Roughly 3 weeks ago Google (finally!) added Gmail to their Google Sync service, allowing iPhone users to add push email to the previously available contacts and calendars. It wasn’t a solution for everyone, since it used Microsoft’s ActiveSync, which allows for only one account per device, and many users already had a business Exchange server in that slot. For those without Exchange, however, it’s awesome, right?

Or is it? We’ve had many readers tell us it works great, and others who’ve had some problems — enough that we want to ask, how’s Google Sync working on your iPhone?

Let us know in the poll above, and elaborate as needed in the comments!

(And we’ll insert yet another plea to Apple and Google to give us Gmail via IMAP IDLE in the Mail app already!)

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Poll: How’s Google Sync Gmail Working on Your iPhone?

Google’s official mobile blog has just (and finally!) announced Push Gmail support for the iPhone!

Integrated into their existing GoogleSync service, which up until today supported only contacts and calendar:

Using Google Sync, you can now get your Gmail messages pushed directly to your phone. Having an over-the-air, always-on connection means that your inbox is up to date, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Sync works with your phone’s native email application so there’s no additional software needed. Only interested in syncing your Gmail, but not your Calendar? Google Sync allows you to sync just your Contacts, Calendar, or Gmail, or any combination of the three.

One big caveat remains, however. GoogleSync is powered by Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and most devices — including the iPhone — can only handle one (1) EAS account at a time. So, if you’re already using Exchange ActiveSync for your corporate email, that slot is taken and GoogleSync is useless to you.

For everyone else — joy! And if you try it out, let us know how it works for you!

[Thanks to mattshall for the head's up!]

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GoogleSync Brings Push Gmail to iPhone – At Last!

The iPhone’s Mail app connects to Google Gmail — and it’s paid version, Google Accounts — via the IMAP protocol [Wikipedia link]. Until Apple and/or Google get off their duffs and provide built-in push Gmail (or absent that, Google Sync Gmail for those not otherwise using their single Exchange ActiveSync slot), IMAP is all we have. (And IMAP IDLE may be what we have for push Gmail as well…) So what’s the problem?

Gmail was born of and for the Web, and admittedly Gmail for the iPhone’s Mobile Safari web browser is among the very best WebApps on any platform. However, many people still use, and even prefer to use, local clients like the iPhone’s Mail app, and for that or any local client, Google’s IMAP implementation has always been a second-class citizen.

Forgetting for now for the mapping of labels to folders results in multiple copies of the same email being stored on the local side, one of the major issues with Google’s IMAP implementation is their ludicrous 10 simultaneous connection limit. This might not seem particularly strict, but given that every client can and does typically open multiple connections and having your iPhone, desktop, and laptop all open at the same time can cause Gmail to error out.

On a daily basis, users have to carry the mental overhead of carefully and conscientiously closing email clients on one machine before turning on another, or enabling or disabling a VPN connection (which then treats the mail client as a new set of connections).

By contrast, MobileMe and Exchange/ActiveSync have no problem with this usage pattern. Add to this random “invalid certificate”, “unable to find mailbox: inbox”, “over capacity”, and other errors, and the state of Google’s IMAP implementation is really called into question.

For iPhone Gmail users, the lack of quality error messages (likely something that needs improving on Apple’s side) makes it particularly frustrating, as many of the different problems listed above simply result in an “incorrect password” pop-up box. (See image at the top of this post).

Personally — and I’m not alone in this — I’ve pretty much abandoned front-facing Gmail. I still use the unmatched excellence of Gmail’s server-side filters, but then forward the mail itself to MobileMe. (The irony of the once-plagued MobileMe service now proving more robust over IMAP than Gmail isn’t lost on me and should be lost on Google).

For those who maintain Gmail is free and we shouldn’t complain, Google Accounts — which is paid for — exhibits the exact same problems on a regular basis.

Gmail is arguably the best webmail on the internet. It could easily be the best email period. Google’s finally taken the humorously long-standing “beta” tag off the service. It’s gone prime time. It’s time to make the IMAP implementation live up to that level of standard.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Dear Google: Please Fix Gmail IMAP Problems

UPDATE 2: GPush’s developers posted in the comments with the following info:

On Saturday August 8, 2009 GPush made it into the App store. We are currently experiencing a server issue and have temporarily pulled the app from the store while we work on the problem. This is an issue with our servers not the application and we will not need to go through the approval process again. If you have already downloaded the application, please know we are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

UPDATE: According to the developers on Twitter:

GPush made it to the App Store, we are aware of a server issue & we temporarily pulled the App off the store while we work on the servers

ORIGINAL: GPush [$0.99 - iTunes link] provides a work-around for Gmail push notifications for iPhone 3.0 users. GPush is not an email client in its own right; it serves only to notify a user via sound/vibrate, text alert pop-up, and/or numerical badge, but the user still has to manually launch the iPhone’s built-in Mail app to actually download and interact with the email.

We’ve only had a chance to try it very briefly, but it worked well, notifying us incoming GMail messages very quickly. Job. Done.

Unlike Boxcar, for example, which provides similar intermediary push notification for Twitter clients, GPush doesn’t have the option to automatically launch Mail when you get an alert (only an “okay” button, not a “view” button). We also couldn’t get it to work with Google Accounts, the paid version of Gmail that uses custom domain names. (GPush makes no mention of Google Accounts support, but if it occurred to us to try it, we figured it would occur to readers as well).

Lastly, GPush keeps asking to know our location. Why does it need that information? (Update: per the developers comments below, location is used to determine the closest and hence fastest push server for the service).

All in all, GPush does exactly what it claims to — it provides near instant notification for Gmail for iPhone users. Until Google adds Gmail to Google Sync, or Apple and Google get off their duffs and build IMAP IDLE into the Mail App proper, if you want “push” Gmail on your iPhone, check out GPush and let us know what you think.

More pics after the break!

[Thanks John-Fox for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

UPDATED: Quick App: GPush iPhone Push Notifications for Gmail

Our sibling site, Android Central, brings word we’d almost given up faith at ever being brought’ned. Google apps, including the Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Talk we love so much on the iPhone (and iPod touch), are out of beta and high on life! Google’s own blog explains-ish:

We’ve come to appreciate that the beta tag just doesn’t fit for large enterprises that aren’t keen to run their business on software that sounds like it’s still in the trial phase. So we’ve focused our efforts on reaching our high bar for taking products out of beta, and all the applications in the Apps suite have now met that mark.

Makes the kind of sense that doesn’t, but whatever. Opaque, non-standard definitions of beta aside, it’s still good news. What’s next, announce a second operating system or something?

Anything but Push Gmail, right?

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Google Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Talk — Now With 100% Less Beta!

Okay. Fine. Our bestest buddies over at PreCentral.net are crowing over the rumor-revelation that the Palm Pre will support “push” Gmail via IMAP IDLE [Wikipedia link]. Not as robust as BlackBerry or Microsoft ActiveSync, they say, but yarly enough. And good for them.

Of course Google’s own mobile OS, Android, also enjoys push Gmail. Also fine and good and all that.

But where’s ours?

Gmail has been on the iPhone since day one — when Yahoo! offered push email to the iPhone — and has trucked along through year 2 — when Apple offered MobileMe and ActiveSync push in iPhone 2.0, and even Google offered ActiveSync for everything except Gmail (?!).

We’ve been patient. We’ve been true. We’ve used the freebie and the paid Google Accounts version. We’ve suffered Gmail’s ludicrous 10 simultaneous connection limits, its certificate errors, its “unknown email box (Inbox)” shenanigans. We’ve earned it, Google.

So, how about Apple board member Eric Schmidt stroll up on the WWDC stage — just like he did at Macworld 2007 — and announce push Gmail over either ActiveSync or IMAP IDLE (for those of us who already use our only ActiveSync account for a work-related Exchange server). Or put it out in a press release, or one line throw-away from Joz or Forstall. Really, we don’t care. Just give it to us.

Please?

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Dear Google: Where’s the iPhone’s Push Gmail?!

Daring Fireball has been looking into Google’s new Gmail WebApp for the iPhone and the technologies behind it. We already know the iPhone packs a version of Apple’s Safari Web Browser which is, in some ways, even more advanced than desktop Safari on the Mac. SQLite database caching, for example, for example users continue to archive or star messages even when there’s no internet connection. What’s more interesting to him, us — and likely users — is how that technology improves functionality.

Says Gruber:

I use the native iPhone Mail app to read email on my iPhone, but I’m tempted to start using the Gmail web app for one reason: I waste a lot of time switching back and forth between Mail and Safari after tapping a URL in an email. When using the Gmail web app, tapped links simply open in a new Safari tab. The iPhone Mail app needs a built-in web view, like what most popular iPhone Twitter clients offer.

Google’s Alex Nicolaou has blogged about the process.

We once wondered what the future of WebApps would be in a post-native apps world. Looks like Google expects — and is out to prove — things still look very bright.

Anyone else considering ditching the built-in mobile Mail app for some web-based Gmail?

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More on New Gmail WebApp for iPhone: HTML5, Offline Access, Easy Linking

Says Google’s blog:

Today we’re happy to announce a new and improved experience when you access Gmail and Calendar through the browser of your iPhone and Android-powered devices. What’s new? For Gmail, we’ve improved the user interface to make it easier to message on the go, and we’ve introduced “Floaty Bar,” which makes sure common actions such as archive and delete are only a click away (check out the video tour below). You can also start the application, compose mail, and open recently read messages even when you’re offline. With the new Calendar, you can edit or respond to an event and, like Gmail, the app is accessible even without a network connection. To quickly navigate between Gmail, Calendar, and other mobile applications, you can use the classic links that now always appear across the top of the screen. The “more” menu provides easy access to the full list of applications. To read more about what’s new, take a look at the Gmail and Calendar posts on the Mobile blog.

Google claims they’re focusing on WebApps over native apps because they’re faster to iterate which makes sense, especially if they want to leverage their work across all WebKit mobile devices (iPhone, Android, and soon Palm Pre). Still, we have to ask…

Where’s our native push Gmail?!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Google Updates Gmail and Calendar WebApp for iPhone

While Google’s Gmail is still in “beta”, they done a lot of good stuff for the iPhone including a quirky but usable IMAP implementation so we can keep mail synced on our mobile, desktop, and cloud. But Gmai’s quirkiness isn’t restricted to IMAP, the whole concept of GMail just “thinks different”, from it’s April 1st, everyone-thought-it-was-a-joke launch, to its labels rather than folders, stars rather than flags, and flat search rather than hierarchical sort.

All this leads some to consider a separate GMail client for the iPhone, rather than leaving it bundled into Apple’s own MobileMail app. The Google Android G1 goes this route. You have one app for Gmail and another app for all your other mail. Would we ever see this on the iPhone?

Ars Technica spoke with Gmail Product Manager Todd Jackson, who had this to say (or rather, not say):

he did leave the possibility of a dedicated iPhone client on the table

But what would this mean?

If we look at Gmail strictly as a mail service, my vote is to keep it in mail, do a better job mapping labels to folders, map stars to flags (and enable flags, Apple!), and let iPhone 3.0’s built in search access the Gmail cloud store as well.

If, however, we look at Gmail as some new-fangled cloud-communications service, with email, IM, and Video Chat built in, then maybe some equally new-fangled, and dedicated app is and will be increasingly necessary. That or keep it on the Web with offline access?

Meanwhile, more than better Gmail integration or a separate Gmail app, I’d still like Push Gmail, please. We know Google has licensed ActiveSync for calendars. Go on and throw the switch for email. And while you’re at it, give some IMAP IDLE love for those of us who already use Exchange for work and — due to the 1 account per device limit, thanks Microsoft! — couldn’t take advantage of it for Google.

What do you want, one of the above? All of them? How do you want your Gmail handled on your iPhone?

[Thanks to Phil from WMExperts for the tip!]

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Want a Gmail App on the iPhone?

We asked what else Google could possibly give iPhone users this month to add to the incredible list of Gmail Tasks, Latitude, Google Books, and Google (Active)Sync, and Google Docs spreadsheet editing, and pretty much everyone said: push Gmail.

Turns out we zigged and Google zagged, because they’ve whipped up offline Gmail instead.

What’s that and what does it mean? Offline WebApps use HTML5 standards and SQLite to keep your data open and available when you have no internet connection (like on most airplanes still). When your connection goes off, the data is kept live on the local machine, and when your connection comes back, it’s re-synced back to the cloud.

Okay, so IMAP already does this in MobileMail and other mail clients, fair enough. But Google’s IMAP is notoriously strange (and I’ll say it — shoddy), and many people prefer using the web interfaces anyway as it allows for a more consistent experience from device to device (a browser is a browser).

iPhoneBuzz thought offline Gmail looked ready for prime time, but says it’s still a proof-of-concept at this stage, and there’s no info yet one when Google might release it to the masses.

So, something you need? Something you want? Or should Google devote their Gmail time to push already?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Google Shows Offline GMail Proof-of-Concept for iPhone