Google enables Push Gmail for iPhone & Windows Mobile
Earlier in the year, Google rolled out Google Sync: push calendar and contact services for mobile users, based on Microsoft's Active Sync protocol. Since then, plenty of users (myself included) have yearned for Google to roll out push email for Google accounts - and today, Google has announced that Gmail is now push enabled for iPhone, iPod touch and Windows Mobile devices.Unfortunately the system is Microsoft Exchange-based, and iPhone OS devices can only support on Exchange configuration, so if you're already hooked up to an Exchange server at work you won't be able to use Google Sync's push services for a personal Google account.
Google has also reminded folks that these Push services are more resource-intensive and that your battery life may decrease as you use Push services - but if you need to know about emails from a Google account as they come in, you'll want to enable this on your device. Google Apps customers are also able to take advantage of Push email, and simply need to set up syncing via their Google Apps control panel to get started.
Whilst Google-holics everywhere will no-doubt be rejoicing with this addition, it's going to be interesting to see how Apple reacts to this move: until now, the paid-for MobileMe service has been the
Updated at 3pm EST to reflect the Yahoo Mail push service.












Comments
7
Subscribe to commentsAttilaSep 22nd 2009 2:33PM
Yahoo! also offered push from the beginning if I'm not wrong. Nevertheless, great news!
RogerSep 22nd 2009 2:39PM
"Whilst Google-holics everywhere will no-doubt be rejoicing with this addition, it's going to be interesting to see how Apple reacts to this move: until now, the paid-for MobileMe service has been the only consumer Push-enabled mail-service on the iPhone OS."
I don't think apple would dare do anything to circumvent this. Look at all the backlash they're getting from the, albeit self-imposed, Google Voice fiasco. Imagine what would happen if Apple somehow disables this feature! Personally I think that would be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and would have no choice but to go Android.
fincanSep 22nd 2009 2:45PM
I am testing it right now on my at&t tilt (a.k.a htc tytn II) and it works pretty good, except it is really slow to fetch mails even if the email only has "test" written in it.
By the way, Windows Mobile also have that one exchange mail only problem.
Sam JordanSep 22nd 2009 3:20PM
Apple can frankly piss off if they try and mess with this.
Awesome news.
sRcSep 22nd 2009 3:27PM
didnt GMail already have push services tho? I coulda sworn I set that up on my Ericsson a couple years ago but then turned it off again because it ate my battery rapidly
Tired_Sep 22nd 2009 3:56PM
And...it's broken. Unable to handle the load, Google's servers crumble to dust, taking all my contacts and emails with them. Looks like there's a cloud in my cloud.
KennySep 22nd 2009 4:09PM
Use Gpush for Iphone. It is faster, and works consistantly. It's only .99
I couldn't get google's push to work at all.