Developing widgets for iOS 5 Notification Center technically possible

Although Apple has not said if iOS 5’s Notification Center widget section will have a public API for third-party widgets, developer WillFour20 has figured out a way to develop a simple widget as a proof of concept. This proof of concept demonstrates that even without proper tools provided by Apple in the SDK, making widgets for Notification Center is technically possible. As you can see in the image above, a space for the new widget was created and the programmed text, “hello world,” appears.

Known jailbreak developer Chronic informed 9to5Mac that all a developer needs to do is create a “custom view interface” and “compile it is a bulletinboard plugin.” Bulletinboard is Apple’s internal codename for the iOS 5 Notification Center. Hopefully Apple opens up the Notification Center to be a third-party home to widgets. The odd thing about iOS 5’s Notification Center is that the widget section is only compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch; hopefully Apple is dreaming up something similar for iPad customers. If any other developers do take a shot at this, let us know!