAW compound, designer Andreas Hellqvist is dissatisfied with the intrusive and often downright annoying notifications system iOS 4 offers today. Like me, he expresses his distaste for iOS's notifications by turning them off in almost every app on his device. After exploring other concepts on the Web and finding most didn't adhere to existing iOS concepts, the Swedish designer took it upon himself to illustrate his own vision of what iOS notifications should be. Hellqvist begins by consolidating all notifications into a single system level app. Users could then position the notifications software -- on the launch bar, a page of apps, or hidden in a folder -- to suit her own personal desire to see incoming alerts. A single badge displaying a summed total of messages across all apps on the device would allow users to see how many unread notifications they had at-a-glance. Upon launching the app, Hellqvist suggests users could see a complete list of all notifications, filter messages by app, and perform some basic notification management. Tapping on a notification would launch the appropriate action on the device: opening an incoming text message or dialing the number from a missed call, for example. The new notifications concept also addresses incoming alerts on the lock screen. Users would see a short listing of recent messages here. To avoid embarrassing pocket dialing, Hellqvist employs a nifty "slide-to-read" concept (pictured above) that allows users to quickly respond to a notification by sliding app icons from left to right, much like the familiar "slide to unlock" interface currently available in iOS. Overall, the video succinctly summarizes what notifications in iOS could and should be. While some developers already offer software with similar capabilities to jailbroken devices, I would welcome many of the enhancements pictured in this video in an official iOS release. Hopefully, Apple is listening and will implement some of Hellqvist's ideas into a future version of iOS. Then, maybe I'd use notifications more. Keep reading to watch the concept video and tell us what you think in the comments.
Weather app uses notifications to display info on home screen
One area that Apple needs to address is the iOS home screen, which uses icons and badges to display information instead of the more informative widgets used by its competitor, Android. While many apps resign themselves to this limitation, a weather app by International Travel Weather Calculator pushes what is possible with a clever use of the iOS notification system. We are all familar with the red iOS badge that displays the number of missed calls or unread emails on your home screen. The Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen app takes advantage of this notification system to display the temperature on your home screen. It's a clever use of Apple's built-in system that does not run afoul of the App Store guidelines. The rest of the weather application is feature-rich and includes location-based weather forecasts, support for multiple cities, astronomical data, like sunrise and sunset times, and extra weather information, like rainfall amounts, humidity and wind direction. An in-app upgrade lets you add rain radar, satellite maps and wind charts to the application. The Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen app is available for US$0.99 from the App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think.
5 things I want to see in iOS 5
With all the rumors that iOS 5 is going to be a major revamp, including features like digital lockers, cloud storage and AI voice control, the next version of Apple's iPhone and iPad operating system is sure to knock our socks off. It may even include things we never knew we always needed. However, here are five of my humble wishes for iOS 5: 1. Notifications: Everyone knows notifications need a major overhaul in the next iOS. They really haven't been tweaked since iOS launched in 2007. While the iPhone is arguably the best smartphone on the market, its notification system is perhaps the worst of all. There are plenty of ways Apple could go with a notification redesign, but I'm hoping at the very least it includes a new lock screen featuring notifications (with the ability to disable them on the lock screen for privacy purposes), then use the very valuable screen real estate, which is currently entirely dedicated to Spotlight searching. There is so much space on that screen, Apple can easily divide it up between a notifications center and Spotlight search. 2. Weather app: This is probably not on anyone's list but mine, but I want to see a feature-added Weather app. I'm not even talking about any advanced stuff; all I really want is to be able to rotate the iPhone into landscape mode while in the Weather app and see an hourly forecast. Like notifications, the Weather app hasn't changed since the first version of iOS, and I don't think asking for an hourly breakdown is beyond Apple's technological skills. It would also be nice for the Weather app to be location aware, with one default weather screen always showing your current location's weather.
Boxcar Beta for Mac available, brings notifications to Mac
Today brings a delightful surprise for Mac users with Boxcar joining the Mac family. Boxcar has been the standard for getting push notifications from your social networks, email, RSS and other services on iOS devices since it launched in July of 2009, and it has been one of my favorite iPhone apps from the start. Boxcar currently supports more Twitter events than you probably have time to read, including mentions, direct messages, new followers, trending topics, Twitter list updates and keyword searches. Boxcar also supports other social networks for notifications from Facebook, check-ins from Gowalla and Foursquare, even Google Buzz.
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.
Apple to redesign iOS notification system
Cult of Mac is reporting that Apple is planning a revamp to its iOS notification system. iOS's current notification system, which is used for everything from text messages to push notifications, has remained virtually unchanged since the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007. The current notification system uses a series of pop-up bezels that are sometimes cramped with information or, worse, fail to display adequate information in an easy to view manner. A good example of this is when you receive two text messages: you are only notified that you have two texts, and you can't see the content of the text message without entering the Messages app. If Apple is indeed overhauling its notification system, it may not be doing it entirely using in-house resources. Sources are reporting that Apple may be purchasing (or may already have purchased) a small iOS development company that offers their own type of notification system through the App Store. While the company has not been specifically identified, Cult of Mac suggests it could be Appremix, which makes a very popular free app called Boxcar that allows users to receive push notifications from a variety of sources including Facebook, Twitter and Google Voice. You can read our review of Boxcar here. While iOS is largely considered the best mobile OS available, its notification system has been a point of criticism for a while. When the Palm Pre debuted with webOS, one of the strong points of its operating system was its banner notifications, which were designed by ex-Apple employee Rich Dellinger. Dellinger has since returned to Apple and may very well be leading the charge in revamping iOS's notification system.
Google adds HTML5 Gmail and Gtalk notifications for the desktop, makes you envy Chrome users
Oh, come on, Google! If you're going to give us desktop notifiers for our favorite email and chat clients, you've got to play nice and let us have them on more than your own browser, right? To be fair to the Chrome maker, it's standardizing the code it's used in its new HTML5 alerts so that other browsers can soon use it too, but as of today, you'll need to use the Google-sanctioned webscape navigator if you want its sweet new pop-ups on your desktop. We gave them a quick try and they're delightfully quick, with Gtalk message alerts updating themselves to the latest one received instead of stacking up and threatening your sanity. Hit the source link to learn how to enable the new notifications.
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.
Microsoft: 15-app push notification limit isn't that big of a deal, could be increased in the future
So Microsoft sounded off this week on the row over the 15-app push notification limit that just recently came to light, and while they've confirmed that the limit is very real, they've done a good job busting some of the FUD, explaining why it's not a huge deal, and how the limit might change in the future. First off, apps that support push but don't have it enabled don't count toward the limit, so that means that you won't necessarily end up with crashy software as long it's all coded correctly to handle errors raised by the operating system. Secondly, built-in live tiles -- Outlook, People, and so on -- don't count toward the limit, so if you include those, you could actually end up with over 20 total live tiles (sounds excessive to us, but we're sure someone's going to want to push the envelope). And finally, Microsoft notes that they imposed the limit to best balance battery life, bandwidth consumption, and server load but that they had to effectively take a stab at the dark at how notifications would be used in practice; as they learn more and collect data, the limit could be raised. All in all, sounds like this limit is going to affect a tiny sliver of users -- and it'll affect even fewer as long as apps are coded properly.
Windows Phone 7 limits push notifications to 15 apps, 16th app is out of luck
We're going to cautiously hope that this is one of the many arbitrary limitations in Windows Phone 7 that Microsoft is planning to address in 2011 through updates, but in the meantime, here's a little public service announcement: you can only receive push notifications for up to 15 apps at a time. The 16th app will receive an error internally, which it needs to handle gracefully and in turn communicate to the user in some way to let them know that the new installation won't be able to update live until you uninstall another push-enabled app on the device. Now, realistically, this will be a barrier that many users will probably never hit -- Clarity Consulting notes that there aren't even 15 push-enabled apps in the Marketplace yet -- so if Microsoft's really slick about this, it could have the situation resolved before it's even a real problem. Fingers crossed.
Boxcar 4.0 vastly improves on iPhone notifications
While people who have used both iOS and Android devices will argue over which OS exhibits a greater degree of polish, Android definitely has the better notification system. Even the addition of multitasking to iOS 4 did little to improve the state of notifications on iOS devices compared to Android. Boxcar, which just reached version 4 on the App Store, is a great improvement over standard iOS notifications. Boxcar enables super-fast push notifications for services ranging from the internal mail app to Buzz, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Voice. An ad-supported version of Boxcar is available for free, but an in-app purchase of US$4.99 will eliminate the ads. The app is so good that TechCrunch's MG Siegler thinks Apple should just buy Boxcar and incorporate it into iOS. At the very least, Apple should take some inspiration from Boxcar's features for iOS 5. [via Daring Fireball]
TUAW Giveaway: Bugger puts repeated reminders in your pocket
Given the number of things you have to keep track of in a day, sometimes a simple task manager -- the kind that reminds you once and then waits until the next day to tickle you again -- doesn't seem adequate. If you wish you had a snooze button for your tasks, maybe Bugger (US$0.99) is worth a look. Developer ZZTech built a tool to solve this problem, and it does the job pretty well (note that it requires iOS 4 and a backgrounding-capable device). You can create reminders for any future date and for an assortment of categories, then set a 'bug level' of every 10 minutes, 30 minutes, hourly, daily or weekly -- and if none of those intervals suit you precisely, you can customize them. After the reminder trips, you'll get on-device background notifications every time the clock ticks around until you either get 'er done or delete the reminder. There's no sync to desktop or cloud task managers, and none of the power features of higher-echelon GTD tools, but in this case you probably won't miss them. For speedy, gotta-finish task tracking, Bugger gets it. We've got 10 promo codes for Bugger to give away, and all you need to do is leave a comment below telling us what task is most likely to slip your mind. Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter leave a comment on this post about your most misremembered task. The comment must be left before Friday, September 24 at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. 10 winners will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: One copy of the Bugger app (Value: US$0.99) Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Android Notifier sends notifications to your desktop
If you've ever used Android for any period of time, you know that the notification system can be both a blessing and a curse -- it's one of the most powerful, useful, and flexible approaches out there, but if you don't keep up, your menu bar can stack up into a mess of cryptic numbered icons. So we were really hoping Android Notifier could help us with that -- it pipes notifications to your OS X desktop over WiFi or Bluetooth. (Linux support is coming soon, and the project is looking for a Windows volunteer.) While it works as described -- we had it up and running with Growl on our iMac in just a few moments -- it's also unfortunately a little limited: only phone, SMS, MMS, and voicemail notifications are sent, and clearing them on the computer doesn't clear them on the phone, which sort of misses the point. We can't knock it too hard, since it's free, it works, and we're sure the developers will extend it soon enough, but until then our quest for the perfect continuous client... continues.
Customizing and opting out of Real ID
This is not a discussion of the good (yay, crossrealm chat!) and the bad (boo, privacy fail) of Real ID. This is a guide for how to truly opt out of this feature and how to adjust the settings if you do participate in game. To be clear, everyone who does not have a parentally controlled account has in fact opted into Real ID, due to a security flaw. Addons have access to the name on your account right now. So you need to be very careful about what addons you download -- make sure they are reputable. In order to actually opt out, you need to set up parental controls on your account. This is not an easy task. Previous to the Battle.net merge, you could just go to a page and set them up. Done. Now, you must set up an account as one that is under parental control. Once your account is that of a child's (a several-step process), your settings default to Real ID-disabled. Any Real ID friends you have will no longer be friends. In order to enable it, you need to check the Enable Real ID box. Setting up parental controls: Go to the appropriate battle.net site for your region. (That link should take you there.) Push the Create or Manage a Battle.net Account button. Log in as normal. Click on Parental Controls, which is an option listed under Manage My Games. (And, if you're like me, you'll be sad that you are still not in the beta.) Choose the No - Setup Parental Controls button. Fill in your info as both the child's account and your own. (Why they make this distinction, I don't know. Parental controls always used to be an option for adults to manage their own game time.) You will receive an email. You need to save this email, because the link in there is the only way to get to the parental controls. Otherwise, you have to make Blizzard resend it. Click the link to get into the controls. Save Settings and then be told it will take up to 30 minutes to go into effect. That is how to opt out. How to optimize opting in is after the break.
Multitasking in iOS 4 is not a magical sparkle pony
As we wait for iOS4 to be released, I think it's important to try to help folks keep reasonable expectations for what iOS 4 will and won't do, especially as it relates to "multitasking." Apple has to take some of the blame for this hype, especially when it's listed as the #1 feature of iOS 4, saying "Now you can run your favorite third-party apps - and switch between them instantly - without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily."1 Did you notice that 1? The big print giveth and the little print taketh away. Down at the bottom of the page, Apple tells you that multitasking is "available with apps that have been developed to work with iOS 4." That means that any app that isn't tweaked to be multitasking-aware simply won't play nice with the feature. And even that isn't the whole truth. Read on for more...
Palm loses webOS notifications architect to Apple
Rich Dellinger might not be a name you instantly recognize, but he is the dude credited with bringing about the unintrusive banner notification system that forms part of webOS' widespread appeal. And, as of today, he's also in the employ of one Steve Jobs. The new Senior UI Designer at Apple, Inc looks to have made his way through Palm's exit doors in the immediate aftermath of the HP takeover announcement, and joins Matias Duarte on the list of significant talent departures from the webOS design team. We expect Rich will be getting his teeth stuck into the iPhone's admittedly tired and obtrusive notifications, and hopefully sprinkling some of that webOS fairy dust into the next iteration of Apple's iOS. Let's be honest, who here hasn't dreamt of an iPre? [Thanks, Tal]
Track an iPad from Shenzhen to you
There's a fun post at Silicon Alley Insider today that traces an iPad's journey from China to the customer's home. By monitoring Twitter and tracking reports, Nick Saint has assembled an iPad's typical journey to the US. It starts at the infamous Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China. That's the "iPad nursery," if you will. From there, iPads destined for the USA fly to Anchorage, Alaska, a journey that Google Maps struggled with (38 days by car? Oh, it'd be much shorter by car). From there, the iPad that Nick was tracking went to Louisville, Kentucky, where it will remain (UPS shipping calls it "UPS Internal Activity") until it's set free on Saturday. Many TUAW readers wrote in to say they've received shipment notifications, so we can assume that your precious is somewhere along this route. In the meantime, why not install a package tracking app on your iPhone (you remember your iPhone, right)?
What's missing from the iPad
All in all, the iPad turned in a pretty exciting product debut. I don't think Apple will have any trouble selling these things, and it can't be a very good day in Amazon, Sony or Barnes and Noble's executive suites. While all the final info is not out yet, there were a few major omissions from the iPad hardware. Here's the highly desireable stuff that came out missing : No camera, which means no video conferencing. No quick shots for blog posting. No videos. No Verizon. The AT&T pricing looks good, but is it really unlimited or is there a 5GB ceiling? Many users are pretty desperate to get away from AT&T, so it was surprising Apple went for another partnership with them. No notifications. Not a word was said about them. They might be in there, since the iPad clearly runs iPhone apps (and what iPhone app doesn't notify you these days?) but nothing was demoed. Enhanced multitouch. As far as we can tell, it works the same as the iPhone -- no dynamic tactile interface, no pressure sensitive screen, nothing special that we know about yet. No TV content. Of course there's the iTunes deals, but Apple has apparently been scrambling around to make so DVR deals as well. So far, nothing. No multitasking. Perhaps the biggest disappointment: no streaming media apps while punching out a document in Pages. No MLB video running in a corner while you read your mail, or pulling up a PDF while chatting with a friend. I think the iPad will be a superior device, and will sell like the proverbial hotcakes. Apple will certainly extend and enhance the iPad over time, but it would have been great to see some of these things in the initial release. Anything else we missed that they missed?
