How Do You Synchronize Your Email?

[Ed Hansberry]

There are a number of options on the Pocket PC for getting your email and I am wondering how many of you do it. I have a number of POP3 accounts set up but for work, I used to use IMAP4 to my Exchange 2000 server at the office. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2005/20050813-exchangeactivesync.gif" /> <br /><br />While it worked OK, I never set it up to automatically sync. It took forever and was a HUGE bandwidth hog on the device (GPRS) and 3 out of 4 times, it would simply fail because either my Pocket PC or Nokia phone that I used as a bluetooth modem needed a soft reset because of the oh-most-excellent-I-never-have-a-problem-with-it bluetooth connection method. :roll:<br /><br />Now, I am on a PDA2K which has GPRS built in and our company recently moved to Exchange 2003. Exchange ActiveSync flat rocks. :rock on dude!: I am amazed at how fast it is, even over GPRS. The compression between the Pocket PC and server really speeds things up, especially file attachments like Excel and Word that compress really well. Having Exchange Sync has also allowed me to kill one of my filters that auto-forwarded emails from particular individuals to my MMS account. During business hours, I am synchronizing every 5 minutes and after hours and on weekends, I have Exchange set to ping my Pocket PC with an SMS to force a sync. I don't like having the SMS option on all of the time though. I don't know if it is a bug in the PDA2K or in Windows Mobile 2003SE, but when the fake SMS messages come in, they wake the device all of the way up, burning lots of battery power as the backlight even comes on. The 5-minute sync leaves the screen off, just sounding an alarm and flashing the red LED if a new message comes in.<br /><br />If you have more than one account, use your most important email account as a basis for answering the poll but feel free to include additional information in the thread!

[OSUKid7]

I'd love to have an Exchange setup, but for now I'm using POP3 (with SSL). I have the option of using IMAP, but frankly I don't like having 15 different inboxes. I much prefer to have 15 POP3 accounts all delivered to one inbox, especially since 90% of my email comes to one account. Syncing via ActiveSync works good enough for my needs. I'm rarely away from my computer for more than a few hours or days at most. Receiving emails isn't usually vitally important, and I'm still able to send email from my Pocket PC at those times.

(Alright, just got back from watching the Perseid meteor shower for a bit, and since it's 4:30am here, I'm off to sleep. ;))

[Silver5]

I was thinking about signing up for a hosted Exchange email setup, but how much battery does something like that burn synchronizing every 5 minutes?

Right now I have T-Mobile's email triggers hacked off of my old 6315 iPAQ on my Jam and it works wonderfully. However, I wonder if it would be better to have one of these Exchange setups...

[sralmas]

I sync with my office exchange server, but only on my demand (not scheduled) and I also sync my personal email via a POP account.

[Sooner Magic]

Ed,
As a new owner of a Smartphone, I'm anxious to take advantage of the ability to always be 'connected'.

Can you provide instructions on how you set up your PPC?

Thanks.

[beedee]

I was trying to set up a sync connection to our company Exchange Server via GPRS/GSM connection from my PPC. As the company allows access to the server only through a VPN connection, I was so far unable to make it work, as we could not get a VPN connection set up on the PPC - works fine from my WINXP laptop, though (--> any suggestions for a simple, small and cheap VPN client software for the PPC??).

In the meantime I found a product called iAnywhere which promises to work without the need for a VPN connection to get mail &amp; calendar data synced with the Exchange server - even at much higher speed than Activesync.

I wonder if this would actually be an even better solution than the one described here? Anyone has experience with iAnyhwere and can compare/recommend?

[Marcel_Proust]

Ed,
As a new owner of a Smartphone, I'm anxious to take advantage of the ability to always be 'connected'.

Can you provide instructions on how you set up your PPC?

Thanks.

If your company has an exchange server, call IT to set it up.
If not, I highly recommend Mailstreet. I've found them very reliable.

[Ed Hansberry]

I was thinking about signing up for a hosted Exchange email setup, but how much battery does something like that burn synchronizing every 5 minutes?
For a PPCPhone, not much. It goes into an "unattended" mode so all syncing happens without the screen being on. For a normal PPC connected via bluetooth, not sure.

[caubeck]

Hi,

I'm new to downloading mail to my PDA, this article has just inspired me to work out how to do it in fact.

So I've set up a Pop 3 connection to my Gmail account.

I have three little questions, could anyone answer them in a few words?

Is there a way to make my phone emit a signal every time I get mail, or at least indicate new mail on the Today screen? I often keep it connected to the PC via USB while I'm working. I don't use any Today plug-ins at present except for a freeware launcher, and don't want any large agenda plugs.

How can I change the frequency that my ipaq 19xx checks for new mail? I have entered all the options at the inbox screen. I want to change it from every 2 minutes to each 1 minute.

Finally, I notice that when one unread message sits in the box and another arrives, the original disappears without trace (it's not in the recycle bin). Um, huh?

Thanks in advance for your time.

[Peseta]

I don't sync (yet) with the 2003 Exchange server of my company.

Still a few glitches with our SonicWall VPN solution to work out, before we'll start syncing.

In the mean time I use Outlook Web Access (with Pocket IE) in landscape mode a few times a day when I'm away from the office.

This works quite nicely:
- All(most) format of the messages is retained
- I can see all headers (which read / unread, title, and select which one to read
- I can "download" an attachment if I wish to, saving costly data (GPRS) if I don't
- All actions will be saved in Exchange
- I can use allmost all functions of Outlook (f.i. reservation of a meetingroom or beamer in a calendar public folders)
- Very intuitive because the interface is almost the same as Outlook on my desktop PC

Actually the only thing I miss is recieving a signal when there is a new message. And it's very rara that I should react immediately on an email message (in urgent matters people still tend to call me)

So it might be that, when syncing with my office is possible, I'll only use it for my appointments and contacts.

[that_kid]

I've been syncing with exchange server for a while now and for me it's the best thing since radio waves and yagi antennas. I have my device set so sync when new mail arrives between 7am and 10:30pm and manually after that. I do hate the bug that causes the device to fully wake up for a sync, sometimes my device won't wakeup but will sound when new mail arrives but I don't know why it won't do this all the time. I do have several other pop3 and imap4 mail accounts for testing and such but I try to make sure everything goes through my main account. It's so 90's to hit the send/recieve button.

[greenmozart]

I love Exchange ActiveSync. It allows me (as the IT Manager) to give my users the Blackberry-like e-mail capability they want without having to buy extra software and so-so devices that aren't as robust or expandable as PPC's. I have my i730 set to sync as new items arrive. It has been invaluable when I'm in meetings and need to quickly respond to e-mails that come in. I've often received the info I need on my i730 in the middle of the meeting and looked much more prepared than I really was. :)

[brianchris]

I've maintained a hosted Exchange acoount (with eOutlook....also very reliable) for at least a year or more now. eOutlook migrated to Exchange 2003 surprisngly soon after it was released, and every since I've been Active syncing against their Exchange 2003 server on demand. It works so good, I can't imagine ever going back to a more basic solution now, although I look forward to purchasing some WM 5.0 PPC Phone Edition so I can try the SMS pull / push.

[caubeck]

Hi,

I'm new to downloading mail to my PDA, this article has just inspired me to work out how to do it in fact.

So I've set up a Pop 3 connection to my Gmail account.

I have three little questions, could anyone answer them in a few words?

Is there a way to make my phone emit a signal every time I get mail, or at least indicate new mail on the Today screen? I often keep it connected to the PC via USB while I'm working. I don't use any Today plug-ins at present except for a freeware launcher, and don't want any large agenda plugs.

How can I change the frequency that my ipaq 19xx checks for new mail? I have entered all the options at the inbox screen. I want to change it from every 2 minutes to each 1 minute.

Finally, I notice that when one unread message sits in the box and another arrives, the original disappears without trace (it's not in the recycle bin). Um, huh?

Thanks in advance for your time.



I have found answers to my own beginner's questions.

There is an inbuilt notification, though not where I expected it to be located (in the inbox setup). It just doesn't seem to work on my device despite my ticking all the activation boxes.

The disappearing mail problem is a known Gmail bug which can be remedied by choosing to receive only the headers during the set up. (Then the whole message will download by default.)

You can indeed change the frequency of download for an account without having to set it up again from scratch.

[murph]

i used to use the "push-SMS" method with TMobile, b/c i had a crazy amount of text messages to use. now i'm on verizon with a i730 and i have to pay for each SMS, so i switched to poll every 10 mins.

[dazz]

I'd love to be able to do the Exchange Activesync but for most individuals this is just not a viable option. For now I'll stick with POP3 downloading.

[Ed Hansberry]

I'd love to be able to do the Exchange Activesync but for most individuals this is just not a viable option. For now I'll stick with POP3 downloading.
I believe there are several hosting solutions for $4/mo. See 4smartphone (http://www.4smartphone.net/affiliates.aspx?go=referal&ref=JD10726) for starters.

[Jason Dunn]

I'd love to be able to do the Exchange Activesync but for most individuals this is just not a viable option. For now I'll stick with POP3 downloading.

Check out 4smartphone:

http://www.4smartphone.net/affiliates.aspx?go=referal&amp;ref=JD10726

(affiliate URL)

I've been with them for a while and they're great - I'm also working on an article about using hosted Exchange with Pocket PCs, so watch for it!

[Paragon]

As I post this the two Exchange options add up to 16%. I wonder how dramatic the change will be in the coming year with WM5.0, SP2 for Exchange server allowing for push email, and the growing number of converged devices being used. Not to mention the cheap cost of Exchange hosting.....DAZZ...drop me a line, through a mutual friend we can get hosted Exchange for 6 bucks Canadian.....cheaper than a month's supply of Oreos. ;)

Jason, I think your review of hosted Exchange will be a very popular piece. I think a lot of people would use Exchange but are afraid of it, thinking it is complicated, expensive, and they are largely unaware that single users can use it in a cost effective manner.

Dave

[OSUKid7]

The main reason I don't use hosted Exchange is the cost. I know $4 isn't bad, but I can pay $5/month and get an unlimited number of POP/IMAP email accounts and forwarders, host an unlimited number of web/ftp sites, and a decent amount of disk space and bandwidth. I have yet to see an unlimited hosted Exchange plan like that.

[dazz]

I believe there are several hosting solutions for $4/mo. See 4smartphone (http://www.4smartphone.net/affiliates.aspx?go=referal&ref=JD10726) for starters.

Really! That sounds pretty interesting. I'll wait to read Jason's review though.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[bleeman]

I use Exchange ActiveSync with the sync every x minutes option. I used to use the SMS notify, but I subscribe to several active mailing lists whose messages I want with me when I'm mobile so I was always blowing through my 1500 messages a month limit. With the upcoming release of Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2, there is supposed to be support for Push mail eliminating the need for the SMS "hidden" message delivery. I can't wait for that to arrive.

The way I'm handling my Exchange setup is, I've installed Windows Small Business Server 2003 at home. It retails for $599 and for that you get Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003, Windows Sharepoint services and quite a few other benefits, plus 5 Client Access Licenses. I'm running it on a PowerEdge 500SC 1.12ghz Celeron with 1gb of memory a 20gb system disk and a 60gb data disk. I picked it up new from Dell 2 years ago for $299 when they were blowing out them out since they were releasing the PowerEdge 600SC's. It's not the fastest system in the world, but it works well for my wife and I. It's nice having a full blown server for central file storage, backups, sharing etc.

[serpico]

I usually connect to a wifi connection, open Microsoft's email program, I think it's called Inbox, and download my email from my primary account Yahoo!

How would I pull message headers down via an RSS feed and save time from downloading entire emails that I don't need to read at the moment? Do I need another program? Thanks in advance.

[Ed Hansberry]

The main reason I don't use hosted Exchange is the cost. I know $4 isn't bad, but I can pay $5/month and get an unlimited number of POP/IMAP email accounts and forwarders, host an unlimited number of web/ftp sites, and a decent amount of disk space and bandwidth. I have yet to see an unlimited hosted Exchange plan like that.
But by the same token, I've yet to see a POP3 system that can do what Exchange can do.

[ignar]

I use IMAP. Have 3 accounts to check regularly. I try to maintain folder structure organized, and usually don't have more than 10 emails in Inbox any time. On my PDA, I sync only inbox, so syncing is pretty fast. When I need to refer to emails under folders other than inbox, I use a webmail interface because it takes less network traffic and message search can be done quickly. Have done this way more than four years, and it works for me.

[OSUKid7]

The main reason I don't use hosted Exchange is the cost. I know $4 isn't bad, but I can pay $5/month and get an unlimited number of POP/IMAP email accounts and forwarders, host an unlimited number of web/ftp sites, and a decent amount of disk space and bandwidth. I have yet to see an unlimited hosted Exchange plan like that.
But by the same token, I've yet to see a POP3 system that can do what Exchange can do.
True, and I guess for me, I'd rather have more accounts/forwarders, and I can live without those extra Exchange features.

Would it be possible to have most of my email on a domain be POP/IMAP, with one account being hosted Exchange, or would I have to change my entire MX record? I assumed that wasn't possible, but maybe I'm wrong.

[klanum]

If you like Exchange 2003 now (or at least some of it) for the PPC, I think many will like the the SP2 coming out for Exchange later this year along with Mobile 5.0 will be a real step up from today's server. Here's the link that describes what it will do:

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/downloads/2003/sp2/overview.mspx

Looks like they want to kill the SMS function and make it more a Blackberry-killer in the application. Also some neat stuff with security (remote-wipe) and global address lookup (GAL) too.

[jdhill]

Actually, none of the above !!!

I have a BlackBerry and my company uses Lotus Notes. I don't use e-mail on my Pocket PC. BlackBerry e-mail is the "gold standard" for wireless e-mail. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server used by my company works reasonably well with Lotus Notes.

For personal e-mail, I have a second BlackBerry that hits my personal e-mail account via POP3. This works OK, but lacks the elegance of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server solution for full synchronization.

[Zidane]

I used to sync wirelessly with Outlook 2003 via a VPN connection. Now that Microsoft has done away with that, I don't sync my email anymore. I have Outlook 2003 open at all times to run scripts and send out license codes, so I can't just download my email using POP3 as it will have already been downloaded. And, since it's just me, I can't justify buying Small Business Server to myself. So, I just log in using Remote Desktop and read my mail that way.

[Jerry Raia]

I highly recommend Mailstreet. I've found them very reliable.

I use mailstreet also for my PPC and Smartphone. They aren't cheap but they are good.

[scottb]

I use Verizon Wireless' Wireless Sync to collect my POP mail and push it to my Samsung i730. I also use WS to for contacts, calendar, tasks and notes. I can use either the Web site or my PPC to make entries and changes. Email gets collected about every 15 minutes and pushed to my PPC. Other changes are synced immediately.

[Mr. PPC]

I originally had us looking at Exchange 2003 synching when we started deploying Pocket PC Phones. I however didn't want to lock everyone into a set device or platform, unless I had to. Everyone has their own likes/dislikes when it comes to mobile devices.

As a result, we went with Pylon iAnywhere for the Enterprise. Way better than Blackberry, we were one of the first to test Vodafones Blackberry solution in Australia. The Blackberry system is more expensive and had/has horrible support for attachments, ripped all the graphics out (just one issue, but a big one).

The Pylon iAnywhere system works on Pocket PC, Smartphone, Palm, Symbian and others (even your desktop). This solution allows the company to support almost any device using real-time push capabilities. So if a director wants to use a Treo, he can. By default we buy Smartphones or Pocket PC Phones for everyone, but the option is there if they want something else.

As the IT Manager for our company it is my job to make sure the employees can work as effectively and quickly/easily (etc.) as possible, after all that is the purpose of an IT Department. By allowing them the freedom to work the way they want while at the same time the IT side is only using one solution is a no brainer. If we still used the Blackberry solution... forget that thought, we can't use it because it has to many limitations.

I have my team looking at SP2 now, but I (personally) believe the end result will be the same. Now I could be wrong, that's the reason I have my team looking at it. The ability of the IT Department to adapt to its users needs (within reason) is extremely important and a much loved aspect of our IT Department. Especially when considering such a personal item as phone device.

Dave

[Marcel_Proust]

I'd love to be able to do the Exchange Activesync but for most individuals this is just not a viable option. For now I'll stick with POP3 downloading.
I believe there are several hosting solutions for $4/mo. See 4smartphone (http://www.4smartphone.net/affiliates.aspx?go=referal&ref=JD10726) for starters.
will any also synchronize the my documents file folder?
i use mailstreet, which is very reliable, but only synchs contacts and calendar.

[Steve Jordan]

I have a Toshiba e330... it can't get e-mail wirelessly without way too much hassle. I've tried PPC-to-cellphone connectors, wireless adapters, they just don't work on my PPC. And my cellphone can't manage to connect to my e-mail account either, I don't know why.

I also don't use Outlook for e-mail (too dangerous), and I've never had a good reason to sync e-mail into my handheld. When I sync I'm already at my PC, so it might as well stay on my PC.

I'm hoping my next PPC (which will quite probably be a smartphone) will allow me to connect to my e-mail account through the web, wherever I can get a cell connection, or download them automatically.

[jsmcguir]

I'd love to be able to do the Exchange Activesync but for most individuals this is just not a viable option. For now I'll stick with POP3 downloading.
I believe there are several hosting solutions for $4/mo. See 4smartphone (http://www.4smartphone.net/affiliates.aspx?go=referal&ref=JD10726) for starters.
will any also synchronize the my documents file folder?
i use mailstreet, which is very reliable, but only synchs contacts and calendar.

A friend of mine uses Express Mail from Cingular Wireless. I don't know a lot about it, but the non-enterprise version is on of those desktop clients that require that you leave your desktop running and connected to the internet. Anyway, however it works, it seems to give him push email and allows him to access his "my documents" folder anywhere.

[serpico]

How would I pull message headers down via an RSS feed and save time from downloading entire emails that I don't need to read at the moment? Do I need another program? Thanks in advance.

[Phillip Dyson]

Currently I use pop for my email. I have been considering a hosted service my girlfiend and I. This way we both have access to view each other's calendars. Maybe even meeting requests and task requests.

I had thought about setting up a computer running OpenGroupWare.org software, but I'm not sure how that would play with our PocketPCs.

I don't really have a need for burning desire for push email, but it would be nice if it was hassle free.

[mikkri]

Please, explain, what is the reason to use the Microsoft Exchange Server instead POP3 for e-mail? What other options the Exchange Server brings to PDA that I don't have yet? What are benefits for a personal PDA user?

[martin_ayton]

I use IMAP4. When I am away from my desk *I* want to be in control of when I receive messages (I don't work for my company 24/7, much as they would like me to), so I really don't like the idea of push solutions. My problems with IMAP4 are that It only works for mail - I can't sync my calendar or contacts I can receive all emails, but I can only send emails to addresses on the company network (does anyone know why this might be?) In order to get around the last, I have set the account up to send mails via my service provider's smtp server, but that leaves nothing in my 'sent' folder and only works over a GPRS connection So, it sort of works but it's hardly great. Maybe I need to lobby for Exchange 2003 and do it Ed's way...

[Ed Hansberry]

Please, explain, what is the reason to use the Microsoft Exchange Server instead POP3 for e-mail? What other options the Exchange Server brings to PDA that I don't have yet? What are benefits for a personal PDA user?
Exchange 2003 has an ActiveSync component built in, so it synchronizes email (any folder you like), contacts and appointments. This fall, WM5 and Sp2 for Exchange 2003 will add tasks to synchronization. Exchange and your PPC also compress data back and forth so you both use less bandwidth and sync faster. Also, when replying to an email, when you press "SEND" only the text you typed gets sent. Exchange adds the original text on the server then sends the combined message to the recipient.

[Ed Hansberry]

I can receive all emails, but I can only send emails to addresses on the company network (does anyone know why this might be?)
You probably need to log in and authenticate with the SMTP server. Otherwise, your SMTP server would be an open relay. Check the IMAP settings on the device and look for an SMPT authentication check box.

[mikkri]

Thanks for the answer. So bandwidth and traffic cost is a driving issue.
I personally use multiple POP3 accounts and access only two of them (they are low traffic) on my PDA. The last month I spent about 2 USD on GPRS therefore I don't see why I should use hosted Exchange Server. Well, is my conclusion correct?

[Jon Westfall]

Would it be possible to have most of my email on a domain be POP/IMAP, with one account being hosted Exchange, or would I have to change my entire MX record? I assumed that wasn't possible, but maybe I'm wrong.

My email works something like this. I have several POP accounts, such as [email protected], that get popped every few minutes by a linux box running fetchmail. The linux box does an initial spamassassain scan then forwards the email to the exchange server using whatever email address the exchange server assigned my account. On the exchange server I set my primary email to be [email protected] so my emails are sent from that address regardless of what my actual server-address is. You might lack the linux box, but if you have 1 PC running all the time, it could do the popping and forwarding. All you need is a hosted exchange provider that will work with you on the setup, which I'm assuming wouldn't be a problem. That way you can have your cake and eat it too - keep multiple POP accounts and enjoy a unified inbox.

[dazz]

So Jon, does that mean that every e-mail you send out has a reply address of [email protected], even if it was sent to another address?

This was one of the things I did not like about the Blackberry. While you can receive up to 10 pop e-mail accounts in the one inbox you can only set one signature and reply address. For some this might work but I think a lot of people would want to have personal and work e-mail and keep them separate.

Jon, how does this work on your solution? I like the idea of the unified inbox, as long as the above is addressed.

[OSUKid7]

I like the idea of the unified inbox, as long as the above is addressed.
As do I. I could live with only one address being Exchange hosted, but I wouldn't want to have to send all emails from the same address. As I said, I have somewhere around 15 email accounts in Outlook right now. I use 2-3 of those 90+% of the time, but still need the ability to send from the other accounts.

[brianchris]

I like the idea of the unified inbox, as long as the above is addressed.
As do I. I could live with only one address being Exchange hosted, but I wouldn't want to have to send all emails from the same address. As I said, I have somewhere around 15 email accounts in Outlook right now. I use 2-3 of those 90+% of the time, but still need the ability to send from the other accounts.

This is a downside of Exchange hosting for those of us that use multiple email addresses, however I still think the benefits out way the costs, especially since there is a workaround for this issue. All my other email addresses auto forward to my primary Exchange address. True, all replies of mine are from my primary Exchange account, but I have rules setup to move incoming emails into certain Exchange folders (ususally based on sender's domains). I can also configure the reply to address in an email on the fly. And worst case, I've just gotten in the habbit of recognizing an email in my main inbox is a reply from a different address of mine, and moving it to the correct Exchange mail folder. Won't work for everyone, I know, but all the other benefits of hosted Exchange outweigh this rather small issue IMHO.

[ale_ers]

I use T-mobile's My email triggers, and to be honest it works great. Because of its ease of use, I have stuck with my hp6315 for longer than I would have liked. I hope to get a new WM5.0 phone when they come out and I need to look at other solutions.

My problem is my work uses Lotus Notes. What are some of my options? Could I use a hosted exchange for a Lotus Notes account? Does Cingular’s Xpress Mail have an option that works like T mobile's (not requiring a computer to be running and not requiring software on the companies server)?

I would love to drop my T-mobile account and switch over to Cingular so I can just have one phone...but I need to figure out how to get my email before I do...any help would be appreciated.
.

[Jason Lee]

How many of you know that pocket inbox/messaging has a limit to the amount of accounts you can setup? :?

I never sync email through activsync. I have exchange at work but no longer sync with it. My device is primarily personal so I always wanted to sync at home and at work just to make sure i had a copy of my data at home. Well activestink works so well that I contstantly had messed up data somewhere. So i choose to not use the exchange server and get my work email via imap4 in messaging.

I also have my two gmail accounts setup in messaging since they require ssl and just incase i have my primary private email setup in messaging, though i don't check it that way.

For everything else i use nPop. I have four email accounts on my web provider and have all of them setup with nPop which is my primary email client on my pocket pc and my desktop. (I also use thunderbird at work for work imap.)

Hotmail and yahoo, which i do not really use anymore i check via web from my pocket pc, or my desktop sometimes.

Honestly i do most of my email from my pocket pc. I never use my home computer to check email. I just pick up my always connected pocket pc phone. It has a keyboard built in and a bluetooth one if it is gonna be a long one. There are even times while at work sitting infront of my pc that i will still send an email from my pocket pc. I keep all my addresses there. ;)

As for a unified inbox?? hehe if i wanted all my email in one place why would i make multiple accounts?? I have work email, personal email, forum/shop online email, annon online email, oh and those web based emails (hotmail, yahoo, and gmail) mostly to log into their other services.

One tap and nPop checks all my accounts then i can look through the mail boxes to see what's new. :)

For times that i need to have all the time mobile email, i just setup messaging check my work email every 5 or 10 mintues.

[mikkri]

Hi Jason Lee, at the moment I use Inbox and nPOP for two different accounts. nPOP looks capable and more predictable, though Inbox has nicer interface. The one issue I have with nPOP is that I don't have icon in the programs list to run it, so I have to use File Explorer each time I need to start it. Do you know how to get this icon? Do you have it?

Oh. And a small question about nPOP. When it synchronize it usually download a whole list of emails if I delete one from my PC. Can it be fixed? Also can I force nPOP to download only recent emails?

[Jason Lee]

Hi Jason Lee, at the moment I use Inbox and nPOP for two different accounts. nPOP looks capable and more predictable, though Inbox has nicer interface. The one issue I have with nPOP is that I don't have icon in the programs list to run it, so I have to use File Explorer each time I need to start it. Do you know how to get this icon? Do you have it?

Oh. And a small question about nPOP. When it synchronize it usually download a whole list of emails if I delete one from my PC. Can it be fixed? Also can I force nPOP to download only recent emails?

For the icon: Use file explorer like you normaly do but instead of running nPop.exe tap and hold on it. Select copy from the menu that pops up. You will then want to go to the "/windows/start menu" folder then tap the edit menu at the bottom of file explorer and select "paste shortcut". You will now have a shortcut to nPop right on the start menu. You may now move it on and off the start menu just like any other app from the menu control pannel.
If you have a Russian pocket pc the "/windows/start menu" folder may be called something else, i'm not sure. But your start menu is just a folder in the system directory. You will know you have found it because it will have all the same shortcuts that are on your start menu.

I'm not sure i understand the second part. Are you deleteing an email from your desktop computer but it still shows up in nPop? If so you will need to perminetly delete them from your desktop. If you use outlook or outlook express as your desktop mail program you will actually have to choose "purge deleted messages" from a menu before the email is actually deleted from your server.
If you are deleting email from nPop and it is still showing up on your deskop you have to tap and hold on and email and mark it for delete then tap the update marked button at the bottom. If you just delete the message from list nPop will not remove it from the server and will not redownload the message. You can force nPop to refresh it's list by tapping file, account, initialize... then select the Mail from item number: radio button then tap ok. You will want 1 in the text box, which is there by default. Then just have it check your mail again. This will force it to get a fresh email list from the server.

nPop only downloads email once. So if you want to leave email on the server yet not have it shown in nPop you can tap and hold on the email choose edit and then delete from list. This will delete the email from nPop but not from the server. To reset the list follow the above steps. You can also go into the account setting and set up a filter but i don't think you can say don't get email before this date.

:)

[mikkri]

Thank you for the so long post! Windows 2003SE doesn't have out-of-the box support for Russian, so everything is in English there.

Let me explain what I'm doing. At first I sync nPOP with my POP email server. Then I go to my PC and delete message from there, as result the mail client deletes it from the POP server (it's intentional). However after that when I ask nPOP to sync it starts downloading a whole list of emails from the scratch! Like it didn't download all of them already. It may sound quite strange, but it's how I use email sometimes. If I delete the same message from nPOP everything goes well. The Thunderbird even doesn't try to reload a whole list of emails. :-)

[Jason Lee]

Thank you for the so long post! Windows 2003SE doesn't have out-of-the box support for Russian, so everything is in English there.

Let me explain what I'm doing. At first I sync nPOP with my POP email server. Then I go to my PC and delete message from there, as result the mail client deletes it from the POP server (it's intentional). However after that when I ask nPOP to sync it starts downloading a whole list of emails from the scratch! Like it didn't download all of them already. It may sound quite strange, but it's how I use email sometimes. If I delete the same message from nPOP everything goes well. The Thunderbird even doesn't try to reload a whole list of emails. :-)

Ok, i understand. That is strange. nPop knows what emails it has downloaded and doesn't pull them down again. Sounds like when you are deleteing something from your pc it some how changes every email in your inbox causing nPop to think they are all new or different emails than it pulled down before.

I use Thunderbird too and have not noticed this. I'll play around a little and see if i can get it to do something similar. In this case it doesn't sound like a problem with nPop but something strange either your mail server is doing or that your pc mail client is doing. Weird. ;)

[wilyum]

I have a h6315 and Cingular's unlimited GPRS plan. I check my gMail via pop3, and it works pretty well but there is a bit of a hitch that prevents it from being extremely useful- if i set it to automatically check for new messages every couple of minutes or whatever, the device will turn on before it connects to GPRS to check, and this causes all sorts of problems when the device is in my pocket. It has been a while since I tried it, but IIRC, it doesn't go back into standby mode when it's done, either. Major suckage.

Does anyone know of a way to get it to connect without leaving standby mode, or some way to "lock" the screen and buttons? For a while after I got the newest version of PocketPlus, I had set my audio recording button to use its screen disable feature. Unfortunately, that doesn't disable the rest of the buttons, and it would inevitably still do things in my pocket even though the screen was disabled. There was still potential for accidentally calling people, as well as screwing up data...

Ideal would be a program that allowed me to configure it so that when I pressed, say, the mail and contacts buttons simultaneously, the screen would be disabled and all buttons would be disabled until i pressed them both simultaneously again.

[Jon Westfall]

I use T-mobile's My email triggers, and to be honest it works great. Because of its ease of use, I have stuck with my hp6315 for longer than I would have liked.

Glad to know that I wasn't the only one who used and loved this service, and also wasn't the only one to keep a 6315 as my daily driver for a lot longer than expected just because of it. Before my exchange system, My Email Triggers was the best thing I could manage, and the length of time I used the 6315 showed it. Now the 6315 is the backup machine, and I don't have to put up with the one annoyance of my email triggers - the t-mobile software!

[Jon Westfall]

So Jon, does that mean that every e-mail you send out has a reply address of [email protected], even if it was sent to another address?



As do I. I could live with only one address being Exchange hosted, but I wouldn't want to have to send all emails from the same address.

Yes, this is the only problem. I solved it by just figuring that my email address [email protected] is generic enough that if people happen to actually look at the address and not just the display name, they probably wouldn't care or question it. So far I have 2 workarounds to this though, for those times when email absolutly must come from a certain FROM header, and no amount of changing your Reply-To will help!

Method 1: Easy to setup, pain to use

Log into the web mail interface for given email address and compose reply there. BCC copy to self to keep in Exchange server or personal mail files for reference.

Method 2: Pain to setup, easy to use

In outlook, setup a POP/SMTP account for each email address you'll be sending out as. Configure normally as you do now, but don't enable scheduled checking. Only use these accounts for sending mail. Then it's just a simple click of the "Send From" drop down box to get the right header.

As others have mentioned, this missing feature in exchange is made up for by the unifying qualities, although it is annoying none the less.

[dazz]

#2 doesn't sound too bad. I already have my separate e-mails set up in inbox anyway, so this would be intuitive.

Thanks Jon.

[martin_ayton]

I can receive all emails, but I can only send emails to addresses on the company network (does anyone know why this might be?)
You probably need to log in and authenticate with the SMTP server. Otherwise, your SMTP server would be an open relay. Check the IMAP settings on the device and look for an SMPT authentication check box.
Thanks for the suggestion :) . I tried it and it made the whole thing stop working. That makes me suspect that I actually have the wrong outgoing mail IP address: Currently I am using the same IP address for incoming (to the PDA) and outgoing mail. I need to look into this.

Actually, I need Exchange Server 2003 but that's a whole 'nother story...

[Ed Hansberry]

Thanks for the suggestion :) . I tried it and it made the whole thing stop working. That makes me suspect that I actually have the wrong outgoing mail IP address: Currently I am using the same IP address for incoming (to the PDA) and outgoing mail. I need to look into this.
CHeck with your sysadmin. Some systems do have separate SMTP server. Also, your userid and password might be different on that system, so check into that as well.

[cal_j]

I Currently Sync via the USB cable to my home account with outlook. I find it odd. My house is completely wireless and i can surf the net and all of that fun stuff and get email with out the cable, but when it comes to getting the email off outlook I have to hook it up. 8O

Currently I have a rx3115 with 2003se.

The account that I'm using at home has a pop3 account. If i add the pop3 account on my pda will it still get the mail that I recieve and sync with outlook and have everything the same?

Anybody know if there is any way to Wirelessly sync my ppc with outlook without having a exchange server in place?

[squiggs1982]

Can anyone point me in the direction of some security info about Mobile Activesync so that I can dull the fears of my IT department? Thanks!

[dazz]

See if this one (http://smartmobileassets.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b=wcooler,m=1124455528) will calm their fears. :D

[Ed Hansberry]

Can anyone point me in the direction of some security info about Mobile Activesync so that I can dull the fears of my IT department? Thanks!

I recommend you start at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/guides/E2k3ClientAccGuide/30c32cc4-09fb-4500-bb6a-568ca0e32c23.mspx but it is as secure as OWA with 128bit SSL enabled, you just have to thave the SSL checkbox enabled in mobile settings on the Exchange server.

[squiggs1982]

Thanks guys! :D

[Richard76]

I use Rogers Wireless Desktop to handle my email while mobile. It is similar to a webmail based solution but a little more flexible.

I have it set up to monitor 7 pop accounts and when a message arrives in any of these accounts, I automatically get an SMS message to my Audiovox SMT5600 or PDA2K. The SMS shows the time and date, who the email is from and the subject line.

I like this solution because I can then choose when I log on to GPRS to read these messages. As I get a large volume of junk mail and spam, I generally log only only when there is an important message(s), read those and log off, leaving the rest until I am sitting at a PC to clean up.

The other nice part is that I can monitor my kids' email even when I am traveling (big brother is watching).