Google Android Adds Microsoft Exchange Support

When Google, HTC, and T-Mobile unveiled the first Android-powered handset in September, many mobile professionals were disappointed with the lack of Microsoft Exchange support. At the time, officials from T-Mobile and Google said that could easily be remedied by a third-party developer.

With this in mind, Wrike and Intermedia have rolled out a free Android application that will enable users to sync their G1s Exchange servers.

The app, ContactsSync, doesn't offer full Exchange syncing, but it does let G1 users load their contacts onto the phone. Changes made on the phone won't be made to your server-based contacts, but the developers said that should change in the future.

The developers also plan full calendar syncing, but e-mail syncing is not in the cards.

"Users can access their e-mail from Exchange using IMAP, so we don't have plans to sync e-mail," Wrike's Valerie Sinitskaya told gadget blog Gizmodo.

Once the application is downloaded onto the handset, setup can be completed by entering your e-mail address and password for the Exchange e-mail account. There is also an advance setup that enables the user to change or manually configure the Exchange Web Services address.

The ContactsSync application can be downloaded here, and it should eventually be in the Android Market.

The G1 will officially launch Wednesday, and users can expect multiple applications to pop up addressing the lack of Exchange support. A full syncing app may not appear in the Android Market until content developers are allowed to sell apps, but it may show up earlier at Handango.