Captivate/Android/Email question

[sleepingsheep]

I currently have a Blackberry 8310, my first Smartphone.. for 2 years now. My Contract is near end.

I have been interested in Android phones for a while now, with Captivate being one of the most likely to purchase.


I have been reading a lot about certain issues like GPS, but that's something i know Samsung will resolve therefore am not too worried about it.

My big question concerns email. As you know, Blackberry's email retrieval is very prompt, especially if you have GMAIL. I dont know the terminology, but as soon as GMAIL itself receives/sends an email, you immediately receive it on the handset. LIke receiving a sms text as soon as it is sent and goes through the system.

I am foreign to any other format/OS, so I've been reading up and I notice a lot of people mention the setting "email/gmail" to retrieve email at a certain time interval. I live by my emails you could say.. and this bugs me, Even if this is set at every minute, it will drain your battery to death.

Is Blackberry the only phone that has direct/instant email delivery? instead of "push" or "retrieval"?

Or is there an App that will accommodate what I am mentioning?

I have an I-touch, and I know that it does the same thing.. you have to set the Push interval to retrieve emails.


This could be the dealbreaker for me... despite the other wonderful things that Android has to offer, my "real life" is ruled by this.. and if BBerry is the only phone to offer this.. I may just stick to it. No offense towards Android or its users of course, I still think it owns everything else out there on every other aspect.



please tell me there is a way of accommodating this in Android phones.

Thanks!

 

[sremick]

Most people have freebie email accounts either via webmail or their ISP so their only option is POP access, which necessitates "poll" checking where you'd have to set an interval.

POP sucks.

If you want to recreate the Blackberry experience, you need to move beyond POP to IMAP. By using an app like K-9 with a proper IMAP email service, you can use "push" (IDLE) notification, which doesn't involve an interval (actually, in K-9 you can define both types).

IMAP IDLE - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
k9mail - Project Hosting on Google Code

Unfortunately, people have been conditioned to think email should be "free" while at the same time spending hours a week complaining about the quality of their email service. If they only got their priorities straight and spent half as much on email (yes, pay for something that's that important to you) as they do on soda or coffee, all would be well in the world.

Note: it doesn't hurt to have K-9 check folders with "poll" too, set to a long interval, as a backup. Like maybe 30 mins, or whatever suits you.

 

[t-readyroc]

As you know, Blackberry's email retrieval is very prompt, especially if you have GMAIL. I dont know the terminology, but as soon as GMAIL itself receives/sends an email, you immediately receive it on the handset. LIke receiving a sms text as soon as it is sent and goes through the system.

It's called "push" tech, & all Android devices have it for GMail as well. I have 2 GMail accts, both on the Captivate & in my desktop Thunderbird via IMAP. I very frequently get email notifications from my Captivate before they hit my desktop.

Other email accounts, like sremick says, you're best off using IMAP for.

 

[tcv]

I also have a simpler email question. Does anyone know a way to "select all" emails in gmail?

 

[CureMS]

I'm a new convert from BB (8320) and I have the Vibrant. Recently, I've been experiencing more lag on my gmail on the desktop but I don't experience it on the phone. Remember that both Android and gmail are google so there is tight integration. And you won't have to worry about BIS being down with an android phone. That was a problem for me on the BB - when BIS went down, no email would come through.

An added bonus on android - if you do want an app to do something, there are many free ones and even the paid ones are much cheaper.

FWIW - I loved BB and was holding out for the 9800 Torch but I'm on TMO and it's exclusive with ATT; and it turned out to be a disappointment anyway. That's why I jumped ship.

tcv, you might want to post a new thread with your question to get the answers you're looking for.

 

[sleepingsheep]

Thanks for the informative replies.

By all means, i mos def would pay in order to have a great email client, furthermore rightfully contribute to the work and effort put into it.

Thanks for the links will be reading into K9.

Glad to know there is light thru the android tunnel.

Thx guys.

 

[sremick]

Thanks for the informative replies.
By all means, i mos def would pay in order to have a great email client, furthermore rightfully contribute to the work and effort put into it.

Thanks for the links will be reading into K9.

Note that I was talking about paying for a quality email service (server), not the client.

K-9 (the client) is free.

A pay email service would be a certain amount of money per year.

I use Fastmail.

 

[mratlndmrk]

Note that I was talking about paying for a quality email service (server), not the client.

K-9 (the client) is free.

A pay email service would be a certain amount of money per year.

I use Fastmail.

So are you saying K9 would work with a corporate email situation that is not webmail based like BB does?

 

[onepoint]

I currently have a Blackberry 8310, my first Smartphone.. for 2 years now. My Contract is near end.

I have been interested in Android phones for a while now, with Captivate being one of the most likely to purchase.

Is Blackberry the only phone that has direct/instant email delivery? instead of "push" or "retrieval"?

Or is there an App that will accommodate what I am mentioning?

I just made the switch from an 8310 to the Captivate myself. The Captivate includes a native GMail application that has been working well for me; I have not noticed any particular lag issues in receiving email as they have showed up promptly. I cannot compare arrival time with a PC as I now perform most all of my emailing/communication tasks via my phone.

 

[t-readyroc]

So are you saying K9 would work with a corporate email situation that is not webmail based like BB does?

Long as the corporate email supports IMAP/POP3...

 

[sremick]

So are you saying K9 would work with a corporate email situation that is not webmail based like BB does?

K-9 supports standards. IMAP is an open standard. So if that corporate email system supported IMAP, you're good.

My IMAP email that I use with K-9 is not a corporate email, but is my personal email.

Most corporations seem to be in-love with Microsoft Exchange, however. Interfacing with Exchange is klunky and a pain. Touchdown is an option, but it's not free.