Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 8 of 20

Tip 8: Now, sync everything on your phone.

So now you've gotten a look at everything gmail can do: email, calendar, contacts, tasks. In short, everything you used Outlook for in the past.

Now it's time to make all that information available any time, any where you go. Get gmail on your phone. You have two choices for setting up the mobile gmail application on your phone. I think it's a tad easier if you start things from your computer, but either will work just fine.

As detailed on gmail's getting started page, you have two options:

Option A: From your computer

1. Go to mobile.google.com.
2. Select your device type to see what products are available for your phone
3. Enter your phone number in the blue box and select the Send link to my phone button. You'll receive a text message from 466453 that contains a link directly to m.google.com where you can access all the free* Google Mobile products for your phone.

Option B: From your phone:

1. Go to m.google.com in your phone's mobile web browser to see all the free* Google Mobile products available for your phone.
2. Select any product to get started using it. In some cases, there will also be a link to a downloadable application version of a product (generally, the app version has more features and is faster).

You'll also end up with google maps, news, and other mobile apps if you choose.

This works like a charm on Blackberrys, iPhones, and from any Windows mobile device. It words on a lot of other phones as well, but most who use these three phone/platforms are mainly concerned with being able to distract themseves with email while in line for coffee, in bed with a loved one, attending a sporting event you've paid good $$ to watch, or while driving.

Why is this so cool? Because you don't need a Blackberry Enterprise service, no Exchange back-end solution necessary. And if you're trying to implement mobile email for a small business, this can save you thousands of dollars in consulting, subscription, and software fees.

Oh, and 466452 spells 'google' on a 10-digit alphanumeric keypad.

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