Exchange 2003 SP2 CTP Coming Out Friday?

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/08/17/Hnexchangemobile_1.html?source=NLC-WIR2005-08-18' target='_blank'>http://www.infoworld.com/article/05...C-WIR2005-08-18</a><br /><br /></div><i>"New technology Microsoft will release Friday in a preview of the forthcoming Exchange Server update will push e-mail directly from the e-mail server onto Windows Mobile devices, according to company spokespeople...The new Direct Push Technology will come in a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), with the full version of SP2 to be made available before the end of the year, said Martha DeAmicis, product manager for Microsoft's Exchange Server Group."</i><br /><br />I know a number of people have been asking when this is coming out, and while this is not the final release, this CTP may be useful for the enterprises amongst you who want to start testing the provided solutions. However, it's of limited use because of one key problem: there's no WM5 device currently available on the market. The article suggests that devices with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack will be available in November, and a RTM version of SP2 by the end of the year.

[PeterLake]

This technology will allow Windows Mobile device users to have the same e-mail user experience now available on devices such as the BlackBerry from Research in Motion (RIM), said John Starkweather, group product manager for the mobile and embedded devices team at Microsoft.
....
One caveat with the new Exchange e-mail push technology is that it's dependent upon the inclusion of the Windows Mobile 5.0 Messaging and Security Feature Pack on devices.



I bought a Smartphone (Motorola MPX220) based on similar, previous statements about the ability of Office Exchange to push emails and other Outlook information to my phone. With respect to seamlessness, it is perfect: my desktop, PPC and Smartphone work perfectly without some of the aggravations my Treo friends seem to have.

However, the "pushing" has never worked out for me. It is sufficiently unreliable that I need to "pull," by running ActiveSync.

I hope this newest version works out, but because I don't have WM5 -- and perhaps even if I did -- it looks like GoodLink 4.5 awaits me.

[Janak Parekh]

However, the "pushing" has never worked out for me. It is sufficiently unreliable that I need to "pull," by running ActiveSync.
Interesting. I find the push to be pretty reliable on my i600. It's not always immediate, as Exchange uses 15-minute intervals to conserve SMS use, but in general the emails come through in a timely fashion. But yes, I'm looking forward to this real-push setup that is completely integrated into Exchange too.

--janak