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More Rumors of Limited Third-Party Background Apps Coming to the iPhone?
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Yep Yep ... and this is really cool functionality too. On a phone call for example, you can open your mail, browse Safari, and do other things while still on the call.
This sounds like an awkward solution as described. Just enable multi-tasking for all apps but only allow a certain number to run side-by-side. So, I open App X then switch to App Y whilst App X is still running. I then open App Z. When I quit that, I get a prompt allowing me to choose to close X,Y or Z.
A better alternative would be to allow apps to spin off special limited processes that can run in the background. These processes can send messages to the OS to display prompts, and when their parent application is opened, it can communicate with the small BG process to update itself. Then, have a universal drop-down screen similar to Android's notification window that allows these processes to be launched and stopped independent of their parent applications. Processes would either have no UI or a minimal UI in the drop-down. This could then be extended to provide OSX-like services.
This sound kind of complicated, so here are a few use-cases:
1. Writing an email, want to put on some music. Drag down the status bar, select the mini icon for Last.Fm, iPod.app, Spotify...etc. Background process starts and you never left Mail.App. If you then open the App for these applications, they're told the current song information and take over.
2. Browsing the web, want to log on to IM service. Drag down the bar, select the mini icon for the IM application. New IMs will result in a prompt. If minimal UIs are allowed, maybe I can reply through the notification window.
Services could let you do some cool things, like adding location data to an email or quickly SMSing the current playing song.
I am absolutely against the described change to the Dock. If they change it from the way it is now, I'm ditching my iPhone. IMO, in the rush to add features, Apple have entirely screwed up the great UI of the phone. It's now an utter mess with inconsistencies and non-intuitive UI elements darted around everywhere. They're trying to stuff as much information on to the same screen as possible, and it's horrible. They need to separate things clearly and make everything more logical. Nowhere is this more apparent than system settings.
Now people are crying out for home-screen changes. It's a simple grid. Extremely intuitive. It's perfect. As is the dock. You didn't used to need a manual for an iPhone. I've hated most of the changes Apple have made, and if they get rid of the dock, I'll have confirmation that the platform has lost its soul.
A better alternative would be to allow apps to spin off special limited processes that can run in the background. These processes can send messages to the OS to display prompts, and when their parent application is opened, it can communicate with the small BG process to update itself. Then, have a universal drop-down screen similar to Android's notification window that allows these processes to be launched and stopped independent of their parent applications. Processes would either have no UI or a minimal UI in the drop-down. This could then be extended to provide OSX-like services.
This sound kind of complicated, so here are a few use-cases:
1. Writing an email, want to put on some music. Drag down the status bar, select the mini icon for Last.Fm, iPod.app, Spotify...etc. Background process starts and you never left Mail.App. If you then open the App for these applications, they're told the current song information and take over.
2. Browsing the web, want to log on to IM service. Drag down the bar, select the mini icon for the IM application. New IMs will result in a prompt. If minimal UIs are allowed, maybe I can reply through the notification window.
Services could let you do some cool things, like adding location data to an email or quickly SMSing the current playing song.
I am absolutely against the described change to the Dock. If they change it from the way it is now, I'm ditching my iPhone. IMO, in the rush to add features, Apple have entirely screwed up the great UI of the phone. It's now an utter mess with inconsistencies and non-intuitive UI elements darted around everywhere. They're trying to stuff as much information on to the same screen as possible, and it's horrible. They need to separate things clearly and make everything more logical. Nowhere is this more apparent than system settings.
Now people are crying out for home-screen changes. It's a simple grid. Extremely intuitive. It's perfect. As is the dock. You didn't used to need a manual for an iPhone. I've hated most of the changes Apple have made, and if they get rid of the dock, I'll have confirmation that the platform has lost its soul.
Because WinMo is a much less demanding platform. It's Windows 98 with a low resolution screen.
Run in the background.
Consider Pandora. How are push notifcations going to allow Pandora to play music whilst you're using Safari?
John Gruber's solution sounds plausible. I could see Apple implementing it that way.
I like the idea of having a limited number of background apps because very few apps actually need it and with the apps that DO need it, you're not going to run very many of them at the same time (i.e. you wouldn't run two music players at once).
I like the idea of having a limited number of background apps because very few apps actually need it and with the apps that DO need it, you're not going to run very many of them at the same time (i.e. you wouldn't run two music players at once).
Instead of limiting what types of apps can run in the background, they should limit the number of apps at any given time or even ram usage per app.
Basically, I want to be able to have CBS Sports Mobile on for game updates, iPod on for music, Twitteriffic on for updates, and Scrabble on to play on Facebook.
Scrabble is the key example program because it has a long load up time and it's annoying to have to reload it constantly. And I've had a few apps that take even longer. Push will allow me to get updates from the others, potentially, but once I leave a program like Scrabble to post on Twitteriffic I'll still have to deal with the long load time when I switch back.
I'm not complaining. Two years ago I was carrying 4 devices and now I'm carrying one. A year ago we didn't even have apps. But this is ultimately, what I as a user am looking for.
Basically, I want to be able to have CBS Sports Mobile on for game updates, iPod on for music, Twitteriffic on for updates, and Scrabble on to play on Facebook.
Scrabble is the key example program because it has a long load up time and it's annoying to have to reload it constantly. And I've had a few apps that take even longer. Push will allow me to get updates from the others, potentially, but once I leave a program like Scrabble to post on Twitteriffic I'll still have to deal with the long load time when I switch back.
I'm not complaining. Two years ago I was carrying 4 devices and now I'm carrying one. A year ago we didn't even have apps. But this is ultimately, what I as a user am looking for.
BluePhoneElite
You can put me on the record right now as wanting a BluePhoneElite background service to be going if I only had 1 choice. Still my only major problem with the iPhone.
You can put me on the record right now as wanting a BluePhoneElite background service to be going if I only had 1 choice. Still my only major problem with the iPhone.
I know what background processes are, but I was just wondering what Apple would do with them. Your example puts it into perspective.
Pandora jump on this right now. Thanks. The Palm Pre Pandora app puts the iPhone app to shame. Fight back apple. Also Apple needs to do what they are doing to Snow Leopard to the iPhone. Make it more lightweight so everything can run faster. I don't develop Operating Systems so I'm not sure how hard this would be.
Problem is that whether any specific two can run together is a crap shoot.
You can just imagine the this app is crashing all the time complaints coming from users. How would this affect app store ratings when certain apps start getting negative ratings when the issue isn't the app but the app + some other app?
Anyone with a pwned iphone using backgrounder know that for some small things its OK and other cases always results in crashes. The problem seems like the limited RAM is the real issue, not necessarily the CPU or battery life.
I was just thinking about this when I was listening to AOL radio and thinking that I would love to continue to do other things on the phone while the music was playing.
The notification service only will really work with apps like AIM, Facebook, ESPN, CNN (basically apps that notify of changes)
The notification service only will really work with apps like AIM, Facebook, ESPN, CNN (basically apps that notify of changes)
umm... i don't know about u but i can do all of that stuff while being on a call.. i can even play fieldrunners.
Because Apple lied.
Background processes that are not doing anything while idle are not scheduled to run on the CPU at all and therefore do not drain the battery. They do take up some amount of memory, and the iPhone OS and its included applications use a lot of it.
When I used WM, I constantly had the calendar app, a Sudoku game, and SMS running. Switching between them was quick as long as there was sufficient RAM. I could run the web browser, get an incoming (push) email, reply, and go back to the browser without having to wait for the browser to reload. I could also use streaming applications (like a Sirius client) and do other things, or download something in the web browser while doing something else.
My BlackBerry has an uptime of probably nine months. I only remember shutting it off when I took the battery out about nine months ago. It is significantly faster than the iPhone or any WM device I've used and is much more stable. Basic applications (such as the calculator) are fully loaded in about the time it takes the iPhone to just draw the UI (then a second or two for the calculator to be usable). And applications on the BlackBerry stay running and loaded into RAM if there is a reason for them to, but many of them load so quickly that there's no need.
How is the palm pre working for you? I was not aware anyone in the world had it yet. Where did you get yours so fast? Could you do a review of the applications--- no wait just do a review of how the phone stacks up to the iphone if you would.
I agree with you to an extent. First, Pandora owns a stake in Palm so I would expect them to develop a good app. The only part that it has an edge over the iPhone is that you can bring up the controls without having to enter the app. That is due to running multiple apps/web apps. It's not that much of a leap from the version to the Palm version.
Where did they say it has flash?Great idea if its true. Allow a user to control it. Takes away the advantages that Palm keeps throwing to users about the Pre having multitasking... oh wait, the Pre will have Flash available for the web. OH well.
I don't think lied at all. While you may mention Windows Mobile and the Blackberry OS, these OS are in a lot of ways dated. Newer OS's like iPhone OS, Android, and more than likely the Pre all have more modern OS's that require more juice and RAM.
You say that apps that run in the background consume no battery power and that's not true. It has been known ever since the G1 came out people have complained about the battery power and many believe it is because of the apps that run in the background. Are you going to tell me that Apple and Google can't write proper code, but Microsoft can?
Blackberry's OS and Windows Mobile OS are far less complicated OS's which is why they can run on a lesser amount of RAM. They are essentially a 4 or 5 year old OS running on modern hardware. While you may be able to run a game like Sudoku in the background for hours on end, the games in the App Store are far more complex and graphically intensive. You can't possibly say you know what a performance of a phone would be like if you had Tiger Woods' Golf running in the background.
You can mention the load times for a calculator app but look at every app on the iPhone compared to the ones you mentioned. Just because all three have a browser does not mean they're all as good. Just as the calculator apps can do multiplication just the same, does not mean they are the same. Visually everything is far more elegant on the iphone than Windows and Blackberry. These things do take up RAM and CPU.
has no reason to lie. Their job is to sell as many iPhones as possible. Intentionally not allowing 3rd party apps to not run in the background just for the hell of it is counter-intuitive to their main goal.
because crippled OSX for iPhone is still too friggin big and resource hungry. and apple'e developers dont know how to slim it. even for a crippled OS.
Apple doesnt need to invent a better battery, thats other people's work, apple just need to slim its OS down. Build it from ground up maybe, Im sure apple loyalists are familiar and supportive of that expression.