Google brings push Gmail to the iPhone with Microsoft's help

Google said Tuesday that it will add push Gmail support to the iPhone, iPod Touch and Windows Mobile devices.

The push support---where your email connection is always on---is done via Google Sync. The addition of the new device types means that Google Apps users can get email, contacts and calendar information pushed to most major devices such as the Blackberry, iPhone, Windows Mobile and Android.

What's truly comical about the Gmail push support for the iPhone is that Google relied on Microsoft Exchange's ActiveSync protocol to make it happen. To get push Gmail on your iPhone you have to set up an Exchange account with your Google information.

Apple doesn't support push Gmail for the iPhone, but Google is finding ways around that problem. If you're keeping score at home the Google-Apple rivalry has really heated up. After all, there are FCC spats, arguments over apps for the iPhone, board of director shuffles and competition on many mobile fronts.