Google just made syncing the iPhone, the iPod touch, and Windows Mobile phones a lot easier for users who rely on organization and convenience. The search giant released the beta version of Google Sync on Monday.
Google is using the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol to sync both calendars and contacts from Google accounts.
Once a user adds Google Sync to an iPhone or Windows Mobile device, it will allow the user to get Gmail contacts and Google Calendar events, according to Google software engineer Brian Mawhinney. A blog posting said Google Sync will automatically synchronize the address book and calendar in the background.
Data Preserved
"Sync uses push technology, so any changes or additions to your calendar or contacts are reflected on your device in minutes," Mawhinney said. "The connection is always on, so you don't have to manually sync your phone after Sync has been set up."
An additional feature is that once information  is synced, it's automatically backed up on the Google account and available if the user should ever lose the mobile device.
"It's another important step for Google as they move to make Google services available ubiquitously on multiple devices and platforms," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president at Interpret, a market-research company. "At the same time, licensing the Exchange ActiveSync protocol is important as well, as it means Google could now offer Exchange synchronization to the Android platform, a key feature that it has lacked to date."
While Google recently began offering its Gmail service offline, Gmail users will more than likely be asking for push support with Gmail.
Users Beware
While the feature may be convenient, there is always a chance for failure, and Google warns in its blog that Google Sync may remove all existing contacts and calendar events, so backing up the data before setting up Sync is advisable.
Google Sync only supports up to five user calendars, so if a user has more than that, he or she may want to reconsider synchronization.
For devices that use SyncML, Google Sync will allow two-way contacts synchronization, according to Mawhinney. A device with SyncML has a synchronization option found in the settings menu or a sync application.
Nokia Symbian S60 third edition (the E-Series and N-Series 6120, 6121) and Nokia Symbian S60 second edition (6630, 6680, N70, N90) and most Sony Ericsson phones can use Google Sync, according to the company. For BlackBerry users, a version of Google Sync has been available for some time.
Users can try Google Sync at m.google.com/sync.
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