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GMail Comes to Mobiles

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Leveraging its strong position as a search and online advertising engine, Google is increasing its push into mobile phone applications with the introduction of GMail Mobile, a free mobile version of its GMail email service for U.S. mobile phone users.

Users with compatible phones will be able to access their GMail mailboxes using their phones’ built-in Web browsers by accessing http://m.gmail.com/. The service automatically adapts to the capabilities of the phone being used to access the GMail account, lets users view attachments sent along with email messages (including images, Acrobat PDF files, and Microsoft Word documents), and enables users to reply to people already in their GMail Contacts list by phone.

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Google has confirmed a large number of Internet-capable mobile phones are compatible with the GMail mobile service, including popular handsets from Nokia, Motorola, LG, Palm, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Sanyo, and Samsung using AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Cingular wireless networks. There are no synchronization issues with accessing GMail via a Web browser or via a mobile phone; there’s not much difference between the two so far as a GMail account is concerned. Messages read via a cell phone will appear as having been read in a GMail message listing in a Web browser; similarly, messages sent from a mobile phone will appear in an accounts Sent Mail folder.

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GMail Mobile is currently free (although wireless providers may well charge users for data service) and available in English; Google says it’s working on making GMail Mobile available in other languages.

GMail has also rolled out autoresponse capabilities (in case you’re away from email and want to let people know automatically) and the capability to create contact groups and treat them as a single address for sending messages.

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Geoff Duncan
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