Related
Hi everyone. I am sure I am not the first person to wonder about this. Microsoft’s “push” email technology that works with Exchange Server is entirely HTTP based. Obviously Microsoft wants this to work with only their server platform but couldn’t it be possible to use this with Gmail?
I can’t honestly see if being that difficult for the folks at Google to reverse engineer the exact format of the HTTP posts going back and forth between an Exchange server and a WM device. On top of this Gmail has Contacts and Calendar as well. If I could sync my WM device with Gmail I wouldn’t need Exchange anymore. I could even use Google Apps to get my email at my own domain name.
I tried setting up mail.google.com and also www.gmail.com as ‘exchange’ servers on my HTC Touch but it didn’t work :-(
The Fish.
thefish123 said:
Hi everyone. I am sure I am not the first person to wonder about this. Microsoft’s “push” email technology that works with Exchange Server is entirely HTTP based. Obviously Microsoft wants this to work with only their server platform but couldn’t it be possible to use this with Gmail?
I can’t honestly see if being that difficult for the folks at Google to reverse engineer the exact format of the HTTP posts going back and forth between an Exchange server and a WM device. On top of this Gmail has Contacts and Calendar as well. If I could sync my WM device with Gmail I wouldn’t need Exchange anymore. I could even use Google Apps to get my email at my own domain name.
I tried setting up mail.google.com and also www.gmail.com as ‘exchange’ servers on my HTC Touch but it didn’t work :-(
The Fish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Option 1. forward your gmail account to mail2web or one of the other free services which is a free hosted exchange account (more or less).
Option 2. Set up your gmail for I-map and "idle" it. I know it can be done using flex mail, but not sure about idle in Pocket Outlook.
Option 3. Set up your device to check for mail every X minutes. You already new that one though.
Option 4. Set up to forward your mail to your device. IE: on cingular, it used to be you could forward it to "[email protected]" That one, you would need to check with your service provider.
hth
Hi ssschmidt,
I know there are ways I could forward my Gmail to another email service that is an Exchange Server and so does support Microsoft-style push email BUT I am wondering why Google doesn’t implement this themselves.
There are a tone of Windows Mobile devices out there AND Google is already offering Gmail at your own domain name with “Google Apps” service. If all of a sudden I could get true push Gmail with my own domain name (part of Google Apps) I think a lot of people might reconsider that upgrade to Exchange 2007.
Figuring out the exact format of the HTTP conversation between the WM device and the Exchange server couldn’t be that hard. Heck, I think I might be able to take a crack at it myself
In case anyone is wondering what happens is this. The WM device makes an HTTP request to the Exchange server and says “notify me if anything changes in these folders within the next X minutes”. The Exchange server the starts monitoring the folders in question for the specified period of time. If the folder “changes” (a message arrives, a contact is updated, an appointment re-scheduled) Exchange sends the changed items back as part of the HTTP response (the connection is left open and ‘hanging’ for the specified period of time). If nothing happens and the time period lapses the Exchange server sends an empty response and the HTTP connection is closed. The WM device then resumes the process over again by making another request. This it why it is called “client initiated ‘push’” because in reality the WM device is continually asking for changes. The constant back & forth acts as a kind of heartbeat so both ends of the connection (the WM device and the Exchange Server) know the other is still there (in case the WM device is out of service, turned off or otherwise off the grid).
I can see no reason why this HTTP conversation can’t be implemented (along with the correct URL’s) on a non-Exchange server such as Gmail. If Google decided to offer this I think it might be an Exchange killer. Currently I am thinking of ways I can get my own Exchange server. I have several customers with Exchange and a few of the might be willing to host my email for me. Currently I am using Google Apps which I absolutely LOVE but I would also love to be able to sync my plethora of contacts.
Maybe someone in Google reads these forums
The Fish
I'm sure Google will implement this with Android
berardi said:
I'm sure Google will implement this with Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure your probably right. But if Google is interested in taking business away from Exchange (which I think they are judging by the Google Apps sign-up page) then it would make sense to provide this service to the thousands (if not millions) of WM users out there worldwide.
The Fish.
Gmail via Activesync
thefish123 said:
Hi everyone. I am sure I am not the first person to wonder about this. Microsoft’s “push” email technology that works with Exchange Server is entirely HTTP based. Obviously Microsoft wants this to work with only their server platform but couldn’t it be possible to use this with Gmail?
I can’t honestly see if being that difficult for the folks at Google to reverse engineer the exact format of the HTTP posts going back and forth between an Exchange server and a WM device. On top of this Gmail has Contacts and Calendar as well. If I could sync my WM device with Gmail I wouldn’t need Exchange anymore. I could even use Google Apps to get my email at my own domain name.
I tried setting up mail.google.com and also www.gmail.com as ‘exchange’ servers on my HTC Touch but it didn’t work :-(
The Fish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the posts in this thread, looks like nobody mentioned having tried MobiPush. Mobipush allows you to have your Gmail, Yahoo, or other IMAP or POP account email pushed to your WM 5/6 device using the device's Direct-Push Technology. I am currently using the service with my Gmail account and it works well. Sign up is free. You must setup your Gmail options to allow IMAP or POP access, then follow the instructions on MobiPush's site to setup your device. I also forgot to mention that it seems that only mail is sync'ed at this time (no contacts or calendar, or tasks.)
Here's the link:
www.mobipush.com
Windows Live Hotmail provides Direct Push
Another option is to register for a live hotmail account (mail.live.com) and forward your gmail to this account. You can configure your Touch for push email from live hotmail by following the instructions here: http://blogs.msdn.com/mayurk/archiv...dows-live-hotmail-and-windows-mobile-6-0.aspx
mindchill said:
Another option is to register for a live hotmail account (mail.live.com) and forward your gmail to this account. You can configure your Touch for push email from live hotmail by following the instructions here: http://blogs.msdn.com/mayurk/archiv...dows-live-hotmail-and-windows-mobile-6-0.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
However when you do this your reply comes from your Live/Hotmail account. Do you know if you can do this and have your reply come from your gmail account?
Thanks!
Apparently there are other companies/groups that have independently developed products that are compatible with Microsoft’s “DirectPush” technology. So the good news is we know it can be and has been done.
Check out this product http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerio_MailServer
Hopefully Google will develop something that will allow Gmail to masquerade as an Exchange server to a Windows Mobile device. Imagine having push email as well as contact and calendar synchronization with Gmail?? on your WM device? All without any third-party connectors/forwarding/etc.
The Fish.
PS: thanks to everyone for all the suggestions...
www.nuevasync.com for contacts and calendar sync - imap sync is coming - but it's been "coming" for a long time so we can only hope...
try http://www.funambol.com
It will sync calendar, email and contacts.
gottago said:
try http://www.funambol.com
It will sync calendar, email and contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am currently using funambol with scheduleworld for my google calendar - are you using funambol by itself for your calendar?
thanks
nuevasync is great for syncing google contacts and calendar. No downloads everything works through activesync. Their blog says gmail is coming so for now I just use IMAP for gmail.
I simply use www.mobipush.com services, works great for emails.
thefish123 said:
Hi everyone. I am sure I am not the first person to wonder about this. Microsoft’s “push” email technology that works with Exchange Server is entirely HTTP based. Obviously Microsoft wants this to work with only their server platform but couldn’t it be possible to use this with Gmail?
I can’t honestly see if being that difficult for the folks at Google to reverse engineer the exact format of the HTTP posts going back and forth between an Exchange server and a WM device. On top of this Gmail has Contacts and Calendar as well. If I could sync my WM device with Gmail I wouldn’t need Exchange anymore. I could even use Google Apps to get my email at my own domain name.
I tried setting up mail.google.com and also www.gmail.com as ‘exchange’ servers on my HTC Touch but it didn’t work :-(
The Fish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, you don't need MS Push because Google does have a mail push mechanism in place. It is called IMAP Idle. You can read it from here: http://www.isode.com/whitepapers/imap-idle.html. So all you need to do is setting up your IMAP IDLE compatible client to sync with gmail via IMAP instead of POP.
Now, you may also like to forward you mail to mail2web and take advantage of the push mail plus push calendar, contact and task. But you can also use OggSync and keep everything in Google.
berardi said:
I'm sure Google will implement this with Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, they already have the solution.
agentmikeyd said:
i am currently using funambol with scheduleworld for my google calendar - are you using funambol by itself for your calendar?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I am only using/testing funambol on my gmail. I don't use a calendar as of yet, too little time to test on funambol. I do know that contacts synch via funambol does work. I guess you are calling me to task;-)
I know there are various ways using combinations of third party software and/or services and so forth of syncing email one way, calendar another, etc, etc. But imagine being able to sync EVERYTHING in Google Apps with their counterparts on your Windows Mobile device using the NATIVE built-in synchronization mechanism of that device.
If Google is serious about killing Exchange in the SMB market place they will implement this.
Currently I still sync my Vogue with my Exchange server even though I also use Google Apps.
The Fish
there is always this
http://www.codeplex.com/ImapPusherService
works well for me
Did I call it or what?!?!
OK, little brag moment there but!!! Have a look at this screen shot. I am not 100% sure when Google added this but this is EXACTLY what I was hoping for just over a year ago! Did I call it or what? I can't imagine Gmail/Google Apps being any cooler
The Fish
Anyone use the online address book feature of the messaging program? I want my contacts from my different email sources. I could type them into outlook but would prefer something more automatic. Open up a messaging account like Gmail then choose menu - tools - options. Then the 3rd tab is address. Try to add an address book. Thanks
I had seen some tool, can't remember name!
It's allow to synchronize your contacts with internet!
So you can easy recover all your data, even if you PC will be formated
http://www.dashwire.com
http://www.funambol.com
I think I am asking the question wrong. What I was hoping to do was to use my contacts I have on gmail or yahoo. When I type an email on my phone the only contacts I can pull up are the ones in my contacts under outlook.
Now I could copy the email accounts but the nice feature of Yahoo and Gmail (and many other email accounts) is that they will automatically add new addresses.
Now back to my original question. On our phone is a place to put a server address for an online address book. Anyone use this feature to tap into either yahoo or gmail address book?
Thanks
Hi. Can anyone tell me please whether the Hero will have real-time 'push' email and whether it will be compatible with Outlook?
Many thanks.
it depends on which style you get I believe the sim free HTC branded ones will include exchange syncing software as standard. The "with google" branded ones dont, however there is software on the market which can do this for you anyway.
Well, I have a sim-free Hero on order, here in the UK.
I don't have a server, though - just Outlook on a single PC - would that be fine? Also - is it instant, or every 30 mins or so, like my current Nokia E71?
Thanks!
Just tested Hero ROM on my brothers G1. You can use Activesync ( sync with your local outlook via usb ) or POP email
Thank you, Sinas. And the Pop email is 'instant push'? My Nokia E71 will only check every 30 mins...
Thank you, Sinas. And the Pop email is 'instant push'? My Nokia E71 will only check every 30 mins...
Also, surely 'Activesync' is a windows programme - do you mean HTC Sync?
Thanks again...
Stuff review.
Okay, so the Stuff review seems to answer the questions.
Firstly; Some of these are basic (clocks, calendars), but many are ‘live’, pulling information through from the web to update automatically. The Nokia N97 offers similar widgets on its homescreen, but the Hero’s, most notably the excellent Twitter app, are by far the slickest and most useful we’ve used. so I am assuming that the Facebook widget is 'live'. Can anyone confirm?
More worryingly, we have this; Unlike the Magic, the Hero has native support for Microsoft Exchange, so setting up work e-mails is easy. It doesn't sync with Outlook, though there is a roundabout way of sending your contacts to Gmail, then get getting them to sync with the phone. which doesn't sound so promising. How can any new phone not sync with Outlook? Can this be true?
The full review is here; http://stuff.tv/Review/HTC-Hero-review/
Any thoughts (please?)
The facebook integration in the people application is nto real time, it is a set schedule updateof 2,4,8,12 or 24 hours.
The twitter app can be set to check every 5 minutes.
Yes, it does come with HTC Sync, but don't bother. It's just as bloody awful on the hero as it is on the HTC branded magics. Steer clear of that ****e and stick to the google or Exchange OTA Sync, both of which are push.
as for not synching with outlook (which it does but only just) the android OS is designed to sync with google over the air. that is one of it's main reasons for existing. and god knows at least it works as long as you are not on an apps domain....!
So, I guess you are saying that...
...if I want push email, because I have a pop3 account, rather than an Exchange one, I will need to somehow use gmail to push my mail to the phone?
*Sigh*
And EVERYTHING I have - contacts and calendar - is on Outlook, which you say doesn't properly sync with the Hero. Maybe I have ordered the wrong phone?
Thanks for your time...
yes you will. POP does not support push mail without some sort of third party intermediary such as Gmail, Exchange or BIS servers (blackberry).
Quite possibly you have.
Although, contacts can be copied across very simply into gmail, by exporting to a csv file and then importing that into gmail which takes about 2 minutes. and as for the calendar, google do calendar sync which syncs your outlook calendar to the gmail calendar as well.
however, from what you say, and what you want in a native outlook sync support, you'd be better off with a winmo device, and a third party hosted exchange for your pop, such as 4smartphone, or some of the guys that do it on here for a small price... that way you have the natice sync support, and also then you have your push mail.
Thank you for your help.
I guess a workaround might be for me to pay for a third-party application which will push my email to the device...
bigbamboo5 said:
I guess a workaround might be for me to pay for a third-party application which will push my email to the device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might try looking into funambol. It connects most things, to most other things.
http://my.funambol.com/
is a free intermediary online funambol server application which might do exactly what you want.
I'm trying to find out from Orange whether the HTC Hero will synchronise with exchange.
Quite frustrating that there is no clear information available.
Rob
Thanks, Trentend - I'll take a look. Also Emoze has been suggested.
Anyone tried Emoze?
I have just spoken to someone at Devicewire who seems to know the phone well and has used it a lot - he tells me the phone 'definitely syncs perfectly with Outlook'. Which is nice...
For any kind of PUSH email support, you need a server-backend that can work it.
Meaning: An IMAP mail account (with IDLE support enabled) (like Gmail),
an Exchange account (used a lot in enterprises and such),
or something similar from Blackberry (BIS I believe).
A regular POP account is just that: Too simple to support any kind of push.
Create a gmail account, set your POP account to forward the mail directly to that gmail account, and set that gmail account up for push mail.
I believe gmail even supports multiple identities, so you can use gmail to send mail in such a way that it looks to come from your original POP account.
As for the Outlook sync: I'm curious just as you. Had WinMo and Symbian phones the last xx years, and I'm now waiting for my Hero to be shipped. My first Android experience, so I'll have to see.
Thing is, I don't value 'Outlook' at all. I use three different computers during each and even day, so all my mail is done webbased (and using a central storage). My 'primary' contact list _IS_ my phone. I don't sync it, I make backups.
So I think I will have to import my current contact list into my gmail-contacts, clean it all up and then connect my Android phone to it. But once you've done that, you're set .
dipje said:
For any kind of PUSH email support, you need a server-backend that can work it.
Meaning: An IMAP mail account (with IDLE support enabled) (like Gmail),
an Exchange account (used a lot in enterprises and such),
or something similar from Blackberry (BIS I believe).
A regular POP account is just that: Too simple to support any kind of push.
Create a gmail account, set your POP account to forward the mail directly to that gmail account, and set that gmail account up for push mail.
I believe gmail even supports multiple identities, so you can use gmail to send mail in such a way that it looks to come from your original POP account.
As for the Outlook sync: I'm curious just as you. Had WinMo and Symbian phones the last xx years, and I'm now waiting for my Hero to be shipped. My first Android experience, so I'll have to see.
Thing is, I don't value 'Outlook' at all. I use three different computers during each and even day, so all my mail is done webbased (and using a central storage). My 'primary' contact list _IS_ my phone. I don't sync it, I make backups.
So I think I will have to import my current contact list into my gmail-contacts, clean it all up and then connect my Android phone to it. But once you've done that, you're set .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this! I guess I'll have to try and do that gmail forwarding thing as the multiple identity thing is vital -if I reply from my phone, it needs to look as if it has come from my office. I'm sure there's an idiot's guide out there somewhere...
bigbamboo5 said:
Thank you for this! I guess I'll have to try and do that gmail forwarding thing as the multiple identity thing is vital -if I reply from my phone, it needs to look as if it has come from my office. I'm sure there's an idiot's guide out there somewhere...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just had a look. I can go to my gmail settings, and there is a tab 'accounts'.
In there the first section is to 'add another email address you own'. You will have to enter your current POP email address, and it will send a verification of some sort to verify the address is yours.
After that you can make that email address as 'default', and set the option to always make mail seem to come from that address, even if the mail you are replying to was sent directly to your gmail account.
I reccon that if you set an email address as 'default' there, you phone (and other) applications will also use it.
Then the only thing to do is set your current POP account to forward mail directly to your gmail account. (Not MOVE mail, but forward / copy it).
Then you have a gmail account 'invisible' to the outside world. Setting up an android phone with a gmail account should be no problem
Oooh!
Ta much!
Hero will sync with Exchange out of the Box
Magic and G1 need an extra App
cboyd said:
Hero will sync with Exchange out of the Box
Magic and G1 need an extra App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exchange, yes - but what about Outlook?
Hello- new to android, coming from a hd2
here is my set up:
I have a .mac account for my personal account.
I have gmail only for google voice.
I also am linked to facebook.
I use the phone mostly for work with ms exchange. I dont like the interface that samsung/2.1 offers so I am testing touchdown. So far so good.
issues/questions
I have both Touchdown and the android exchange set up so I can compare the differences. Not sure if this is recommended or not? also not sure if I should disable one or not??
1) contacts- when I am using dialer to call someone it - goes to the work fax # as default not the cell or even office #. How do I change the order for all contacts at once? I can do it individually but have 400 contacts. It doesnt give me an option to see all the #'s to chose from like in windows. Does this have something to do with the way it synced with ms exchange server's contacts?
Very annoying! any work arounds? any better way to quickly call or return a call? I typically use dialer and start dialing the persons name.
2) personal email- when I set up my .mac account it made a folder called personal email on my homescreen (great!) i mistakenly dragged it to the trash. Now when I add the email program to the Homescreen, when I open it gives mes 2 options. I want to get back my own personal email folder- any options?
3) I only use gmail to read my voicemails using google voice. Is there a way I can sync my ms exchange contacts (phone contacts) to the gmail cloud so I have them in multiple places?
Thanks in advance!
M
3. Export your contacts from Outlook (into CSV) and import them into GMAIL (Google has instructions on how to do it)
I am tires of WINMO 6.5, and WP7 is not what I want. The only thing is that I can't give up my hotmail, and NO I don't want POP3 version, and the exchange trick won't show me attachments..... not html etc.
I want hotmail to behave like any an regular email client.
As of now this is how I am setup on winmo 6.5:
1. PH#s (contacts with PH#s) + Calendar = Gmail, synced via microsoft exchange (I do this because I use Google voice)
2. Email (Hotmail) + Email contacts - synced via windows live email client
Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Also... I would like to combine somehow all my contacts in one directory that will be synced somehow between gmail (for google voice texts and calls) and hotmail (since I use this all over my PC's and add contacts from different locations. Can I do all this and use ANDROID?? Please help!! Thank you!!! - Peter
lol you already have the right parts. Just finish adding your contacts to Gmail. Sign in to your Gmail account as your Google account on your Android phone and you can automatically sync your Google calendar and Google contacts. You can even auto sync your contacts so that as soon as they're in your phone they'll be added to your contacts. If you're worried about all your email only contacts showing up in your dialer, then you usually have the option to only show contacts with phone numbers.
Gmail (as with most e-mail clients) supports HTML.
You've just reminded me what a PITA WM6.5 was. It was workaround after workaround to get the last workaround to work. There's a reason Microsoft dumped the old "Windows Mobile" name and start fresh. 6.5 compared to ANY modern smartphone software is just dumb. Sorry for the rant, I think I was getting flashbacks @[email protected]
In Gmail you can add your hotmail, yahoo and others through an interface(PC only). When you have your gmail account open in a browser(PC) click the gear in the upper right corner and select mail settings. Then select accounts and imports tab and it's the second option. Super easy as I have done it. As for mail, there is a @mail app built into android. Just google hotmail android and you'll find pop3/imap/exchange settings everywhere. And I do believe that @email android app is HTML viewable.
There is no reason at this point to keep that old 6.5 phone, jump over to Android and you'll totally forget you ever had a lesser phone.
But.. still if I add Hotmail via exchange, it wont let me view attachments... Pop3 is not the way to go, since is not a complete sync with the server (I check Hotmail from different PC's and add/remove contacts constantly. Pop3 won't sync that)
reddragon72 said:
In Gmail you can add your hotmail, yahoo and others through an interface(PC only). When you have your gmail account open in a browser(PC) click the gear in the upper right corner and select mail settings. Then select accounts and imports tab and it's the second option. Super easy as I have done it. As for mail, there is a @mail app built into android. Just google hotmail android and you'll find pop3/imap/exchange settings everywhere. And I do believe that @email android app is HTML viewable.
There is no reason at this point to keep that old 6.5 phone, jump over to Android and you'll totally forget you ever had a lesser phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does this mean I will switch from Hotmail? And when I reply to an email received at hotmail will show my gmail as sender? Again, I don't want to switch from hotmail. All I want is an "email client" for android that fully suports hotmail with 2 way sync. I hope you understand.
P.S. looks like my post shows up twice. How do I delete the other one?
Thank you you guys for your help!!!
I believe "Enhanced Email" for Android does what you're looking for. It can use Exchange ActiveSync and has an option for HTML email.
Also, if you want to sync Gmail and Hotmail contacts, try Soocial.