Jailbroken App Review: Backgrounder

Like the title says, this review is for a jail broken application. If your phone is jail broken, continue on. If your phone isn’t jail broken, it just might be after this post. It’s a common theme that I like applications that accomplish things that Apple should have done in the first place. Multi-Photo Email comes to mind. So I know you guys remember Apple saying in the 2.0 update there was going to be push notification? What ever happened to that? Exactly. Nothing, nada, zilch. Once again, a jail broken application has stepped in and solved a problem that Apple has decided not to add. Backgrounder does exactly what it says it does. It allows certain applications to do such (run in the background). While not truly giving you push notification, it does allow updates or notifications to come through while the app is closed.

How does it do it? Opening the Backgrounder program enables it. To enable it in an application all is needed is to hold down the home button for a second or two. The above pictured message appears stating that it has been activated. In essence this keeps the application running in the background, freeing up the phone to do something else.

I cannot explain in words how much this app has helped me personally. Don’t you hate playing games and then you get a phone call, only to kick you out of your game? I do. With Backgrounder, just enable the game before you start playing. So when a call does go through, take it, then go back to the game once your done. Backgrounder also works with IM. BeeJive IM is awesome with push notifications. I know BeeJive works with push notifications through MobileMe, but what if you don’t have it. Problem solved. And the same way you enabled Backgrounder, you can deactivate it. Just hold down the home button for a few seconds and a pop up will tell you its done, and quit. Available in Cydia today! So go jailbreak your phone already, I cannot give you anymore reasons to do so…  well maybe I can.