I dont think there is any way to get the phone to issue alerts without a background running service (short of subscribing to SMS alerts that is). Check the KitchenSink code for an example of this (android_services.js, testservice.js).
Both Android and iOS have their own notification methods in titanium. This interface is used when the application is backgrounded and needs attention from the user. Responding to the alert triggers an intent that should open a view.
I dont think there is any way to get the phone to issue alerts without a background running service (short of subscribing to SMS alerts that is). Check the KitchenSink code for an example of this (android_services.js, testservice.js).
There is a slightly seperate way to do this with iOS.