Why Gmail Mobile Isn’t a BlackBerry Killer–Yet
Someone previously mentioned (forgot who, sorry) that Gmail Mobile looks like it might be a BlackBerry Killer. I doubt it, at least right now. While I have never personally used a BlackBerry, I am all too familiar with the functionality it provides. Nokia’s solution, which I am familiar with, provides similar functionality to the BlackBerry. Gmail Mobile is a nice tool, but it’s got a ways to go to be anywhere near a BlackBerry. Here is where Google should improve this application if it is to become a BlackBerry Killer:
Offline Mode: Currently, Gmail Mobile requires an Internet connection of some sort. The nice thing about the BlackBerry-type solutions is that your email (and other information) is accessible when there is no Internet connection. You can work with the data offline. When the connection returns, everything syncs.
More Than Just Email: Gmail Mobile only does email. BlackBerry and others also sync mobile phone contacts, calendars, and other data.
Push Versus Pull: BlackBerry addicts tend to like “push” versus “pull” email. BlackBerry folks like their email “push.” Gmail Mobile is definitely a pull.
Long Emails Truncated: One thing I like in particular about Nokia’s client is that when I read my email, only what I am reading is downloaded. You can configure it to pre-fetch to the first 2 kilobytes of the message. As you read, the data is dynamically downloaded from the server. Gmail Mobile seems to truncate them once they reach a certain length.
Link Strippage: Some emails, but not all, get their HTML links stripped in Gmail Mobile. What’s up with that?
Certainly, all of these things are fixable by Google. If they ever do get fixed, then we have a contender.
