Yesterday apple posted the second beta of the iPhone 2.1 software to developers for testing. Some developers are reporting they have since recieved the tools from apple to create background apps. Apple told us it would not officially be released to devs until September. For a more detailed explanation of how the push notification works read on.

Currently apple allows only one application to be running at any given time. This means that if you login to AIM and then close it you can still recieve an IM, but the minute you recieve a call or a text message or get on the internet, that connection is closed. With apples new push notification server it still only seems as if there is still only one connection (according to battery life), yet you technically still have many connections.

With the final release of the 2.1 firmware in September, apple will give the Developers the connection to send the information (new IM, weather update) to. Take a look at the picture. The 3rd party server is all the apps we want running in the background on our iPhone (AIM, Weatherbug, misc.). The developers will use the API given to them to re-write how the apps will push the information to the iphone. From there all information apple recieves for your phone in the server will be sent immediately.Â

This is much better than the way we had been wanting it before they announced it. If you compare this to.. lets say the jailbroken app insomnia.. this is much better for battery life. Here you only have one connection open on the iPhone (push notification server) where with something like insomnia, it opens a connection for every app that is opened when insomnia is turned on.Â

If you have any more questions let me know below.