Push Notifications for Windows Phone 7 series video demo

Microsoft have been discussing Windows Phone 7 series' new "push notifications" system, which can trigger alerts to the user even when the app isn't running. The company took Major League Soccer's app on-stage at MIX10 today to demonstrate just how that works; with MLS, that involved selecting which events you're interested in – scores, when the game ends, etc – which will then be flagged up later.Video demo after the cut

The alert itself takes the form of a discrete blue bar that scrolls along the top of the display. That has a summary of the notification – in MLS that could include the game playing, a new goal, whore scored and at what point in the match – which you can then tap to open the full app.

In the case of Major League Soccer, that includes video clips of the goal segment and more. What remains to be seen is how Apple – who have been serious proponents of push notifications in iPhone OS – respond to Microsoft's co-opting of the idea, which seems to be an attempt to cut down on background processes and reduce device lag.