iLounge

Apple today announced that native iPhone applications will be able to receive updates and notifications on a limited basis even after the user as quit the application. The lack of persistent connections for third-party iPhone applications led to some complaining among developers when it was announced in March. With the new system, there will be a persistent connection between the iPhone and Apple that will allow services to push three types of notifications to users: badges (how many messages), custom alert sounds, and custom textual alerts. Developers can provide buttons to reload the app in notification messages, and the service will work over both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Available in September, developers will get access to the feature next month.