FlexMail 2007 Review

[Jerry Raia]

http://mobilitytoday.com/articles/windows_mobile_6_part_2.html

"Now some of you may be thinking, “is this the same old FlexMail that caused me all those problems a year ago?” Well, it is the same app, but it’s a new version, has added Windows Mobile Smartphone support, and has undergone a ton of testing over the last several months. In fact, all of the testing for FlexMail is the reason this article has trailed so far behind the first part."



Once again a new version of FlexMail appears. Once again I download it in the hopes that this will be the version that really works. Once again I am disappointed. Once installed I was suddenly unable to send any text messages. FlexMail removed, problem solved. I honestly didn't bother to go any further than that. If you give it a try please let us know your experience.

Update: SMS issue solved in latest build.

[Jerry Raia]

http://mobilitytoday.com/articles/windows_mobile_6_part_2.html

"Now some of you may be thinking, “is this the same old FlexMail that caused me all those problems a year ago?” Well, it is the same app, but it’s a new version, has added Windows Mobile Smartphone support, and has undergone a ton of testing over the last several months. In fact, all of the testing for FlexMail is the reason this article has trailed so far behind the first part."



Once again a new version of FlexMail appears. Once again I download it in the hopes that this will be the version that really works. Once again I am disappointed. Once installed I was suddenly unable to send any text messages. FlexMail removed, problem solved. I honestly didn't bother to go any further than that. If you give it a try please let us know your experience.

Update: SMS issue solved in latest build.

[alex_kac]

jerry - a few things. You missed the whole point of FM which is IMAP/POP3.

1) You don't need to uninstall FM to fix your problem. Unlike Rev 1 on the Pocket PC, Flexmail no longer overwrites the built in SMS software on a Pocket PC or SmartPhone. Just don't make FM the default SMS app. When you make Fm the default SMS app we simply write a registry entry to make FM launch on SMS Send commands - and that's it. Built in Messaging is still there and I see no problems using that for SMS/ActiveSync and FM for IMAP/POP3. That's really the best scenario at this point. There is no benefit to using FM for SMS or ActiveSync.

2) The issue with sending SMS is a known issue. Its not reproducible by any of our engineers - but its a known issue in that we got feedback on it. The way we actually SEND SMS messages now is very different. In Rev 2 we actually create a message programmatically in the built in Messaging app and then start it in the background and tell it to "sync". Technically speaking its supposed to be identical to you creating and sending SMS from the messaging app itself - just programmatically instead of via the UI.

Finally, FlexMail is #1 an IMAP/POP3 app. We also support MAPI clients (SMS/ActiveSync/HotMail), but that support - while there and a ton better than before - is not optimal mainly because MAPI is not the best of Microsoft's APIs and we've found it to be extremely tempermental. If you are going to do a review, do a review for what the app is for.

[alex_kac]

I should add - I can SMS from my Treo 700wx and from a Samsung i320 all day long using FM. All get sent just fine. We've tested this under WM5, WM6, both under real devices, smartphones, and more. It simply cannot be reproduced in any of our tests.

I'd LOVE to find what this issue is. Especially since we never saw it in private beta with some really hard hitting folk, but we did see it in public beta and we made a threading change which fixed it for some people (we turned off threading on SMS sending), but not others.

I still wonder if something in FM is threading that sending and that is causing the issue, but so far no luck getting enough info on the problem.

[alex_kac]

And my last thought on this. We released FM even with this being a known issue simply because we had a very extensive public beta and even with 5000 downloads for the release candidate we only had a handful of reports of this. Considering it was not reproducible and you can use the built in app for SMSing (and on the Smartphone especially, that's probably still the best bet since this is the first FM release on the Smartphone and we know we have more work to do for SP integration like home screen plugin and such), it was not considered a "stop the presses" issue.

[Jerry Raia]

Alex, I have wanted this application to work probably as much as you. I can't stand the limitations of the built in mail functions. I have no idea what you are up against trying to make this work. I haven't written code code in decades. I tried FlexMail when it was in its original beta years ago. I was frustrated with it then but I keep trying it. Trust me, I am your biggest fan. I have reached a point with Windows Mobile where if things don't work out of the box I blow a gasket. I was just disappointed that the promise of something better still can't be delivered.

[alex_kac]

Originally Posted by Jerry Raia

Alex, I have wanted this application to work probably as much as you. I can't stand the limitations of the built in mail functions. I have no idea what you are up against trying to make this work. I haven't written code code in decades. I tried FlexMail when it was in its original beta years ago. I was frustrated with it then but I keep trying it. Trust me, I am your biggest fan. I have reached a point with Windows Mobile where if things don't work out of the box I blow a gasket. I was just disappointed that the promise of something better still can't be delivered.

I understand that Now consider this too - we don't mention SMS anywhere on the product pages. Sure we support it AND we do try to make sure its bulletproof, but the focus of the app is IMAP/POP3. So try that. In fact, IMAP IDLE is the real beauty of FlexMail now. That is our primary focus. BTW, when we fix the SMS issue - you'll be the first to know

Now I'm very bad with analogies so don't crucify me on this one. Imagine if a reviewer panned a Ferrari because the glovebox didn't open well. Sure its something to be noted and such but you don't pan the Ferrari for that

[chaznet]

Sounds like things are still in the 'workaround' stage...

[chucky.egg]

Imagine if a reviewer panned a Ferrari because the glovebox didn't open well

Whilst I wouldn't presume to answer for Jerry, for me that answer isn't quite good enough.

If I buy a bit of software I expect it to work, and just as importantly I expect it not to break other things.

I can understand that SMS isn't the focus of your app, but the fact remains that it does "touch" that aspect of a device, and in Jerry's case appeared to break it. Now maybe it was a setting that Jerry chose and (no offence) didn't fully understand. But at the end of the day it (allegedly, don't sue me!) broke it.

Fleximail isn't an application I would need, so I have no issue with the application or your company, but the principal of "good enough is good enough" is one that, as a consumer of smartphone software, makes me wary of installing even the best commercial applications.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who holds his breath when installing apps, wondering whether my device is going to function properly afterwards?

[chriswren]

Had some nice features but with 300 mails in my inbox it was unusable.......... it ran so slow that the screen would never show all the mails and syncing with new mails would fail time and time again.

I used sync with exchange server which does not use Flexmails database as far as I understand so how come the standard email program can load this easily within seconds but flexmail craps out ??!?

I also tried the same mailbox on the exchange server but connecting using pop3 instead of exchange sync, same problems.

Stay away from this software untill it works properly.

I loved the idea of search facility and turning mails in to caladar appointments or tasks but just can't cope with more than 10 mails at a time.

[cinimod1000]

Sorry, FlexMail, but I have to side with Jerry and others. When I purchase software, especially from the bigger software houses, I expect them to work completely, and definately not break something else.....
I have purchased too many programs in the past that do not fully work as advertised, and this now makes me extremely wary of loading anything on my WM device..........
It really is a pain to have to Sprite before trying ANYTHING nowadays; but if some bug shows up in private or public beta testing, then it needs to be fixed before release, or you will earn yourself even more disgruntled customers (or not, as is the case with me).