Google Apps Get iPhone Makeover

Good news for iPhone and particularly iPod Touch users, the first to come out of MacWorld San Francisco, is Google's announcement of their web apps makeover for iPhone. Among the Google group of apps being madeover are Gmail, Calendar, iGoogle, Picasa and more.

While I posted earlier Apple .Mac needs to take a more aggressive position to support iPhone, iCal, iPhoto, iGroups, blogging, and .Mail, the fact that Google sees the need and is seizing the opportunity to support iPhone can only make Apple more responsive to customer needs.

One of the biggest features iPhone users will get is push email, in other words, the new Google email will automatically show up on your iPhone without having to hit a refresh button. New messages can arrive in 25 seconds or less. Google is also offering web apps written for the iPhone Safari browser to bring PC computing capabilities to the mobile device.

In the search area, Google's search entry box offers word selections, when you type the first few letters of the word it automatically builds a pop down menu (see photo above) of options filling out the word you are beginning to type. Using these quick find features increases the speed when using the touch screen interface of the iPhone and iPod touch devices.

Google is also working to make Android work on iPhone and we can expect to see Google Gears, their application to make web based work possible even when not connected to the web, being adapted and launched on the iPhone during the course of this year.