I’m reading around about the iPhone SDK announcement, and I see people making a big deal about ActiveSync and ‘Exchange Push.’
My web-based mail client pings home frequently (a couple of times a minute, perhaps) via AJAX techniques. Phone apps have the same HTTP connection available. If you’re curious, keep Gmail open with the LiveHTTPHeaders addon installed and watch the request/responses stream by. Isn’t frequent pull the same as “push?” I’m having an acid flashback of the Wired hype about Push in the mid-90s…and the PointCast screensaver, which “pushed” a bunch of information to you while you were away from your computer…
I guess I’m just annoyed that “Push Technology,” in 2008, is still being called out as something customers need…
Update: Since Third-party apps appear to be limited in that they have to terminate when the user switches apps, this probably makes a daemon harder to run on the iPhone. I’m starting to understand the announcement.
Having worked as an IT Consultant for years out here in Biotech Beach I can tell you many c-level executives feel they need email on demand, thanks to RIM no doubt. Many executives I dealt with were so addicted to email that if an hour went by without email they would call IT because their Treo or Blackberry was broke
I remember the good ol days when I had my blackberry and could delete emails from the server with a click. Now I can pull from the server but not delete. So I end up seeing the same email twice – which kind of defeats the purpose. If you use gmail the problem is solved but emailing from gmail isnt exactly professional in the eyes of many execs.
As someone addicted to the crackberry, I must say, push is required!
I would hate to have to actively synch every time I wanted to check email.
With push, employees can send me notes or as questions knowing that I will instantly get them and be aware.
I cant wait for Apple activesynch to be up and running officially.
I am thankful that I am not addicted to all of these email and text message devices. I find my work time consuming as it is… I don’t need to be that connected… And I’m OK with that.