Synchronization With Exchange Server SP2
Here is more information about Exchange server synchronization:
From the conception of WM5, Microsoft was thinking about taking the PIM beyond the traditional approach, which has been using a mail server sending email to an email client such Outlook on your PC. Outlook uses standard POP3 or IMAP4 protocols. User also maintains its Calendar entries, Contacts, Tasks, etc. locally on the Outlook client.
The same concept extends to the PDA, where PIM information (Email, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Tasks) entries can be synchronized between the PDA and Outlook for portability but the PDA still needs to be tethered (wired or wirelessly) to the PC for information synchronization.
With the latest crop of wireless capable handheld devices. User can basically connect over the Internet wirelessly (CDMA, EV-DO, GSM, Edge, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) to get email and in general wireless carrier offers some capabilities to send/receive email (semi-automatically by using SMS to trigger the sync process, etc.)
The convergeance devices (SmartPhone) have the capabillity to be always on due to their voice cellular requirements, the need of having email to be pushed or pulled automatically has become very popular especially with device such RIM Blackberry
Microsoft has offerred this capability with their Exchange 2003 SP2 server. If the handheld device is upgraded to AKU2 level then the mail server can connect directly to the Windows Mobile Devices in real time using a heartbeat mechanism (for cellular capable devices). This real time syncronization not only works for email but PIM information as well.
When you start using this capability then you will realize that you have less need Outlook on the PC to keep the information up to date, especially when you are on the road. Not talking about the collaboration benefits as well. Any calendar, contact, email, tasks can be sync’ed at real time to a central Exchange server and can be shared with your collaborators in real time. In that situation, The Outlook client becomes just a front end to view and to manage the PIM information reside on the Exchange server (MAPI protocol) or optionally the PIM information can be cached to the local PC for offline use.
Until now, Exchange server was reserved to corporate users, due to the complexity and cost to maintain such infrastructure.
For personal users, thanksfully there are few Exchange Service Hosting such 4smartphone.com, Mail2Web.com that offer very affordable monthly service subscription (in general from 0$ to less than $10).
Again, if you are a Smartphone or WM5 Phone edition users, this seems more natural to you than for just WM5 PDA users but I encourage everyone to start using it, then you will discover what you have been missing.
Ironically, One of a hack to improve performance on a WM5/Axim has been to create a “fake†Exchange Server with AcitveSync just to stop ActiveSync from waking up avery 5 minutes (ActiveSync thinks you are using a smartphone device) to sync with an Exchange server?
With the new ROM A12, the performance problem addressed by the fake server is no longer needed. And initially, when you create the server form your Axim, you have the schedule settings “As items arrive”, but this is converted to manual, or at regular interval – While the new ROM brings in AKU2, but it realizes that the Axim is not a phone device, therefore the sync “As items arrive” is not applicable.
BTW, personally, I am using my Sprint BT phone for Dial up and on my Axim, Activesync schedule is set at 5mn and the default connection is DUN. Every 5mn, Activesync wakes up and dial my Sprint phone and sync, without any intervention from my part. It is not true Push-mail, but it is close enough for me.
You can use the free Mail2Wed account to sync:
- Between Mail2Wed to your Axim: (Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks) -Notes sync is not supported
- Between your Axim and your PC Outlook: (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes)…Voila..Now 3 of them are in sync’ed
In order to sync from M2W directly to yor Outlook PC (without the Axim as intermediate) you have to have the paid account.
Below is the screenshot showing the setup requirements within ActiveSync and Mail2web
Good piece Solsie. Nice clarification on the fact that DirectPush needs an ‘always-on’ connection / cellular connection. Mail2Web is pretty good. I have a small biz client who are using it for their company (with one of the premium / pro plans that includes Outlook client) and are very satisfied.