Businessweek reports that Apple and Microsoft are currently in negotiations to replace Google as the default search engine on the iPhone with Microsoft’s Bing. The negotiation have reportedly been underway for weeks.

Businessweek quoted the increasing rivalry between Google and Apple as one of the reasons behind the discussions.

“Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy,” says one of the people, who’s familiar with Apple’s thinking. “Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle.”

If the negotiations are successful, it could also mean that Bing could eventually replace Google as the default search engine for Apple’s desktop version of Safari as well.

Even if Apple and Microsoft do come to an agreement, Businessweek notes that this may just be a time-buying move on Apple’s part who is reportedly working on their own search technology.

- source: businessweek.com

Google announced today that they will be expanding their Google Sync service to include push email for iPhone and iPod Touch and if anyone cares, they will also be providing push email for Windows Mobile devices.

When we launched Google Sync for Contacts and Google Calendar earlier this year, an over-the-air, always-on connection to sync mail was noticeably absent. We heard your requests loud and clear, and starting today you can use Google Sync to get your Gmail messages pushed directly to your iPhone, iPod Touch, or Windows Mobile device.

You can set up push Gmail by itself or choose to sync your Contacts and/or Calendar as well. If you’re using an iPhone, make sure you’re running iPhone OS version 3.0 or above (on your device, click Settings > General > About and scroll down until you see Version). If your software is out of date, follow Apple’s upgrade instructions. Then, visit m.google.com/sync from your computer for set up instructions. If you’re already using Google Sync, you can just enable push mail.

Google notes that messages should be pushed to users’ mobile devices within seconds of receipt. Google also informs users that they may experience a slight decrease in battery life for their devices with push e-mail via Google Sync activated.

- source: google.com