notification

It appears Windows Phone 8 could eventually get a notification center similar to the ones found on the iPhone and on Android smartphones.

A Microsoft executive conceded that the company "ran out of time" when putting together the latest version of its mobile operating system, but said that such a feature was of great interest and something that is "very very important to me," The Verge reported.

The notification center, which appears as a pull-down menu on iOS and Android, gives apps a central location to alert users about new software updates, messages, or other information. … Read more

Facebook is reminding developers that a spammy app is an ignored app. The social network announced a change in its developer guidelines today to make sure the number of notifications app developers send to app users stay at a minimum.

The two new guidelines -- not sending notifications to inactive users and maintaining a 17 percent click-to-impression ratio -- go into effect on November 9.

This means apps can only send notifications to users who have visited their apps within 28 days and apps sending a lot of notifications need to make sure that users are clicking the notifications they … Read more

Acquired by Microsoft in October 2011, Skype has been hard at work for several months integrating the communication software with the latest version of Windows. Today the company announced that Skype for Windows 8 will be available Friday and on new Windows 8 devices; you can download it from the Windows store.

Skype has received a complete makeover, with features that take advantage of both the Windows 8 Start menu and the use of a touch screen. You'll be able to log in using any of your Microsoft accounts (such as Hotmail, Messenger, SkyDrive, Windows Phone, Xbox Live, Skype, … Read more

When you run a script or command in the OS X terminal, it can be useful to have some indication for when it is completed, especially if the script is a lengthy process you might not wish to monitor at all times. Unfortunately when a script or command finishes running, the Terminal will drop you to the command line again, without any notice to you. However, if needed, you can set up the system to run commands so it does offer some notification.

System alerts The first option is to have the terminal invoke the system alert after the command … Read more

Urban Airship wants to wed its push notification service with location and history data to provide more accurate and timely alerts.

The company, which provides a push-notification platform to various parties (including CNET), unveiled its Location Messaging Service today. The service allows its partners to tap into a user's location history to provide notifications such as news, deals, and other alerts. Consumers have to opt into the service for each app to allow Urban Airship and that specific app to look into their history and send notifications.

Location-based notifications are seen as a boon to retailers looking for a … Read more

It's never been easier to stalk, ahem follow, your friends on Foursquare. The social network announced a new feature today called "Always On."

This feature lets users get all check-in notifications from their specified friends at all times, no matter where they are. To use the feature, members simply need to go to their friends' profiles on the site and toggle the "Always On" button from the drop down menu.

According to Foursquare, this feature will help people know the necessary goings-on with friends without having to text or call them. It also lets armchair … Read more

Generally, I'm not a fan of apps shooting push notifications out to my phone.

No, "Words with Friends," I don't care that I'm about to forfeit my game. There's a reason I stopped playing it. I don't need an alert any time I get a new friend on Facebook.

But apparently, notifications do make a difference when it comes to engagement, and sometimes they're what keeps an app from getting deleted off the phone or being one of the myriad of unused "zombie" apps left ignored on a smartphone. With … Read more

Find My Friends, an iOS app aimed at helping friends and family members keep tabs on one another, was updated with the release of iOS 6. Other than some simple user interface changes, there wasn't a whole lot added to the app, with one exception -- notifications.

You can now set notifications to get alerted when a contact in your Find My Friends app arrives at or leaves a location you set.

To set up a notification for a friend, view their current location. In the upper-left corner of your screen, you'll see a button titled "Notify … Read more