Early this morning developer of the iPhone Facebook application, Joe Hewitt, posted that Facebook 3.03 is on it’s way to squash a few bugs. Even bigger news is that update will then be followed by Facebook 3.1 which will include push notifications.

Facebook happens to be one of the most used iPhone applications today while push notifications is the most sought after missing feature from the application. Techcrunch brings up a few valid points regarding how these notifications are currently handled and the potential issues that can arise from an application that will pop up more than a few notifications on your screen. The major issue being if you receive more than one notification you are completely lost as to what the previous notification(s) were for.

Personally I tend to turn off the alerts in certain applications that push a lot of notifications to my iPhone. Applications such as Beejive and Twitbit are just a few that I simply leave the “badge” option on so I can just see how many messages I have. That still does not change the fact that I want a better push notification system…

What are your thoughts on the current push notification system and how would you like to see it improved? Sound off in comments below!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Facebook 3.1 With Push Notifications Coming Soon

For those of you who are a bit disappointed with your current iPhone Twitter client because of the lack of a little something called “push notifications” – You must check out Twitbit 2.0. [$2.99 Sale Price - iTunes Link] We’ve had the pleasure of testing the 2.0 build for quite some time now and we are happy to report this update has been finely tuned while adding a boatload of new features, so many that you’ll have to wait for our full review.

• A completely new look
• Push notifications for direct messages and mentions
• Rich media integration to share all of your media which now includes Flickr
• Significant performance boost
• Configuration: Set up Twitbit 2.0 exactly the way you want it
• Free updates!

Still not convinced enough to make the purchase? Try out Twitbit 2.0 Lite. [Free - iTunes Link] You’ll get all of the same great features, new and old, minus push notifications and Flickr support.

Stay tuned as we will bring you a detailed review shortly!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: Twitbit 2.0

UPDATED: Dominik Balogh from PoweryBase, developers of the iPhone 3.0 Push Notification-powered NotifyMe reminder app wrote in to let us know:

We have just received (now, sunday morning in Cupertino) an apology from Apple App Store Staff.

It’s looking more likely that Apple is working behind the scenes to make sure their servers can handle the Push Notification load before they let 40 million potential users light up their network. Once they’re confident, however, will the push apps roll?

ORIGINA: Sure, some have trickled out of the App Store during the last week, but given the high profile iPhone 3.0 release, and given that we know some high profile push-enabled apps were submitted to the iPhone weeks ago, TiPb has to wonder — where are all the Push Notification enabled apps?

Due to server load and battery life, is Apple putting them through even more stringent and lengthy reviews? Is there some concern about Apple’s Push Notification server load capacity so they’re releasing them a few at a time so as not to suddenly have a MobileMe-style post-launch crash? Or are they just more seemingly random victims of the still-opaque, ever mysterious iPhone App Store review process?

Hopefully it’s reasons #1 and #2. We can handle minor delays now to ensure solid apps on a solid push platform going forward.

But please Apple, keep developers in the loop and — hey! — throw us a bone. Or push us a notification. Something.

Meanwhile, which Push Notification app are you waiting for the most?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

UPDATED: Dear Apple — Where Are All the iPhone 3.0 Push Notification Apps?

Apple has begun emailing registered developers with the following:

As a developer actively working with iPhone OS 3.0 beta, we would like your help in testing the Apple Push Notification service. We have selected a pre-release version of the Associated Press app for iPhone OS 3.0 to create a high-volume test environment for our servers.

Great move on Apple’s part, provided they recruit enough developers to really test the scaling of their iPhone 3.0 Push Notification system. After last year’s disastrous MobileMe launch, Apple needs to make sure their infrastructure is as bullet-proof as possible before they pull the push lever… even if they are planning some limited multitasking as well…

Full text after the break:

Help test the Apple Push Notification service

Dear [redacted],

As a developer actively working with iPhone OS 3.0 beta, we would like your help in testing the Apple Push Notification service. We have selected a pre-release version of the Associated Press app for iPhone OS 3.0 to create a high-volume test environment for our servers.

To participate, we ask that you follow these steps:

1. Download the pre-release version of the Associated Press app for iPhone OS 3.0 from the iTunes Store via your desktop by entering this unique redemption code in the ‘Redeem’ section of iTunes, found under the ‘Quick Links’ section: [redacted] This unique redemption code and the functionality of the application will expire in seven days.

2. Install the application on a development device running iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 by synching it to iTunes. Make sure to accept notifications when prompted after installation. This application can only be installed on devices running iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5.

3. When you first run the app, choose U.S. English as your region when prompted. The U.S. English region will receive alerts, the Canadian English region will not. For purposes of the test, AP will be sending a high-volume of real news alerts.

4. If you do not receive notifications from the app within 48 hours after installation, let us know.

We appreciate your assistance,

iPhone Developer Program

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Recruiting Developers to Beta Test Push Notification

It’s summer 2009 and iPhone OS 3.0 has just been made available via iTunes. You have it up and running along with next gen Twitter clients, instant massagers, RSS readers, and all manner of Push Notification-enabled apps ready to alert you the very instant anything new is piping hot and ready.

Then it happens. 20 new Twitter DMs. 3 co-workers IM you. Every tech blog you follow updates about iTunes not crashing this time. You calendar reminds you about that meeting coming up. And your entire FPS combat team all invite you to come join their game. Suddenly Push Notification is trying to pop up 30 text boxes all at once — while you’re in the middle of an urgent phone call.

How will you handle this, Apple?

Right now a single SMS pops up a message box that you either have to deal with right away, and if you dismiss it, it’s gone. If you forget what it was for… well, that’s tough. Imagine 30 of those, all at once. Will you even be able to hang up your phone call before canceling out all of them? And if you do cancel out of them, what chance to you have to really see and process alerts #1-29?

Both the Google Android with its top-down slider and the Palm Pre with their bottom loaded notification area provide a far less obtrusive and simultaneously more persistent — and dare we say more elegant? — notification solution.

Could you, Apple, have an improved system ready to drop on us in a future 3.0 beta? At WWDC? Or is that waiting on 4.0? And if you do have a way of handling it, what is it? What can you do given the current architecture, gesture library, and frameworks of the iPhone to better handle the onslaught of notifications you’re about to drop on us?

Pull down the topmost menu bar a la Android? Create a dedicated Notification app on the Home Screen we can launch to see, like recent calls, what we may have missed?

Maybe our readers have some ideas that can help. They certainly proved smarter than us on the Bluetooth toggle question. What say you, readers, any ideas on how Apple can prevent the notification equivalent of “ping death” befalling us come iPhone 3.0 and Push Notification Service this summer?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Dear Apple: How Will You Handle Death-By-Push-Notification?

TiPb has been following the iPhone and gaming for quite some time now. Now that the iPhone OS 3.0 announcement has come and gone, we’ve learned that there are 1000 new API’s for developers in the SDK. This will not only help developers make better games but it also shows Apple is deadly serious about making the iPhone a true competitor to Nintendo and Sony within the handheld market. What a bright future there seems to be for iPhone gamers.

More after the break!

Apple’s ace in the hole has been the App Store since the day iPhone OS 2.0 was announced. This year, the App Store will be available in 77 countries around the world. The App Store is like having a mobile version of Gamestop built into your phone, which is something the likes of RIM, Microsoft, or Google cannot compete with (though they’ve all released, or will soon be releasing versions of their own).

With iPhone 3.0, however, Apple is again raising the bar. In-app purchases will allow you to get even more out of a game for additional fees. Say you’re playing a First Person Shooter (FPS), you can pay an additional $0.99 for example to gain access to a better gun, stronger armor for your character, or $4.99 for an expansion pack with new maps/levels. Or how about in-app purchases with the upcoming Electronic Arts game, The Sims 3. Want to buy a radio for you house? Not a problem, you can make these purchases right in the game. Now something to keep in mind, these additional items that you can purchase must have some sort of game changing ability for them to charge you. An item that would not change game play can not be sold to you. The possibilities, however, are endless.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) connectivity is also a huge plus when it comes to gaming and handheld devices. It is something that will be key to Apple’s success in the handheld wars. What this will allow gamers to do is to play multi-player games and share information using Bonjour and Bluetooth. All of this can be done with no pairing needed what so ever. Pretty sweet deal if you ask us.

For a perfect example of what to expect from Peer-to-Peer connectivity be sure to check out the iPhone OS 3.0 announcement and head to the 54:00 minute mark to view a impressive look at a First Person Shooter called Live Fire. This game not only utilizes Peer-to-Peer but the push notification feature as well. How would a First Person Shooter use that feature you ask? It’s pretty simple, say you want to play with a friend of yours who has Live Fire on their iPhone. While you are playing simply send your friend an invite that gets pushed directly on their iPhone. They can choose to accept the invite or ignore it. Pretty nifty indeed. Will it be long before we have a friends list similar to that of Xbox Live?

It really is a pleasure to be able to watch something like this be built from the ground up. Apple really is doing a nice job at turning the iPhone into a portable gaming device. Some will say it is limited in terms of controls with games, which at the moment may be true. The platform is so new and developers have not even begun to scratch the surface. Until that happens we have yet to see exactly what is possible.

That’s not to say there isn’t any room for improvement, however. Instead of screen shots we’d still like to see streaming video previews for games. It’d be nice to be able to see a game in action right on your device within the App Store before you make your purchase.

Still, if there is a single company out there that you do not want to bet against, Apple is the one.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone OS 3.0: What it Means for Gamers