Push notifications let applications notify users of an alert or new message in real-time. This feature has been available to some developers since October of 2008, but today, everyone can get in on the action.
This can be especially useful for breaking news, sports scores or for social networking apps like Twitter and Facebook. Push notifications also improve battery life, because the app doesn't have to constantly poll a server looking for new data.
RIM has a new page dedicated to the BlackBerry Push Service for developers that gives an overview of how the system works, the different service options and links to resources in the SDK.
Developers have a choice of what type of Push Service they want to implement. BlackBerry Push Essentials support is free for all tiers of users. Developers that want to have more control over their push notifications and content delivery can opt for the BlackBerry Push Plus service, with an annual fee based on how many push notifications are sent per day.
Apps that already use the BlackBerry Push Service include WeatherBug Elite, CNNMoney, 7digital and Facebook for BlackBerry.
It's nice to see RIM doing more developer outreach to cultivate more feature-rich applications. The BlackBerry is still the most popular smartphone in the United States, but competitors like the iPhone and Android are moving much faster in terms of application development and innovation.