Types of Push Email

[Guest pulser]

I've been experimenting with Touchdown recently, and really like the 'push' nature of its exchange server integration. Emails sent to my ActiveSync account come in within 20 seconds, which is, in my opinion, better than the stock HTC mail app's regular pull syncing.

I also use a POP/IMAP GMX account, which supports IMAP IDLE syncing (another type of push), but as far as I can see, HTC Mail does not make use of this feature.

Since push apparently has battery benefits over pull email, I was wondering if anyone knows of a way (or app) to use push with IMAP. Google turned up something called K-9, but I have no idea if it is any good. Ideally, I would like to use HTC Mail due to its nice notification bubble on the icon and the widget, but am open to suggestions.

As for push being more power efficient, does anyone have experience with this, since my experience of networking systems like this tells me that a signal has to be kept up, and that keeping up a signal (even if only a 15 minute heartbeat) uses power. Also, I was wondering if the handset will sleep properly, or if it sits awake constantly, waiting on a push.

That last one is the killer for me, as I would be inclined to uninstall Touchdown if it was going to keep the phone out of sleep.

Any suggestions / observations?

[Guest polonius]

You can set up an ActiveSync account with the HTC mail app as well. For the 'push' experience you have to choose the smallest time interval (called 'on event' or something similar). The 20 seconds delay come from an AV and/or antispam server side, I suppose.

Although IMAP IDLE is listed on the box in which my T-Mobile G2 was shipped, I do not know any app which uses that potentially feature. :)

I cannot tell anything about touchdown, but power saving works with the gmail and HTC mail apps. Might be that a 'pull' every two hours consumes less energy than 'push', but why would anybody want this? The heartbeat is rather a 'ping' ...

[Guest pulser]

You can set up an ActiveSync account with the HTC mail app as well. For the 'push' experience you have to choose the smallest time interval (called 'on event' or something similar). The 20 seconds delay come from an AV and/or antispam server side, I suppose.

Although IMAP IDLE is listed on the box in which my T-Mobile G2 was shipped, I do not know any app which uses that potentially feature. :)

I cannot tell anything about touchdown, but power saving works with the gmail and HTC mail apps. Might be that a 'pull' every two hours consumes less energy than 'push', but why would anybody want this? The heartbeat is rather a 'ping' ...

Cheers, found it... Must be going blind through looking for it!

For future reference purposes, it's under Settings | Data Synchronisation | Exchange ActiveSync | Schedule. If you scroll all the way up, there is an 'As Items Arrive' option. That's the push setting.

Funny you mention IMAP Idle support on the G2. I've got one as well, and didn't notice anything about it anywhere on the box (or contents, for that matter). But, I've now got a track record for missing things, so I'm maybe not the best person in the world to judge.

I'm pretty convinced that push does save battery. Using my highly significant ( ;) ) and scientifically accurate ( ;) ) method of calculation (leaving phone on for 'almost exactly' 12 hours, then looking at partial wakelock from Touchdown vs. HTC Mail (before you pointed out HTC mail can do push).

The config was as follows - HTC Mail app checking 2 accounts every 15 mins - 1xExchange, 1xPOP3

Touchdown was also checking that same Exchange account, but in push mode

After almost exactly 12 hours, HTC Mail had 10mins 11secs of partial wakelock usage. Touchdown had 3mins 38secs of partial wakelock usage.

Hopelessly useless test, as HTC Mail was checking 2 accounts, but I reckon push is better in the long run. Should point out I didn't get any mail overnight ( B) ), so this is just the heartbeat or 15 min sync taking effect.

So now just to get IMAP IDLE to work. Might take up HTC on this one, since every other 'dumbphone' I've seen can do it too...

[Guest JulesB]

Since push apparently has battery benefits over pull email, I was wondering if anyone knows of a way (or app) to use push with IMAP. Google turned up something called K-9, but I have no idea if it is any good. Ideally, I would like to use HTC Mail due to its nice notification bubble on the icon and the widget, but am open to suggestions.

K-9 is excellent and the push email on IMAP (using Fastmail) is very quick. I usually get the notification of new mail on my phone before my PC. I have not found any particular issues with battery life, but it may depend on the number of folders you are monitoring using Push.