Sync email, contacts & calendar on Live, iphone, PC

Question

I want to sync email, contacts, and calendar on my iPhone and PC just like
it did with my blackberry, but I want to use a live mail account (or gmail or
other provider if Live won't work). The iPhone web pages don't list Live email account information any more like they used to. So I'm not sure what is going on with Live email and the iPhone.
I have an iPhone 2G (just today updated to OS 3.1) with the data plan. I have a Live mail account that I'll be using if possible. I currently have the updated contact list and calendar file that I want to use in Outlook 2003 on my XP desktop computer. I want to PUSH these items onto the iPhone because they have been painfully updated (from multiple accounts from multiple pc and phone upgrades). I want to continue using Outlook on the PC if possible, but want to migrate to using my notebook (that I plan to upgrade from Vista to Win7). I want the messages to dowload to the hard drive on the notebook for archival.
I know I should upgrade the Vista machine to Win7 before I start trying to
sync these 3 devices/areas (2 devices and 1 cloud??? ;-)). Once that is accomplished, I want to sync the notebook (outlook email and calendar and contacts) with the iphone (email, contacts, calendar) and Live (email, contacts, calendar). Will opened email show as "read" on the other devices at next logon? Will calendar updates work properly from any location and propagate to the other devices? Same for Contacts: can I change one anywhere and have it properly update at the other two locations? What about deleting email messages (or contacts, or calendar items), can it be done from any of the 3 and propagate to the the other 2?
Can it be done? How?
Message was edited by: NewbDude

Answer 1

Google does not support Push access for recieved messages when accessing the account as an IMAP account.
Google does support Push access for recieved messages when accessing the account as an Exchange account, but Exchange/ActiveSync is a new protocol for Google.
I have no idea about service interruptions with a Gmail account, but since Exchange/ActiveSync is a new protocol for Google and still considered a Beta I believe, there are bound to be issues from time to time while Google gets the bugs worked out.
The iPhone supports Push access for recieved messages with email account providers that provide/support Push access. The iPhone also supports Fetch access with an option for automatically checking for new messages every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, or every hour. With an account that supports Push access, you can enable or disable Push access, automatically check the account for new messages, or manually check for new messages.
Nothing personal, but what is the big deal about Push access for recieved messages? What sort of important email do you regularly recieve that must be pushed to the iPhone the instant the message is recieved at the incoming mail server - along with every other message the instant they are recieved at the incoming mail server? To each his/her own, but that would drive me nuts. Nothing I recieve via email is so important that it can't wait for the account to be automatically checked for new messages every 30 minutes (my setting), and I can always manually check the account for new messages in between the automatic check.
Just trying to help you save what amounts to $8.33/mo with a MobileMe account. I haven't read about on-going regular problems with accessing a Gmail account as an IMAP account. This provides for keeping all server stored mailboxes synchronized with the server with each email client used to access the account, and you can sync contacts and calendar events direct with a supported application on your computer via the iTunes sync process at no additional expense. You won't have Push access for recieved messages when accessing a Gmail account as an IMAP account, but I think you will get by A-OK having the account automatically checked for new messages along with being able to do a manual check in between the automatic check if you are expecting an email of significant importance.
And in the interim, Google may get the bugs ironed out with accessing the account as an Exchange account which you can switch to when they do - still at no charge.