G1 Shows Versatility On Sad Day

I'm not shy (or afraid) to admit that I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan.  And living in LA, we get a sort of celebrity sightings, news, and follies.  Of course, living through OJ's slow freeway chase, MJ's trial, and good things like movie premieres in Westwood, I've seen my share of stars.

But today's tragic news about Michael Jackson's untimely death came to me via my G1.  I've complained about the horrible battery life on the G1 and just about mobile devices in general, it was G1's ability allow apps to run in the background that alerted me to a new flash via Twidroid.  MJ had been taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood after suffering cardiac arrest.

Of course, you don't assume that the first piece of information is correct.  So I waited.  Then more tweets came through as I was confirming these information via Meebo (which I discussed in an earlier post that the app keep IM accounts connected unlike Cupcake's IM app) with Dave the Mobile Warrior and what he was hearing through his sources.

He IM'd me back that MJ had indeed been admitted to the hospital but no more info than what the LA Times and tweets were telling us.  At the same time, I was receiving e-mails, all without quitting Twidroid and Meebo.  Eventually, TMZ was the first to report that Michael Jackson had passed.

As far as mobile app implementations go, Apple has decided to go the route of push notification and I'm hold judgment until I see it in action.  So far, there isn't much to go on but I've concluded that whatever the battery life, allow apps to run in the background is a must for mobile devices.

Palm's Pre has unique scheme for background operations and no matter what the mobile platforms do to allow simultaneous apps to run, battery life will always be an issue.

But G1 worked flawlessly, albeit slower than I would like, as I switched between apps to get the latest information on Michael Jackson.  I had hoped that the initial news was simply sensationalized like much of celebrity news in LA is but in the end, that was not the case.