Why do we need to download a helper app to make push notifications work?
We thoroughly investigated many different service models, and we feel the stand-alone application approach is best for both the application developer and the end user. Our main motivation, in terms of the interface and design, was to make things logical to the end user. We wanted a way for end users to control the experience of receiving notifications, so they can choose which apps send them push notification, set the method by which the notifications reach them (alert via sound for example) or disable them altogether. This functionality, enabled by the control panel in Android AirMail Push, is similar to how it works in iOS (and as opposed to BlackBerry and C2DM, which offer no such controls). Plus, we’ll be able to easily expand functionality — for example, quiet time will be added in a version coming soon.
