Email is one of the more popular features on today’s phones. If you’re not doing push email, then chances are you’re heavy into texting. Staying connecting with work, friends and family while on the go is what a lot of smartphone users are looking to do. When it comes to work, there is no question that Exchange is the dominate email server. And because of that, any serious mobile OS needs to have some sort of Exchange supported backed it.
There’s no question that Microsoft has spent a considerable amount of time building up the Exchange connectivity on their Windows Phone devices. From remote wipe of the phone, to looking up contacts in the Global Address Book, Windows Phones have just about everything you could ask for when it comes to messaging. The biggest feature that Microsoft has yet to add is support for multiple Exchange accounts. Support for this is starting to show up in other platforms. Microsoft needs to keep their mobile messaging experience as the best on the block and the one to beat. If they want to stay in this game, of course.
So how does Google’s Android measure up when it comes to email? From my experience, it doesn’t even come close to Microsoft in this area. There are a number of shortcomings and issues. The first thing you’ll find is that you have a different email application depending on where the email is coming from. There’s one application for Gmail, another application for POP and IMAP accounts, and a third application for SMS/Text messages. On Windows Phones, you have 1 application called Messaging or Email (depending on the manufacturer and version of the OS). That application allows you to add multiple email accounts from various sources with quick and easy navigation between accounts. Under the hood, you’ll find that the SMS engine is actually a different application that can vary based on the carrier. But that’s transparent to the user.
For those of you that may not know, Google has a controlling interest in Gmail. 
As such, they have included a very nice Gmail client that supports push email, so the device is always up to date with the server. In my tests, it worked quickly at delivering email to my device. Although not as quickly as to my web browser. The Gmail client supports some of the more common Gmail features like Starring emails, and threaded view. However, it doesn’t support more fundamental feature of calendar invites. If I receive an calendar invite, I can read the email and see all the details, but I don’t have the ability to accept the request. I have to go back to my computer, and open the email from the web interface or from some other application like Outlook. To me, that’s something that should be in every mobile email client from the start. How is this device going to help me manage my life if it can’t do something as simple as accepting calendar invitations?
Another big missing feature is support for Exchange. As I mentioned earlier, Exchange is the server choice when it comes to enterprise email. Some companies are using Unix based solutions like Sendmail, but the dominate email server is Exchange and a mobile solution needs to support that. Android has some support, but you’ll find out pretty quickly that it doesn’t stack up. Now, there are third party solutions that will get you almost everything you could imagine when it comes to Exchange support, including enforcing PIN policies. However, you shouldn’t have to purchase or install more applications just to get that basic level of functionality.
There are a number of other things that are missing or wrong when it comes to email on the Android device. I won’t go into any more, as I think you get the picture. This is one area where Microsoft is the clear leader. They need to keep moving and add features that the consumers are asking for if they want to remain in the lead. And Google needs to get the basic functionality integrated if they want to be taken seriously in the enterprise and with the power users.
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