What I admire is people that "don't understand" why things work the way they do, but are indignant about why it should work differently. Quite amusing.
The iPhone, Blackberries, the Pre, and Android, all in one fashion or another keep you "connected" in one way or another. It is the whole point about "being connected, anytime and anywhere"
Getting your e-mail "in real time" is the *point* of these devices, and yes, in order to do so the phone has to store and maintain a login to your account... this isn't confusing... it is LOGICAL. If you want to protect your e-mail... then LOCK THE PHONE. That isn't a "patch" or a workaround... it is how things work on a smart phone, and has been for longer than Android has been around. Why is this so confusing?
I think I can answer that question. I, too, have been a longtime gmail user. And I have to admit until it was brought up in this thread, I hadn't considered the security issue associated with the default gmail application on the phone. Consider the following:
No other phone I've ever had REQUIRED me to set up a particular email account as part of the phone setup. And as a longtime gmail user, it was natural for me to use my existing gmail account. Doing so inevitably exposes my gmail to anyone who pushes the little "gmail" icon on the phone. And if I had opted to use the corporate "email" option I would have faced the same problem. If I were someone who had confidential email on my gmail account and had realized I wouldn't have been able to shield it from prying eyes, I might well have had the same complaint that others have voiced.
As far as I can tell, there is simply NO WAY to have a password protected screen for the "Gmail" or "Email" default apps. And THAT is the issue, not whether one remains "logged in" to gmail. Moreover, after searching the Market and finding nothing that provides such password protection, I have a suspicion that Google has designed the default apps in a way that prevents such access.
As it happens, I'm not concerned about that problem. There is confidential information on my phone (e.g. credit cards, passwords, etc) that is protected behind a password and encrypted. But being the saint I am (and being 62) my email is not a problem. However, I fully understand why others would find this issue a big problem.
Yes, you can eliminate synching and use the web to access email. But that's hardly a reasonable "work around," especially since the "corporate email" app offers no more protection than the gmail app. And since the Droid insists that you set up a gmail account, you can create one specifically for the Droid that serves no useful purpose. But that, too, is nonsensical.
And yes, you can "lock" your phone. And refuse to allow anyone to look at it. And keep it in a locked drawer...You get the idea.
The bottom line is that both RIM (BlackBerry) and Windows Mobile offer password protected access to emails. It's a fundamental requirement for most mobile devices that access corporate email accounts. (Email encryption is another issue that, as far as I can tell, is problematic on the Droid, but that's another topic.)
Love my Droid, but the longer I have it, the more I realize how NOT READY for primetime it is as a business phone.
