Google closes the gap on Microsoft Exchange

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David Flynn15 May 2009, 12:04 AM

With a new Apps Connector software to push Gmail, Google Calendar and Contacts direct to a BlackBerry Google takes another step towards becoming a complete alternative to Exchange.


While Microsoft preps online versions of its key Office apps for Office 2010 in an effort to catch up to Google, the search supremo is about to take on another of Redmond’s fiefdoms.

Currently being beta tested and set for launch in July (although hopefully not with the omnipresent ‘Beta’ tag), Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Enterprise Server turns Google Apps into a BlackBerry-friendly push service. Items in Gmail, Calendar and Contacts are all delivered direct to the built-in BlackBerry applications rather than requiring add-on software.



This slide from the Apps Connector documentation explains how the freebie works its Googletastic magic

Google Apps Connector resides on a local Windows Server 2008 box and handles the syncing while the BES software (which is also loaded onto a company’s local server handles the server-to-BlackBerry connection  exactly as if it were talking to Exchange rather than Google Apps.



And here's how it all looks in action, with GMail (above) and Google Calendar (below)



The Connector doesn’t yet tick all the boxes. While it handles offline access, folders, read/delete sync, spam filtering and support for archiving and stars in Gmail it doesn’t support threaded Gmail conversations, labels or full mailbox search.

For those you’ll still need to reach for Google’s BlackBerry Gmail client. Calendar syncing is also one-way only, from Google to your BlackBerry, but two-way syncing is planned for a later upgrade.

When released in July the Apps Connector will be available free (of course!) to all Google Apps Premier and Education customers.


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Dan Warne (Administrator):

Very interesting. Of course you can basically have the same thing with Google Sync for Blackberry, which is already available to everyone free of charge. I have over-the-air sync of calendar and contacts thanks to Google Sync, and because RIM already has a special arrangement with Gmail, I get true push (e.g. mail arriving on my Gmail account appears on my Blackberry even before it appears in my desktop mail client, which polls every minute.)

It's not perfect though... I get the impression that writing an OTA sync client for Blackberry in Java probably isn't the easiest thing in the world, hence why Google Sync often comes up with messages like "Another client has been adding to or modifying your calendar events. These events will not be synced with Google" (or similar).

I guess this sidesteps that problem by using RIM's own BES client on the Blackberry. Probably easier to work things on the Windows Server than on the Blackberry.

15 May 2009, 7:24 AM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

Quoting Dan Warne:
I guess this sidesteps that problem by using RIM's own BES client on the Blackberry. Probably easier to work things on the Windows Server than on the Blackberry.

From what I've read that's pretty much the case - this makes it easier for a company to roll out and maintain a Google-based solution for BlackBerrys as well as apply policies to handsets. So solo users have Google Sync while enterprise users get Apps Connector.

15 May 2009, 10:19 AM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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