Recently, Google dropped support for Microsoft ActiveSync, affecting Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8-based device users in the process. This move took Microsoft by surprise, and now the company is trying to find a way out of this mess.

According to the Microsoft blog, the company is surprised to see Google end its support for ActiveSync, which will have a major impact on Gmail and Google Calendar users who own Windows-based devices. The move by Google will downgrade the experience for users of Windows Phone since they will not have access to push e-mail, sync calendar, or contacts.

Google's choice will only affect Gmail users, so Microsoft suggests for those users to simply switch to Outlook.com. However, switching to Outlook won't be an easy move, especially if users have been using their Gmail account for years. The option is there to forward all mails to from Gmail to Outlook, but since this uses POP 3 protocol, mail could take up to one hour to reach Outlook.com.

The solution is not perfect, so the best choice for Microsoft right now is to come up with something better. It is unlikely the company would bow to Google and support an open platform over its own ActiveSync offering, but perhaps Microsoft may not have much say in the matter. People love Google services and many users would rather switch from a Windows device to one that supports Gmail than make the move to Outlook.com.

Moving away from Google is only easier for those who use both Gmail and Outlook.com, and as it stands, it is likely that more Windows users use Gmail rather than Outlook.com at this time.