The technology is based on the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol, licensed by Google.

"For iPhone and Windows Mobile devices, Google Sync allows you to get your Gmail contacts and Google Calendar events to your phone," according to the . "Once you set up Sync on your phone, it will automatically begin synchronizing your address book and calendar in the background, over the air, so you can attend to other tasks."

Sync uses push technology to send changes to the device; the connection is always on so users don't have to manually synchronize their phones after Sync is set up. Changes to phones can be made in a user's Google account.

Additionally, Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices supporting the SyncML protocol allow for two-way contacts synchronization via Google Sync. Google Calendar sync and Contacts sync already has been available for the RIM BlackBerry smartphone, Google said. But that software for RIM does not use Exchange ActiveSync.

Microsoft previously licensed ActiveSync to , Nokia, Palm, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. But the company is not seeking to make ActiveSync an industry standard, a Microsoft representative said.