Can you please explain the "push" term to me? What do you use as an alternative to the Gmail app? I have separate Gmail and work emails, so I need something to replace it if I'm not going to use it. Why does Gmail burn up so much processor?
There are two ways to get your email (phone, PC, doesn't matter):
- the client (on your phone) polls the server - it stays in a loop of (power-efficient) sleep, wake up, check server for new mail
- the client has a special means where instead a special communication method is set up so that it allows the server to push email out to the client (on your phone) without the client asking - this is called push email
People like push email because there's no waiting - it's instantaneous.
The mechanism to accomplish it on Gmail isn't clear - some of us believe it's tied to Gtalk being always on, some of us believe it's not tied to Gtalk.
However, I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of us that have tried this get better battery life by not using Gmail and - go in to Gtalk, settings, and turn off auto-login, and then kill Gtalk. I've even gone so far as to remove all data and cache from my Gmail, and killing that, too. (not sure that's helpful, but it didn't seem to hurt anything at all)
Next, go to your regular, HTC Mail client - settings, add account. Put in any known big server and it auto-configures -
yourname@gmail.com and password and it's good to go. Same as with lots of the other big services.
Then, go in to each account you've set up, follow your nose through settings - and you can have an individual sig for each account, and an individual polling time for each account - and you adjust it like crazy.
During normal hours, I poll my work email every 10 minutes, my family email every 20 and my buddy mail every 2 or 3 hours.
You lose some of the Gmail client features this way - I haven't kept up so I can't name specifics, but they're always up to something. But - the built-in client is really great and does a great job with copy&paste and message re-sizing, for example.
That said - if you're a regular user of Gtalk and chat a lot on that service - then this advise won't really help you, because that service will always be on for you.
If you don't need instant, right this second email, then this is a great strategy.
Especially when all you have to do to check any of your mail is to use just one app - Mail.
Tap its top bar to get your account menu and go from account to account.
On the new Sense update that we expect is coming for us, too - they're adding an integrated/unified inbox - a smart (kinda like virtual) inbox where all your incoming is available to see in one place, regardless of which account it belongs to - very cool, I use that on my desktop. Once you have that, that's it.
thanks.
