Microsoft is finally at the point to compete with RIM's Blackberry. Today at the 3GSM they announced support for direct push email and support by several carriers.

Leveraging the integration between Direct Push technology in Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), businesses can give their employees push email without the requirement to pay for additional and costly e-mail servers.

Cingular Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone today announced free upgrades to the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for all their Windows Mobile 5.0 customers, enabling Direct Push functionality and providing enhanced device management and security for messaging applications. Palm Inc. and i-Mate also reaffirmed their commitment to free MSFP upgrades.
Newly introduced Windows smartphones with direct push email support include the HP iPAQ hw6900 Mobile Messenger (photo), the Gigabyte Communications g-Smart (offered by Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd. in Taiwan), the ASUS P305 3G-enabled smartphone, and the Fujitsu Siemens FS Pocket Loox. HTC will also ship new smart phones in Q2 2006. Microsoft has a press-conference at the 3GSM this afternoon. The press-releases have been already published on the Microsoft 3GSM site.
msmobiles already published a early review with videos demonstrating the push email feature.

Microsoft took forever to get here. The fact that there is no need to buy new server infrastructure to make push email available could pull the trigger on a major blow against RIM.