Multi-Tasking still a problem?

[terrrrrible]

The thing in the keynote that really caught my attention was the guy talking about the push notifications for apps like IM and such. He was saying that the service wouldn't be available until September, so...

Is this saying that currently when 2.0 comes out, when AOL or Adium or whoever, puts out their IM client, when we don't have the app open, we won't be logged in, or we won't receive active updates about incoming IMs and whatnot. If it is the case of not being logged in, whats the difference between that and sticking with FlickIM that logs me out every time I browse away from it anyway? You already receive text message alerts while in Safari or the iPod, so why couldn't it happen without the support of a 3rd party application?

I am a little confused on the whole multi-tasking issue, and how it's a problem for the iPhone, when a phone such as the Sidekick can run AIM and receive notifications, receive t-mails and browse the web all at the same time. While yes I understand that the Sidekick programs are pretty primitive, but you'd think the iPhone would be able to do something like this easily.

 

[Niiro13]

Because the AIM client will let you change profile pictures, probably add buddies, and do a lot of other stuff.

But yes, currently there is no real point.

But it's free! So why not?

And it's not like the iPhone can't, it's just that Steve Jobs doesn't want the battery life to go down quickly.

 

[admanimal]

I am a little confused on the whole multi-tasking issue, and how it's a problem for the iPhone, when a phone such as the Sidekick can run AIM and receive notifications, receive t-mails and browse the web all at the same time. While yes I understand that the Sidekick programs are pretty primitive, but you'd think the iPhone would be able to do something like this easily.

The problem is that any amateur developer will be able to develop and distribute apps for the iPhone, and if all of them could potentially run in the background, the phone would be hosed, either because of the potential for too many apps running in the background or just one app that is ill-behaved.

 

[DreamPod]

Actually, they *could* do an IM service with the SDK, come September; the keynote speech talked about the way around the background app issue. What an app would need to do, is notify a special go-between server when the user went offline (probably due to a call coming in). Then the server can push messages to your phone to be displayed on an icon or something, letting you know of more talking. So then you restart the app, and the go-between server starts sending you data again.

Is it as good as a full background app, unfortunately not. But it's better than nothing. And nothing's keeping Apple themselves from working with AOL or whomever to write a background messaging app, because the iPhone is fully capable of multitasking, Apple just doesn't want third-party apps lowering the system's reliability and security.

 

[terrrrrible]

Actually, they *could* do an IM service with the SDK, come September; the keynote speech talked about the way around the background app issue. What an app would need to do, is notify a special go-between server when the user went offline (probably due to a call coming in). Then the server can push messages to your phone to be displayed on an icon or something, letting you know of more talking. So then you restart the app, and the go-between server starts sending you data again.

Is it as good as a full background app, unfortunately not. But it's better than nothing. And nothing's keeping Apple themselves from working with AOL or whomever to write a background messaging app, because the iPhone is fully capable of multitasking, Apple just doesn't want third-party apps lowering the system's reliability and security.

I'll be fine with that system as long as it is seamless. I want to be able to leave the app but still be able to receive IMs and know that I am getting them. Otherwise it's not going to be much different than using something like FlickIM w/o SMS notifications (which don't always work).