Don’t get us wrong – Android is great. It’s touch-friendly, functional, logical and shows a lot of promise. Truth be told however, it is still in its infancy and has a whole lot of growing up to do. Don’t believe us? Just ask any G1 owner still waiting on “cupcake”. Be that as it may, apps play a huge role in extending the functionality of any OS and a little announcement from SEVEN at MWC spells big news for Android users. SEVEN, creator of the like-named mobile email and PIM solution that is rebranded by countless carriers, has officially announced an Android beta. What does this mean for Android users? Email that doesn’t suck.
- Ultra-simple activation: same easy, two-click activation that’s available today from SEVEN on many devices can also be pre-configured for Android so that end-users only have to enter their email address and password.
- Support for business email: provides mobile subscribers with seamless and secure access to Microsoft Exchange or IBM Lotus Domino corporate email, which represents 80% of the corporate email services in use without installing any software behind the firewall.
- Easy access to popular Internet email: consumers have instant access to multiple accounts from popular providers such as AOL, Gmail, Microsoft Live Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo! and other internet email providers as needed to support local markets.
- Integrated contact management and search: for contacts stored on the device as well as remote contact lists from personal address books and corporate directories.
- Robust calendar support: ability to edit, delete and add appointments from personal or business calendars including Microsoft Exchange.
Having used the S60 version of SEVEN for quite some time, we know it as fast, reliable and always improving. As such, we expect the same out of the Android build and seriously doubt we’ll be disappointed. In terms of when the new beta will become available, look for it sometime in Q2 of this year.
