GOOGLE SYNC FOR IPHONE LAUNCHED: EXCHANGE HAS COME TO THE IPHONE

To say that this is fantastic would be an understatement, but today Google launched Sync which brings Microsoft Exchange support to the iPhone free of charge.

You can now sync your Google contacts and calendar events on either your iPhone or computer and have them always be in sync (no pun intended) with live updating. So far this does not extend to Gmail, which is still POP and IMAP only. Another piece of good news is that Google uses all your native iPhone applications to accomplish these tasks, integrating seamlessly with Calendar and Contacts.

I've been wondering what's taken Google so long to really jump on the iPhone bandwagon and offer some great services and features to an ever-growing number of iPhone enthusiasts. And for someone such as myself, and many more people I am sure, who are total Google addicts and depend on multiple Google apps and services daily but also happen to be iPhone owners, this is a total breath of fresh air. Now we just have to hope that Google manages to get some sort of PUSH Gmail out the door.

For those who might be feeling envious, never fear, because Sync is already available for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian platforms. And of course, the Android-powered G1.

I will be setting this up ASAP and will try making a video to demonstrate this week, and if any other details filter out I'll update this post, since this news is of the BREAKING variety.