TECH SWEETSPOT
by Manel Sweetmore

Last month I recommended a hosted exchange account to get the most out of email with peace of mind of multiple point access and continuous backup. This month I’m going to briefly highlight mobile mail devices that will help you get the most out of your hosted exchange email.

With the right combination of service and equipment which I will outline in this article you can have corporate style push email that is continuously synced with your desktop – whether you delete, move to folder, or mark as read, any action is almost instantaneously synced to the server and therefore reflected on your desktop. The killer app that made Blackberrytm a household name is now available to the one person company with a hosted exchange account. Your hosted exchange service provider will have detailed instructions on how to set-up the device and software that you choose.

There are 3 common platforms for delivering true synced mobile email -- Blackberry, GOOD Software (initially developed to sync palm with Exchange), and the latest entrant Microsoft. Don’t be fooled by the web and/or desktop solutions offered by mobile phone carriers, or the free (desktop) version of Blackberry, as these although better than nothing will give you a nightmare. Both Blackberry and Good require server software but Microsoft has built theirs into the latest version of Exchange – and since it is native it offers the best syncing which includes calendar (and meeting request), tasks, and contacts. GOOD is a close second in functionality, however Blackberry has a large install base and a large number of users loyal to their devices. I personally prefer the Windows Mobile devices. The higher end Exchange server providers offer all three solutions so that your users have a choice of device (some may charge extra). However, the lower cost solutions only offer the Microsoft version.

So when selecting your hosted Exchange server provider, it is important to consider if your team will use mobile mail and what devices / sync solution are preferred. I would recommend going with the Microsoft solution and Windows mobile devices as I believe it offers the most functionality and the largest choice of devices – and the setup literally takes less than 3 minutes if you are familiar with your device. I will focus the rest of this article on selecting a Windows Mobile device.

Real time push email is only available on Windows Mobile 5 devices – of which there are two flavors: Pocket PC and Smartphone. The basic difference is the Pocket PC devices have touch-sensitive screen and a stylus, where as smartphones are operated only through a keyboard, touchpad and in some models a scroll wheel. Smartphone devices are usually smaller and lighter – although slightly less powerful and have less third party applications available. This choice is a matter of taste and need. I recently switched from a Pocket PC device to a smartphone. Although I am a power user, I rarely used anything other than the built in apps and find the trade off in smaller form factor, increased stability, and slightly improved battery life much better for me. For smartphones I would recommend the Samsung Blackjack or the Motorola ‘Q’ – both have High Speed Data which makes the user experience much better. There are several Pocket PC devices available from each carrier and it is a matter of taste based on form factor.

As a side note if you purchase a Windows device I highly recommend Mircosoft Mobile Maps (go to wls.live.com right from your phone) which provides a great mapping / directions tool with real time traffic.