[Gorby]

kirstein - here is how push email works with the exchange server. Your phone maintains connection by pinging the server once in a while (interval called "heart beat"). That ping lets the server know how to push email to your phone when it arrives (think of it as an destination address for example) and that's when some power is used. That ping interval is configurable on the server side, I am not sure what the default setting is but it is pretty frequent. So to answer your question - it does drain the battery a little faster due to those because of the heartbeat pings. It is not a lot, but it could be significant especially in the area where there is poor signal. I usualy set the schedule in Activesync to check my email every 10 minutes. This gives me a nice balance between getting my email fast enough for me and draining less battery. However, I have very strong reception at work so I can also go full day (or more depending on other usage) while I have it set to "as items arrive" as well. I would say try it and see if it makes any difference for you.