Google will be releasing a beta version of its Google Sync software for the iPhone and Windows Mobile smartphones. The application will provide the ability for automatic, over-the-air synchronization of contact and calendaring information from these handhelds to Gmail contacts and Google calendars, respectively.

According to Microsoft, Google is taking a patent license to implement its Exchange ActiveSync protocol--also known as Direct Push--on Google's servers. The BlackBerry version of Google Sync does not use Exchange ActiveSync. According to a blog entry on the Official Google Mobile blog, "Once you set up Sync on your phone, it will automatically begin synchronizing your address book and calendar in the background, over-the-air, so you can attend to other tasks."

Needless to say, Google Sync is a good solution for small businesses or individual users not keen on buying the physical servers or hosted services necessary for a client-server architecture. Of course, losing a smartphone with Google Sync would mean that anyone who finds it will gain access to the data. While a password would certainly solve this dilemma, the reality is that most users will not bother in the absence of enforcement by corporate administrators.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article from InfoWorld
- check out this article from Official Google Mobile blog

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