Jason and Dave's ThoughtCast - March 23, 2006

[Dave Conger]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/thoughtcasts/jasondave03232006.mp3' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/tho...ave03232006.mp3</a><br /><br /></div>Late last year in the ThoughtCast program, Jason brought up the concept of using hosted Exchange with Windows Mobile for a better personal information management solution. Since that time, there have been a lot of questions about hosted Exchange including what it is and what it can do for you. In this ThoughtCast program, Jason and I talk about hosted Exchange and the benefits to using it over POP, IMAP, and other services. We will also field your questions in an upcoming ThoughtCast. Listen to the program to learn more about hosted Exchange and if you additional questions, please post in the forms or call our ThoughtCast TalkBack line.<br /><br />Show notes:<br />• How hosted Exchange works<br />• What Push E-Mail is.<br />• Syncing with hosted Exchange?<br />• Security, Reliability, and Privacy of hosted Exchange<br />• Multi-user Scenario<br />• <a href="http://www.4smartphone.net/affiliates.aspx?go=referal&ref=JD10726">4Smartphone</a> [affiliate] Packages and Features<br />• Setting up hosted Exchange<br /><br />Direct Link to this show: <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/thoughtcasts/jasondave03232006.mp3">Download</a><br />RSS Feed: <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/xml/thoughtcast.xml">PPCT ThoughtCast Feed</a><br />Support the Show: <a href="http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=8303">Vote @ Podcast Alley</a><br /><br />Talk back to us about this ThoughtCast or your other thoughts. Skype users can simply place a call to <i>thoughtcast</i>. If you don't have Skype, just call: (425) 296-2462. While we would love to hear from you vocally, if you would rather, you can always post questions in the forums.

[Phillip Dyson]

David and Jason,

Great show.

I did notice that in the email options you seemed to miss one. You can supply 4smartphone with the pop information for your existing account and it will poll the account every so often. Thats what I do currently. This way I don't have to fool with MX records or switch my email address.

[Jason Dunn]

You can supply 4smartphone with the pop information for your existing account and it will poll the account every so often

Interesting stuff - I haven't used POP3 in years, so I didn't even know that was an option. :-)

[Jon Westfall]

You can supply 4smartphone with the pop information for your existing account and it will poll the account every so often

Interesting stuff - I haven't used POP3 in years, so I didn't even know that was an option. :-)

From what I know of 4smartphone's service, it only polls every so often (maybe around every 15 minutes, but I'm not sure). The easier solution is, if you can, forward your mail to your hosted exchange account.

Because I'm anal, I actually keep 2 copies of messages sent to important email boxes (such as my @pocketpcthoughts.com address). I setup my important accounts to keep a copy of my mail in that POP box and forward a copy to my exchange server. I then have a copy of outlook running on a spare computer at home that pulls from those POP boxes every 5 hours and dumps into a giant PST, which gets auto archived to delete anything older than 14 days. So the result is that if I'm unsure about something being forwarded or not correctly, or if my exchange server is unavailable for whatever reason, I have a local copy of the last 14 days.

And regarding setting up exchange: It isn't that bad, (assuming you have an MCSE...), the biggest problem I predict server admins would have running it from home would be correctly routing outgoing email, as many people can't setup the appropriate DNS entries for a cable or DSL connection. If you can, then you still have a lot of headaches if you don't have exchange training (like me - I didn't take exchange as one of my electives when doing my MCSE, so I had to stumble through it). My point is, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, hosted is probably the way to go.

[Jon Westfall]

After listening, I had a few comments readers may find useful if considering hosted exchange:

1. What happens if 4smartphone were to blink out of existence? Outlook just can't connect, it assumes that there are network troubles, and you just browse your cached copy. In this case, what I've done (on times I've inadvertently trashed my Exchange Information Store) is simply copy everything to a PST file, then re-setup outlook as necessary, and copied stuff back over.

2. Privacy issues: When exchange is setup, by default, it does not allow administrators to open users' mailboxes without some serious tweaking of permissions. Unless your hosted exchange provider is out to get you, you don't have to worry about some sys admin on their side just dropping into your mail for fun.

3. OMA can also be used on regular old 'dumbphones' that just have simple web browsers (like many people do), so it's great for people who have a non-connected PPC and a regular mobile phone with a proprietary web browser.

It really amazes me that no one has bothered creating a web interface to modify user accounts to change the FROM: header (As Jason says, 4smartphone has to modify this). It's relatively simple to do this on the admin. Side, and I know that people have written scripts before to modify active directory attributes on users, but none to modify the email addresses. Hopefully 4Smartphone or other hosted exchange services will investigate this so this issue can be resolved without an email to tech support.

Jon.

[ctmagnus]

I then have a copy of outlook running on a spare computer at home that pulls from those POP boxes every 5 hours and dumps into a giant PST

From a standalone (one computer that is not running any server software) perspective, how easy is it to do something like this?

I'm considering setting up an account, but I'm still stuck on the fence regarding local backups. Ideally, I'd be able to have all my data downloaded to a local pst/ost that I can then manipulate, backup, compact, etc. on my own. I realize that the data on the servers is backed up regularly and all that, but I'm kind of :worried: about things like data loss.

Also, as far as my current Outlook usage goes, I sync my Pocket PC to it several times a day and my Smartphone once a day. Most of my data manipulation is done on the PPC end for contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, journal, and I use Gmail for email - several aliases forwarded to one master pop account, which then gets forwarded to Gmail - most of it gets deleted as I deal with it, but two or three times a week, I'll open Outlook and download any email from Gmail that I want to keep. Would this kind of scenario work well with an Exchange account?

[Jason Dunn]

I'm considering setting up an account, but I'm still stuck on the fence regarding local backups. Ideally, I'd be able to have all my data downloaded to a local pst/ost that I can then manipulate, backup, compact, etc. on my own.

Well, here's the thing, your local copy of Outlook has ALL the data cached on your hard drive. Exchange server goes "POOF"? Open up Outlook, FILE > EXPORT, then you have your PST. Or, heck, you can do that once a week if you want. The data you see inside Outlook is really also on your hard drive.

[nz0eBoy]

One of the big reasons I like this solution is that it is the perfect way to keep a PPC and a Mac in sync. I have a Powerbook running Entourage 2004 which can use an exchange server.

A hosted exchange server allows me to keep the data on my Powerbook in sync with my Pocket PC.

I have used tools like Pocket Mac and while they do an OK job, I think this is the best way of keeping the two devices in sync and the information working correctly - other apps seems to screw data up occasionally.

If you want to sync a PPC to a Mac I think this is the best way to do it. Since the ThoughtCast I have changed over to 4smartphone on a trial - they support Entourage which is great and even have support for the New Zealand carrier for my device.

[ctmagnus]

I'm considering setting up an account, but I'm still stuck on the fence regarding local backups. Ideally, I'd be able to have all my data downloaded to a local pst/ost that I can then manipulate, backup, compact, etc. on my own.

Well, here's the thing, your local copy of Outlook has ALL the data cached on your hard drive. Exchange server goes "POOF"? Open up Outlook, FILE > EXPORT, then you have your PST. Or, heck, you can do that once a week if you want. The data you see inside Outlook is really also on your hard drive.

Niftily enough, Handy Backup handles backing up the new set of data nicely. :)

I tried 4Smartphone back in November and it didn't go particularly well. I signed up for another trial at the beginning of last month and it was as smooth as silk this time, and I've been using it since. :way to go: