Press releases
Secure web sync with push notifications finally available for iPhone Notes
Notespark 1.2 provides iPhone users with a solution to some 'obvious' limitations to the built-in notes app
San Francisco, CA - August 10, 2009 - Ever since the introduction of the iPhone, certain features were deemed to be 'obvious' omissions. The fact that notes could not be synchronized was one, and the lack of push notifications was another. With the advent of iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has finally provided a way to synchronize notes, but they have yet to provide push notifications for notes. With Notespark version 1.2, users can now share notes with others and be immediately notified if a note is changed.
Apple's built-in notes application synchronizes notes directly to the user's machine. While this approach has some advantages, it has some disadvantages as well. For starters, notes are only available on your home machine. This is especially problematic for people who need their notes at work as well as at home.
Apple's method also makes syncing a manual process. If you forget to sync your phone before leaving the house, any notes that you added while at your computer will not be available on your phone.
Notespark uses a different method of synchronization, sometimes called 'web sync' or 'cloud sync'. Notes from the iPhone are uploaded to the web, and are available for viewing or editing at any time from any browser. This is the same method used by other popular iPhone notes applications, such as Evernote and Simplenote.
With version 1.2, Notespark now protects all notes to and from the web server using SSL. Unlike Evernote, this security feature does not require a monthly subscription.
Version 1.2 also adds push notifications for notes, greatly improving the ability to collaborate with others. When two or more people share a note, users are notified immediately whenever anyone changes a shared note. Push notifications can even be useful for people who don't share their notes. With Notespark 1.2, users can mark important notes with a star, and a red number immediately appears on the Notespark icon as a reminder to look at the note later.
According to the two founders, initial reaction to the new features has been extremely positive. "When we first created Notespark, we thought of it as a small project and we had no idea how popular it would be," said Sho Kuwamoto. "Since then, users have created hundreds of thousands of notes, and they send us feature requests every day, with security and push being the most popular by far. With so many people keeping so many important notes, we felt that we had to listen to their requests, especially regarding security."
Notespark is available at the iTunes App Store. The web version of Notespark can be found at http://notespark.com
