Synchronica plc, which provides mobile synchronization and device management solutions, says it has integrated Push-IMAP functionality into Mobile Gateway 3.0 (formerly SyncML Gateway), enabling service providers to bring Push Email to the widest range of mobile devices on the market. Synchronica believes that this will set the stage for mobile email to replace SMS messages as the communication medium of choice for prosumers and consumers. 
Synchronica estimates that the number of people using mobile email will outnumber business users in 2008, and enjoy exceptional growth thereafter. While proprietary solutions, such as RIMs Blackberry and Visto, may continue to be popular with business users, Synchronica believes that the mass-market requires industry standard-based solutions.

Synchronicas Mobile Gateway provides carrier-grade Push Email and
synchronization services for both consumers and business users. Serving
consumers, it includes back-end support for POP3 and IMAP, connecting
to popular mail services such as MSN or Yahoo. For business users, it
provides a unique zero footprint architecture where users simply
register their devices with Mobile Gateway and instantly start to
receive email on their devices. It also includes built-in support for
Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes and Sun JES, thereby reaching the
majority of business user mail systems.
Delivering Push Email requires support for mass-market devices from a
wide variety of manufacturers. However, proprietary Push Email
solutions require special client software to be installed on the device
and are mostly limited to high-end Smartphones – a small fraction of
the mobile phone market. In contrast, says Synchronica,
industry-standard solutions like Mobile Gateway do not require
additional software installation on the device, but instead, use the
built-in email and synchronization clients, addressing the vast
majority of devices.
Synchronica is among the first to combine both SyncML (OMA DS), which
is optimized for synchronization of calendar and contacts, and
Push-IMAP (LEMONADE), which is optimized for mobile email. While SyncML
is supported by the majority of devices in the market, it is limited in
delivering email, since only a small number of devices support email
synchronization over SyncML. On the other hand, millions of devices
support email over IMAP, but IMAP does not support calendar or contact
synchronization. Thus, the company says, combining Push IMAP for mobile
email with SyncML for synchronization of calendar and contacts provides
ideal synergy supporting the widest range of devices.
“Unlike other vendors that have opted for either Push-IMAP or SyncML
for mobile email, Synchronicas Mobile Gateway supports both SyncML and
Push-IMAP, enabling business and consumer users to benefit from the
optimization delivered by both technologies, says Emma Mohr McClune,
Senior Analyst, Wireless Services Europe, at Current Analysis.
Synchronica CEO Carsten Brinkschulte adds:
With such a wealth of mass market devices supporting mobile Email now
available, the time is right for Push Email to expand to the prosumer
and consumer markets. Virtually every mobile phone user has an email
account and most of them by now have an email-enabled device. With the
right marketing and technology, Push Email for the mass-market will
become the next-generation SMS.”