psylophone

I know there was a front-page on this a while ago (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...ght=blackberry ) but I'm surprised there's been so little discussion of this feature within the WM5 debate. MS have announced that a combination of a Service Pack for Exchange 2003, and the 'Messaging and Security Feature Pack' for WM5 will allow Blackberry-style push email for exchange server email. If this works, this is surely a huge advance for PPC?

Some possible problems:
- timing: will MS get it together to release both the packs - for Exchange and WM5 - in a coordinated fashion, or will we need to upgrade WM5 later on to get push email?
- simplicity: this is where Blackberry wins - can MS come up with a setup for PPCs which matches this, and gives us a handheld computer which can actually handle email in a simple manner, avoiding the current awkward combination of synchronised off-line email via Messaging, and web-based online email?
- flexibility: one big advantage of using a PPC to access corporate push email would be that it can use either wireless or dial-up via a GSM (or without, in the case of a PPC Phone edition). Will you be able to set up your PDA so that it uses either connection depending on availability, to automatically collect your email?

I suppose we will have to wait for the answers to the above, but it is this feature which will determine whether I upgrade...

psionandy

Some of the directors at work have just got blackberrys. And before they arrived i was very sceptical. Small screen, low power, lack of software.. not a PPC or Palm.

But now that they have arrived I have to say I was wrong. They JUST WORK. even the non tech savvy directors can pick them up and use them in 5 mins. And they do get real benifit out of them. It is a different take on how i thought a PDA should work but it is a very good one.

I think MS is going to have a hard time trying to best them

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psylophone

Yes, a colleague was asking about my Axim yesterday and whether she could use one to get her (exchange) emails... a simple question, but as I started a complicated reply... you can synchronise when at desktop, use Outlook Web Access via the web when away, but you can't download the emails to read them offline, etc, etc, I could see her eyes glaze over! She just wanted a device she could turn on, and read / reply to emails, as well as doing PIM stuff... so I couldn't honestly recommend she bought an X50 - at least not yet!

tiger_splash

It depends on the person. As it was pointed out, a non-tecfhy person is not going to adapt to a pocket pc very well. Some of these non-techy types had a hard time just accepting a computer and Outlook into life.

kamijani1

I was kinda confused when I read that story couple of weeks ago. If the x50v has access to a wif- signal, what is the problem in accessing corporate exchange server mails? Or is that you have to open the browser and check them through the web based system?

I was under the impression that whenever the x50v synced (either via wifi/bluetooth), it would download your e-mails automatically including exchange e-mail. Is that incorrect?

K

ironhelix

You'd thinked it be a killer application but this bill gates os,

most of his inovations/ventures have failed miserably.

i mean we all ownz a M$ OS and look at the problems with inter conectivity

that we have, horrible wifi support, none what so ever for bluetooth.

the list goes on, not to say they won't win over blackberry.

it's not a clear battle.

beside, blackberry has problems of their ownz with this patent company

thats suing them.

Patent Company do not produce/inovate anything , they ride on the back

of others, good god i love ranting.


booya

hidefguy

Blackberry apparently has other "killers", such as various woes like patent infringement judgements, etc.

I can only speak for myself, as a huge proponent (and programmer) on Pocket PC's and the x50v, but when my Blackberry died on me a few days ago, I was seriously looking to see whether I should change to a PocketPC phone for my email - and the answer was "no way". For email, the Blackberry form factor rules. As another responder said, they simply work. It's not simply a question of "push" vs "Pull", the overall design is a winner. When I got a replacement Blackberry yesterday, it was like getting my right arm back. Microsoft is going to need to go back to the drawing board for a better form factor for email reading than they currently have in the Pocket PC. Either that, or buy out NTP/Blackberry.