This may seem petty to some, but it's a pain to me:
I have a domain hosted by Microsoft, as part of their Office Live setup. Overall it is an arrangement that works very well for me.
Windows Live on my Athena x7510 works exactly as it should, too and I receive my e-mails in just about real time.
BUT on the device the mail account is listed at Hotmail. Yes, I know Windows Live mail uses the Hotmail platform, but the point is MY e-mail address is NOT a Hotmail address.
I have always held the belief that any business using a free e-mail address, such as Hotmail, cannot be serious about itself and portrays an image of being amateurish.
Often, at clients' sites, I may need to show a client a message I've received on my phone, so I don't want any Hotmail bits being displayed.
Any ideas on removing the Hotmail branding?
Am I the ONLY person that wants this changed?
Evidently nobody else has any interest in this!
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Inbox\Svc\Hotmail]
"FriendlyName"="BrandAsYouWant"
Hmmm, why not getting yourself a real weghosting + domain + email?
x-X-x said:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Inbox\Svc\Hotmail]
"FriendlyName"="BrandAsYouWant"
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Click to collapse
And so obvious once its been pointed out! Many thanks!
Junner2003 said:
Hmmm, why not getting yourself a real email rather than HOTMAIL?
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Click to collapse
can you not read?
he has real email, but hosted by microsoft, so his phone THINKS its hotmail
rorydaredkign said:
can you not read?
he has real email, but hosted by microsoft, so his phone THINKS its hotmail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I can read and have updated my above post for you, so, you can understand me! Played around with that Office Live stuff from Microsoft myself for a while to see how it works. It is absolutely useless if you really want to use it for business.
Junner2003 said:
Hmmm, why not getting yourself a real email rather than HOTMAIL?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I HAVE real e-mail! If you cared to read what I wrote, you'd have seen that my site's hosted by Microsoft.
I have masses of bandwidth, various Sharepoint-type web apps and I can custom build many more, I have masses of server storage, I have secure workspaces that I can share, etc. etc. Go have a look at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/LearnMore/ and you'll see what I mean.
My e-mail is my own and is branded - it ONLY shows as Hotmail on my Athena x7510.
OfficeLive Small Business might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I work for myself and it suits my needs perfectly. Because of what I do I'm mobile very often and I depend heavily on Remote Desktop. I use it to connect to clients' systems, as well as my own back at the office.
Mobile e-mail is essential to me and in this regard Office Live certainly delivers the goods. I run a custom utility on clients' servers and it alerts me by e-mail of anything untoward on such monitored systems. At times I show clients such alerts when on site, meaning I show them the alerts on my x7510. This is why I needed the Hotmail branding removed, because I DON'T use Hotmail.
Makes sense?
Junner2003 said:
Played around with that Office Live stuff from Microsoft myself for a while to see how it works. It is absolutely useless if you really want to use it for business.
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Click to collapse
Can I suggest you don't simply use their freeby stuff and go for the big boys choice? Had you done that you'd not have posted a claim that you can in no way support.
Having just completed a rather large MOSS 07 custom implementation for a client (with the bespoke code written in C# using the VS 08 IDE) I know my way around web servers, web services and web sites.
But I run a business, not a hobby, and I don't get paid spending weeks coding a fantastic web app for myself. Instead, I reduce dev time massively by using Office Live. This is why I find your claim that it is useless for business to be extremely ridiculous.
Perhaps you should learn how to interact with web services? Then you could also pull system info off a server using WMI and write it directly to a Windows Live workspace accessible only to your client and yourself. Business means more than owning a desk, you know?
Yes, I know! I understand that not everyone has the know-how which is needed to run his own site. I understand that some people depend on Microsoft doing the job for them, NanoRuler. Even though OL works one way or another, I wouldn't call this a professional setup for a business solution - I believe Germans call thsi "Shuhflickerei".
During the past 15 years, I have not only set up tiny servers but developed and programmed entire internet portals, so, chill out, get a beer and enjoy the tv program ... !
Related
I'm looking to partake of some vendor's service for the purpose of PUSH functionality. What does everyone here use? Their own MSE box, hosted Exchange, 4smartphone.net, web2mail.com, or some other service?
Personal Notes
- 4smartphone.net looks like the best, but you have to pay a year in advance (no monthly payments). Forget that.
- web2mail.com doesn't look like it supports SP2 which enables Push.
- I don't have a license to run my own Exchange box
- Other hosting services chanrge $15+/month and mostly without SP2.
What else are the choices out there? Now that we have ROM's that support it, I would assume MANY people will be looking for a solution on the server side.
Use vgsmail and keep your current mail server.
http://www.vgsmail.com/ppc/
Anyone else? This should be a pretty active thread... but only one response.
BTW, I saw someone mentioned www.utica.nl
jeremyjoslin said:
Anyone else? This should be a pretty active thread... but only one response.
BTW, I saw someone mentioned www.utica.nl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use 4smartphone.net as of yesterday -
I've set up mail forwarding from my belfast-biker.com domain to the 4smartphone one, it sync beautifully, BUT...!
It syncs lovely between OWA (I think that's it, the web-based Outlook thing) and the Exec, but there seems no link with my normal Outlook, and I'm sure there should be.
Also, when I receive emails, they go to my device, and my OWN, but not to my normal Outlook anymore, I'm sure it's coz I've failed to establish a link I should have done.... any help?
Oh at this time of fun and joy, how little i'm having
It all started a few weeks ago when I had to dump my Yahoo mail account as I was getting way too much junk mail - my poor Homer Simpson "The mail is here... woooohoooo" was seriously overworked!
So off I Googled and after a few hours found Inbox.Com. Awesome! 5 gig free and pop access.. yay! So I set it all up on Outlook on my PC and it rocked. Great!
Now time to setup on my TyTN. So I plugged all the details into the standard Smartmobile client and encountered my first problem. Aparently, and I ain't too hot on this stuff, Inbox.com does something odd with the content also being part of the subject? Anyways, this stopped the Smartmobile software downloading any messages, all it would do is tell me there are x number of mails present
So I tried a few more 3rd party apps and finaly came across Flexmail. This *at first* rocked! It downloaded emails and replaced the standard "Today screen" menu option and seemed to work great. A well rounded bit of software.
Then this morning, my second day of using flexmail, I woke up and noticed no new emails. Fired up my laptop (Outlook) and checked - oh look 2 new mails
After some experimentation, it appears that Flexmail does not autoconnect (a least reliably - unlike the standard MS client which does but don't download) and just ignores some email messages! (Unable to find out why/common factor)
So, I'm now after a reliable, well rounded and polished, SMS(?) and Email client for my TyTN. It must autoconnect every x mins, use system address book/contacts and above all, be reliable and not ignore messages! It must also run "invisibly" for want of a better way of describing it and not need me to constantly start it up etc.
I have tried nPOP and QMail, neither of which seem "nice n pretty" enough for me.
I am happy to pay for a client, as long as I can get a demo/trial first and i'm not too bothered about cost either.
I beg you, please point me in the right direction and I will be forever in your debt!
Very many thanks in advance and a have a tip top holiday period!
edit: Ps No matter what I try I also can't get flexmail to play my "The mail is here ...." even though its programmed in Sounds And Notifications/Flexmail.
Profimail?
Hi,
somebody has experience with Profimail? On a Czech PDA-forum people were quite enthousiastic about it. http://www.lonelycatgames.com/index.php?note=profimail&chapter=profimail
wpmulder said:
Hi,
somebody has experience with Profimail? On a Czech PDA-forum people were quite enthousiastic about it. http://www.lonelycatgames.com/index.php?note=profimail&chapter=profimail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. welcome to XDA-Dev
2. while ProfiMail is stable, I'd choose something else. There are MUCH better mailer clients: Qmail and FlexMail 2007. They are MUCH better. Please do read the Mailer Bible at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=569&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more in-depth info.
If you're not too bothered about cost, then why not use Gmail, and forward that to a free live.mail2web.com account.
The only cost will be data on your phone plan, but it means you get true push mail, so you don't have to check every x minutes, it just notifies you when you get new mail like a blackberry, and all of this with pocket outlook.
Also means all of your contacts and calendar are backed up online too.
Menneisyys said:
..... Qmail and FlexMail 2007. They are MUCH better. Please do read the Mailer Bible at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=569&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more in-depth info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
We are both coming from a diferent forum looking for the same answer We've both used QMail - which seems complicated and ugly - and Flexmail, nice looking but, well "misses" emails and won't autoconnect, despite the options.
Will however check out your link, thanks!
AlanJC said:
If you're not too bothered about cost, then why not use Gmail, and forward that to a free live.mail2web.com account.
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Click to collapse
'coz this aint a "inbox.com" issue. Its rubbish clients on the smartphones. Yahoo was brilliant but got blitzed with junk mail, although it did take 7 years to reach too bad a level for me
Why is it so dificult to get a "good" client on smartphones?
p.s. I don't want to have to change x gazilion email subscriptions/forums addresses again. Specialy when its not the email servers fault.
Menneisyys said:
... There are MUCH better mailer clients: Qmail and FlexMail 2007. They are MUCH better. Please do read the Mailer Bible at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=569&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more in-depth info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having now checked out that link i'm none too impressed. All they seem to say is that Flexmail is the best out there and well, if thats the best then the market has a big hole in it.
Flexmail DOES have a lot on pluses however, its simple lack of ability to reliably connect (no, this is not a signal thing etc) and it's just plain ignorance of playing my "The mail is here..." tune combined with it not listing all my mails, sucks.
I'd like to think i'm doing something wrong, maybe I am, but I can get pocket outlook to connect everytime (just not download) and I can get the other mail clients (including pocket outlook) to play the tune....
This really does reinforce to me that Smartmobile is lacking and wanting in a market where it pushes convergence as its major "daddy".
P.s I downloaded the client from the publishers website about 3 maybe 4 days ago so it shouldn't be a version issue. But then, why should I need a 3rd party app to do what Outlook desktop will do anyway!?!?!?
Again, why mess about with trying to pull email at set intervals which you know is buggy, when you can use push mail?
Simply forward your existing email account to your mail2web account.
I don't see the issue here.
ProfiMail
Menneisyys said:
1. welcome to XDA-Dev
2. while ProfiMail is stable, I'd choose something else. There are MUCH better mailer clients: Qmail and FlexMail 2007. They are MUCH better. Please do read the Mailer Bible at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=569&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more in-depth info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't agree with this (too) negative statement. In your blog, you have tested Version 2.37. It's 2.60 now !
I had (before finding ProfiMail) Qmail, Flexmail2007 (on my StrTrk and my 2 PDA's). BIG problems e.g. with IMAP, BIG footprint.
Overall, ProfiMail is now my definite first choice (speed, ease of use, auto update, configuration possibilities, etc.) on my smartphone and PDA's.
Therefore, I can really recommend ProfiMail, despite the expert's statements.
Cheers
hrb
ProfiMail
Menneisyys said:
1. welcome to XDA-Dev
2. while ProfiMail is stable, I'd choose something else. There are MUCH better mailer clients: Qmail and FlexMail 2007. They are MUCH better. Please do read the Mailer Bible at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=569&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more in-depth info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't agree with this (too) negative statement. In your blog, you mention that you have tested Version 2.37. It's 2.60 now !
I had (before finding ProfiMail) Qmail, Flexmail2007 (on my StrTrk and my 2 PDA's). BIG problems e.g. with IMAP, BIG footprint.
Overall, ProfiMail is now my definite first choice (speed, ease of use, auto update, configuration possibilities, etc.) on my smartphone and PDA's.
Therefore, I can really recommend ProfiMail, despite the expert's statements.
Cheers
hrb
Profimail.
Downloaded and installed. Won't recognise any screen taps of any sort on my TyTN. All input has to be done by keyboard and onscreen keyboard. Oh and some screens don't have a "back" or "finish" option meaning that I have to kill the program from the memory applet and start again - avoiding the offending screen for the rest of my life.
Thanks for the recommendation but my verdict "Rubbish".
So, I stand by my previous post, anyone know a GOOD pop client for smartphones?
AlanJC said:
Again, why mess about with trying to pull email at set intervals which you know is buggy, when you can use push mail?
Simply forward your existing email account to your mail2web account.
I don't see the issue here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
'coz I have to sign in to it using a browser or wap session? Unless there is an option I can't see
I want the mail transfer to be out of my hands, I just want to be alerted when there is new mail (15 minutes delay is perfectly adequate for me) and it to be in my "inbox" rather than have to go and check a webpage. If wanted to check a webpage, why would I use Mail2Web as Inbox.com has a web interface already?
I would like to say that I do appreciate everyones input, maybe we will come across the perfect client for me (and others) if we keep plugging away.
Thankyou to all!!
Merry Christmas All!!
You know... I have just recently entered the world of push email and I have to say it's pretty awesome to get my email on my 8525 after only a few seconds.
I had the hardest time getting email to work reliably for me as well. I had the XDA IIs for 2 years and tried Flexmail, Profimail, npop, pocket outlook and none of them would just work reliably.
After much research on this whole push email thing I found mail2web live (based on recommendations from various sources, including this one). All I did was sign up for a mail2web live account and created an email address with them. From there I just set up my gmail account to forward all incoming emails to my mail2web account. And it worked. I have a second gmail account forwarded to them as well... and now I get them both in real time on my phone. Also... the days of email disappearing in pocket outlook are gone thanks to this system.
Here is the link to sign up for mail2webs live service with push email:
https://services.mail2web.com/signup/mail2weblive/mail2webLive_01.asp
I went into active sync and set up the server details to create a push email system. Now I use pocket outlook for my email and I get my notifications when email come in just like I do with SMS.
Server settins for activesync on your pocket pc:
======================================
Activesync > Menu > Configure Server...
Server address: mobile.exchange.mail2web.com
Check the SSL box for encryption.
Username: [email protected]
Password: yourpassword
Domain: ad2
Check save password.
I would go to advanced settings and change it to "Keep the item on your device" as well that way you don't lose anything while syncronizing your information.
The only problems that people have been mentioning are mail2web's lack of free aliasing of your email address. So any email you straight respond to will show up as coming from mail2web.com. I have tried changing gmails settings for this and also activesync's option for your email address, but mail2web still overrides this.
Searching for a solution I have found port88.org. I have signed up for an account based on feedback I have read and anticipate that I will have my account set up with them soon (the main advantage I can see is that they offer the aliasing that I would need). I have not actually used their service as of yet, but I am eager to.
Here is the discussion on port88.org here on xda-developers:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-273878.html
Here is the link to the port88.org sign up page:
http://www.port88.org/signup.php
Hope this helps people out. I know one thing... I will NOT go back to pulling email... not after I have experienced this push email thing Finally my pocket pc has reliable email... just as reliable as my SMS now.
Message me if you have any questions.
Mark
Hi Caswell,
thanks very much for the detailed response but sadly I have now learn't I cannot use this method. I can only have one Exchange "server". This phone also sync's with my laptop which is also connected to my office Outlook/Exchange server.
Do I understand this right?
inbox.com news
Hi,
I do not know if you got any further with your search - but maybe it will be soon possible to normally use the WM5 mail-client (or any other one) with our inbox.com mail-account. I saw this announcement recently on the inbox.com that they will anyble access from mobile devies - see attached screenshot.
Peter
G'day.
I've been running Exchange 2003 for myself and a couple of winmo using friends for around a year now, but I really want to use Exchange 2010 for its SMS features and better Outlook web access.
Unfortunately due to the hardware requirement of the latest Exchange, it is not financially tenable for me to host it for a small group. So I was wondering if you guys would like to be hosted for?
Exchange 2010 features specific to winmo (6.5+);
-SMS Sync'ing/backup
-SMS response from Outlook/OWA
-Push
Naturally there is the usual exchange features of contacts/calenders/etc. Don't think I will be able to do Voicemail without messing around with a SIP provider.
I'll also add host server using applications that people think would be nice. For me, that would be TrackMe - others may have other ideas which I will have no issue adding provided it is possible, and it can be shared for us all. Will also be able to allow users to point there own domains at the server, and send from them.
I imagine I should be able to allow mailbox sizes to go between 2-6GB, depending on how many people are interested.
So for this poll, would you be willing to pay $5 towards such a service? I'll try serve for as many people as possible, but I won't oversell the space. Could upgrade specs as and when necessary though .
Feel free to ask me any questions about my idea!
Bumpedy bump
Exchange is good stuff. I don't think that many people realize the many benefits of using it!
Intrested yes
But a few questions, what about reilibility if your server breaks? are we going to have to change our email addresses?? lastly how fast is your connection as you could get quite a few accounts ???
Thanks
dr_strangetrick said:
Intrested yes
But a few questions, what about reilibility if your server breaks? are we going to have to change our email addresses?? lastly how fast is your connection as you could get quite a few accounts ???
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a number of ways you can ensure mail delivery without the intervention of the Exchange server
-1. Setup a secondary mail account, and a forwarder as your second MX entry in your DNS config (provided you have your own domain - 123reg.co.uk do this for example)
-2. Wait. The message will be delivered eventually. SMTP servers tend to retry for awhile until successful.
I doubt I will add our own backup exchange server. Although I will backup mailboxes so if the server does die for whatever reason, they can be restored when it is fixed.
Yes, you will be able to use your own domain to receive, and send mail from the server. Obviously, this won't work with domains you don't own (hotmail, gmail etc). So yes, you can use your own email address. Should that be an issue, I will provide a generic address such as [email protected]
As for connection speed - this is not something I would be hosting on my home connection, although it would handle it fine. Home connections are often blacklisted by destination SMTP servers. The server will be in a datacenter with either a 10mbit or 100mbit uplink, in the country where most our users are. However, it is unlikely I will allow more than 30 users on our server due to mailbox storage considerations. I only want enough people to make the server financially viable for myself, I am not out to profit.
Besides, judging from the poll so far, I don't think I'll have enough users to start!
I actually have a hosting setup for a few XDA users. I charge $50/year with "unlimited" storage - I haven't seen any mailboxes grow uncontrollably thus far, so we'll see how it goes. I have two mailbox servers (for those of you in the know, yes, it is a DAG) to ensure uptime. Both servers have RAID 1 hard drives. One is hosted in a datacenter in Chicago (Ubiquity) using a Dell PowerEdge 1950. The backup server is self hosted at home - so mail access may be slow if the primary goes down.
Let me know if you guys want more details.
I received my HTC 7 Pro over the weekend. It looks nice, runs fine. I upgraded to Mango Beta. That made it even better. I ordered a 32GB microSD to get the storage the phone deserves. So, I'm excited about my new toy. And then I tried to sync to Outlook.
It seems incredibly strange that on this website chock full of staunch individualists that no one is ranting about being forced to use MS Hotmail and the MS cloud invironment as the only method of allowing a 'Pro' phone to be synchronized with Outlook contacts and calendar. And what about all of the music and files I have on my PC? It isn't rational that I should have to pass 10-20GB of stuff through the MS cloud just because MS have decided that is how they want to manage phone synchronization. I do not want another public e-mail address and I certainly do not want to push my business correspondence through one.
[I have just deleted a lengthy rant about MS from here. Suffice it to say I am really dissatisfied with MS and their apparent business intent.]
I like the HTC 7 Pro but I really need to be able to connect a USB cable and transfer my own stuff like I can on any other phone.
So I am looking to all of you for help/advice. If there is no way to synchronize Phone 7 with my laptop then I am perfectly willing to downgrade back to WM6.5 or switch to Android. I just need to know what my options are.
I kept all my packing material. If there is no solution then I will return the phone and get the nearest Android equivalent.
Thanks in advance for your help.
--Steve
Your media can all be transferred using Zune, direct from your computer, wired or over WiFi (after a wired sync you can set the phone to automatically sync when it's plugged in and doing nothing)
Regarding Outlook, I don't know of a single person that doesn't use Exchange or Google, both of which can be used to synchronise mail, calendar, contacts and i believe tasks between computer and mobile device. This is so much more advantageous than 'direct by wire' syncing that I'm surprised you are that concerned. If anything it's good practice to have a backup of these things...
shrines said:
I received my HTC 7 Pro over the weekend. It looks nice, runs fine. I upgraded to Mango Beta. That made it even better. I ordered a 32GB microSD to get the storage the phone deserves. So, I'm excited about my new toy. And then I tried to sync to Outlook.
It seems incredibly strange that on this website chock full of staunch individualists that no one is ranting about being forced to use MS Hotmail and the MS cloud invironment as the only method of allowing a 'Pro' phone to be synchronized with Outlook contacts and calendar. And what about all of the music and files I have on my PC? It isn't rational that I should have to pass 10-20GB of stuff through the MS cloud just because MS have decided that is how they want to manage phone synchronization. I do not want another public e-mail address and I certainly do not want to push my business correspondence through one.
[I have just deleted a lengthy rant about MS from here. Suffice it to say I am really dissatisfied with MS and their apparent business intent.]
I like the HTC 7 Pro but I really need to be able to connect a USB cable and transfer my own stuff like I can on any other phone.
So I am looking to all of you for help/advice. If there is no way to synchronize Phone 7 with my laptop then I am perfectly willing to downgrade back to WM6.5 or switch to Android. I just need to know what my options are.
I kept all my packing material. If there is no solution then I will return the phone and get the nearest Android equivalent.
Thanks in advance for your help.
--Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea nothing wrong with using the cloud at all. there's also even a hotmail-outlook connector, you are not being "forced" to use hotmail at all ur more than welcome to use ur exchange email to sync ur contacts but u do need a live ID to use the marketplace and Zune. android has this similar practice where u need a Gmail account to even be able to use it period. MS is not going to spy on ur emails or call ur contacts and ur information isn't any less safe on the cloud than it is on ur PC.
Thanks for the replies, folks, but it appears that I have not made myself clear. I have over 2000 contacts due to industry committee activities and customers. I have four email accounts within Outlook, only one of which is an Exchange account. I travel extensively. The MS instructions for moving my contacts to my phone 7 include having to import all of those not on the Exchange server to HotMail using CSV formats. There is no automatic update thereafter. Zune will only update the phone calendar from one 'primary' calendar.
I am in Ireland today and I was unable to sync with Zune because it expected me to change my location/region settings to match my current location (I live in Germany). When I changed my location to Ireland I was informed that my Zune would not work due to restrictions (content licensing, I assume). The same is true if I select Worldwide English. If I switch back my location back to Germany there are no English pages available but I still can't sync.
Many places I visit have no wired or wireless Internet and roaming charges are outrageous. So how do I keep my phone contacts, calendar and files up-to-date with my Outlook through all this?
All I did with WM 6.5 was plug my phone in to my laptop and ActiveSync took care of the update. No more.
And I still haven't been able to sync my phone.
It really looks like Phone 7 is focused on social sites and trying to sell me stuff rather than addressing my needs as a business user.
shrines said:
Thanks for the replies, folks, but it appears that I have not made myself clear. I have over 2000 contacts due to industry committee activities and customers. I have four email accounts within Outlook, only one of which is an Exchange account. I travel extensively. The MS instructions for moving my contacts to my phone 7 include having to import all of those not on the Exchange server to HotMail using CSV formats. There is no automatic update thereafter. Zune will only update the phone calendar from one 'primary' calendar.
I am in Ireland today and I was unable to sync with Zune because it expected me to change my location/region settings to match my current location (I live in Germany). When I changed my location to Ireland I was informed that my Zune would not work due to restrictions (content licensing, I assume). The same is true if I select Worldwide English. If I switch back my location back to Germany there are no English pages available but I still can't sync.
Many places I visit have no wired or wireless Internet and roaming charges are outrageous. So how do I keep my phone contacts, calendar and files up-to-date with my Outlook through all this?
All I did with WM 6.5 was plug my phone in to my laptop and ActiveSync took care of the update. No more.
And I still haven't been able to sync my phone.
It really looks like Phone 7 is focused on social sites and trying to sell me stuff rather than addressing my needs as a business user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is totally incorrect! on wp7 u can add as many exchange accounts as u want and it will sync them and keep them updated vs on wm6.5 and android u can have one, and those contacts that aren't on exchange u can easily add them or import them it is no big deal at all. all the calendars are also updated, on my arrive with the mango beta I have 2 live accounts setup and my Facebook account and it syncs ALL my appointments accordingly to which account they originated from. Zune does not sync any of this, Zune only syncs pictures,videos and music.
Forgive me, but reading that sounds like you haven't actually used the software.
Zune only deals with multimedia and updates - nothing to do with calendars, contacts, or mail.
You can have as many accounts as you like on the phone, they ALL synchronise everything, and in the calendar app every accounts' calendar appears and has a different colour attached to it (mine, for example, highlights Exchange in red, Google in Blue, and Facebook in green, and they all appear together so I know when I'm actually available)
I don't understand how having a thousand contacts is a problem? You can sync contacts from Google, Exchange, or Windows Live into Outlook, then it's a case of using that most amazing of things as Copy and Paste, then the cloud takes care of your syncing.
Travelling a lot, it makes sense to me to just let the phone deal with the sync - when something changes, it gets pushed to the phone automatically, and if you change something on the phone it's pushed to the cloud, where your computer picks it up automatically.
You sound like the perfect example of somebody who could benefit hugely from a push-sync service but doesn't want to...sorry to be frank, but that's just the way it seems to me...
shrines said:
Thanks for the replies, folks, but it appears that I have not made myself clear. I have over 2000 contacts due to industry committee activities and customers. I have four email accounts within Outlook, only one of which is an Exchange account. I travel extensively. The MS instructions for moving my contacts to my phone 7 include having to import all of those not on the Exchange server to HotMail using CSV formats. There is no automatic update thereafter. Zune will only update the phone calendar from one 'primary' calendar.
I am in Ireland today and I was unable to sync with Zune because it expected me to change my location/region settings to match my current location (I live in Germany). When I changed my location to Ireland I was informed that my Zune would not work due to restrictions (content licensing, I assume). The same is true if I select Worldwide English. If I switch back my location back to Germany there are no English pages available but I still can't sync.
Many places I visit have no wired or wireless Internet and roaming charges are outrageous. So how do I keep my phone contacts, calendar and files up-to-date with my Outlook through all this?
All I did with WM 6.5 was plug my phone in to my laptop and ActiveSync took care of the update. No more.
And I still haven't been able to sync my phone.
It really looks like Phone 7 is focused on social sites and trying to sell me stuff rather than addressing my needs as a business user.
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Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat sort of. I don't use Exchange, just MS Office an Outlook for my schedule and contacts. I only just got my first WP7 phone and previously I was a recent WM user migrating from my Axim x51v. Been using a PDA since WM2003. I really find it hard to fathom why MS would make it so that their products can't talk to each other. I've installed the connecter and still couldn't get it to sync up to Hotmail very easily. I've got my contacts in teh phone but still can't get my calender to move over.
My suggestion to you John would be to get yourself a Google account, which you can sync using the Exchange protocol into Outlook, and which the phone can sync automatically. That's probably the easiest way of doing things.
Hi all
Currently using an HTC Touch Pro 2 and was considering upgrading to HTC 7 Pro. Came across this post and am very concerned. Due to work data restrictions phone must be able to connect using ordinary USB cable. Is there no way that this can happen on WM7?
Thanks
Barney
P.S Was cosiderng WM7 v. Android and decided to stick with Windows (seeing as that is all I have ever had) This could be a deal breaker though, assuming Android phones can easily sync using USB.
My god where do you work!?
Unfortunately it would appear the draconian restrictions in your workplace are letting you down - neither WP7 or Android are designed to synchronise PIM data over USB. HTC have bodged together a not-fantastic workaround for Android which is probably your only choice...
Edit: By connect, what do you mean? Obviously any phone can connect, just not necessarily sync.
I do mean syncing of data (calendar, tasks, contacts, notes) over a USB cable. I gather there are apps that work on Android that allow this even though native android doesn't.
Looks like its going to have to be Android then. Looking at Samsung Galaxy S2 just now. Got another couple of months so Microsoft may sort this but somehow I don't think they will - must admit not sure why not, their mobile phone sales have dropped a lot over the past few years and with this sort of design I now know why. Been using them for around 7 years now but looks like I will be forced to move away.
Cheers
Barney
Edit: I gather that the iPhone natively supports direct sync to Microsoft Outlook - shudder, now having to include that in my shortlist! How did Microsoft get it soooo wrong!!!
Barneyabz said:
I do mean syncing of data (calendar, tasks, contacts, notes) over a USB cable. I gather there are apps that work on Android that allow this even though native android doesn't.
Looks like its going to have to be Android then. Looking at Samsung Galaxy S2 just now. Got another couple of months so Microsoft may sort this but somehow I don't think they will - must admit not sure why not, their mobile phone sales have dropped a lot over the past few years and with this sort of design I now know why. Been using them for around 7 years now but looks like I will be forced to move away.
Cheers
Barney
Edit: I gather that the iPhone natively supports direct sync to Microsoft Outlook - shudder, now having to include that in my shortlist! How did Microsoft get it soooo wrong!!!
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Click to collapse
all over USB sync? u gotta be kidding. I ain't even going to bother with proving how dumb this post sounds.
eric12341 said:
all over USB sync? u gotta be kidding. I ain't even going to bother with proving how dumb this post sounds.
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Click to collapse
+1 - couldn't agree more. These phones are made almost entirely for the internet.
eric12341 said:
all over USB sync? u gotta be kidding. I ain't even going to bother with proving how dumb this post sounds.
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Click to collapse
Think you missed my earlier post - feel free to look for it. Point is that work restrictions mean I will not be allowed to sync via the cloud. As I said in my earlier post, not going to argue or debate whether this is good or bad, no point.
Therefore I am now left with Android or iphone unless Microsoft get this sorted.
By the way Google it and you will see that it is proving to be a major sticking point with business users and is turning users away from windows phone 7 with more windows mobile 6.5 phones still being sold then windows 7 with this being one of the reasons.
cheers
Barney
Barneyabz said:
Think you missed my earlier post - feel free to look for it. Point is that work restrictions mean I will not be allowed to sync via the cloud. As I said in my earlier post, not going to argue or debate whether this is good or bad, no point.
Therefore I am now left with Android or iphone unless Microsoft get this sorted.
By the way Google it and you will see that it is proving to be a major sticking point with business users and is turning users away from windows phone 7 with more windows mobile 6.5 phones still being sold then windows 7 with this being one of the reasons.
cheers
Barney
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Click to collapse
alot of workplaces support exchange server synching of contacts and the like, there's also a hotmail-outlook connector that will sync content back n forth accordingly,so I didn't miss anything.
really not picking an arguement - not sure if you are.
However for information sake only, for others that might read this thread, using hotmail connector means uploading and downloading all the info via Microsoft servers, and the other option of microsoft exchange, well not all firms use exchange.
Therefore if a company does not agree to one of these methods it means Windows Phone 7 is not an option
Barney
Here's my set-up:
Hotmail account (had for "ever") that I use to access MS services such as XBox Live, Skydrive, etc. --- this has become my centralized sync point just because it was empty and is well integrated
Personal domain accounts hosted with Google Apps --- these all sync to my WP7 phone
Various Gmail accounts --- again, all synced to my WP7 phone
Yahoo account --- again, synced to my WP7
Work calendar (not interested in getting e-mails) --- using Google Sync, my work calendar is pushed to one of my Gmail accounts.....so all of my appointments appear on my phone (http://www.google.com/mobile/sync/)
Facebook --- synced as well.
All total, I have 10 accounts listed in the settings. All of them sync flawlessly. All of my information is stored where I want it and blended on my phone. Contacts from my personal domain that are related to side business are available on my phone but aren't stored on my hotmail account. Contacts in Yahoo don't show up in my side-business e-mail accounts. Etc. The phone is the central hub, but information is still segmented just how I want it. When a contact spans accounts, I've linked them with that feature and all of the information shows up under one entry. I can pick home or mobile or work related info even though each piece is from a different account.
And when Mango is released and I have a single inbox, the phone will become even more of a central hub to everything.
Barneyabz said:
Think you missed my earlier post - feel free to look for it. Point is that work restrictions mean I will not be allowed to sync via the cloud. As I said in my earlier post, not going to argue or debate whether this is good or bad, no point.
Therefore I am now left with Android or iphone unless Microsoft get this sorted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm unsure of exactly why you're saying Android and iOS don't sync over the cloud. Neither of them have a method of syncing ONLY over USB.
For whatever reasons, you are unhappy with WP7, and it's likely just not the right solution for you. With that being said, why bother coming back to this thread unless you have a specific need to argue?
We get it. You feel that WP7 doesn't work for you. If there is a problem with the functionality or design, take that up with MS, and not with a fan board.
If you're going to argue semantics like amount of WM6.5 devices sold over WP7, at least have the courtesy to link your information. I'm going to continue to not take you or your concerns seriously until you actually understand how all of the major mobile OS devices actually sync.
Tell your IT department to get out of a cave and update their software solutions. Any new-ish version of Exchange Server will properly support OTA sync'ing of contacts.
Other than that, have fun in Apple land.
Actually I didn't say that iphone and Adnroid don't sync over the cloud, but you can do both therefore chosing to sync directly with outlook if you wish. Considering the first post on this thread, i.e. the point of the thread, is about this issue, I believe my posts have been on topic. Sorry if that has bothered you but believe it or not this is a major issue affecting many users out there.
Here are a couple of links to an article regarding windows mobile 6.5 outselling windows phone 7 during the winter
http://www.mobot.net/windows-mobile-outselling-windows-phone-7-23633
http://wmpoweruser.com/gartner-1-6-million-windows-phone-7-handsets-sold-to-customers-in-q1-2011/
By the way I didn't participate in this thread to argue, my original post is below
Barneyabz said:
Hi all
Currently using an HTC Touch Pro 2 and was considering upgrading to HTC 7 Pro. Came across this post and am very concerned. Due to work data restrictions phone must be able to connect using ordinary USB cable. Is there no way that this can happen on WM7?
Thanks
Barney
P.S Was cosiderng WM7 v. Android and decided to stick with Windows (seeing as that is all I have ever had) This could be a deal breaker though, assuming Android phones can easily sync using USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I participated precisely because I like windows operating systems and was looking for help in getting it do what I want it to do, like a number of other posters on this thread. Instead I got a bunch of emails justifying what Microsoft have done rather then answering the post - why?
Now have carefully read this post and do believe that there is nothing wrong in it, its in the spirit of the board, which by the way I have been a member of for a long time, and will continue to be.
This will be my last post on this thread unless there is something posted relevant to my (and the starter of the thread) original question.
Folks,
Thanks for all your opinions.
It seems that I am not alone. Please refer to the 53 pages of complaint to MS regarding Win 7's inability to sync with Outlook in the way that some of us need to work:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...4c-87cc-54d8c5c012d2?page=50&tm=1312012136534
There is a 1000 contact limit to the number of contacts on HotMail. Tasks and notes are not sync'ed. I have no interest in exposing my data to the MS cloud when they have not published a security risk assessment and take no responsibility for data in their care.
I travel internationally; all the time. Having my phone sync automatically to get e-mail and updates costs me hundreds of dollars a month. Previously I could turn off data roaming and update my phone at night in my hotel with a cable.
I bought the HTC 7 Pro as the successor to my MDA Vario 5 (Touch Pro 2). After a frustrating week I have gone back to the Touch Pro 2 because WM6.5 works the way that I do.
My post was not meant to be an MS-bashing session. I was trying to understand and solve some major shortcomings with my new phone that affect the way I work.
So. I've got this new phone. The HTC 7 Pro hardware is quite nice now that I've upgraded the microSD card. Anybody know how to switch over to Android or back to WM6.5?
--Steve
Anyone else found the stock mail appto be a complete pos?
I understand that the Surface RT is more a "Home" device than a "Work" one but still, a better mail app is needed, hell I've even settle on Outlook Express than this lol...
what specifically are you not liking about it? "pos" isn't very useful feedback.
It seems to handle multiple accounts OK - my suggestions:
unified inbox
message preview on/off
image download on/off
Unified Inbox is the number one feature I would like to have in the Mail app.
Trig0r said:
Anyone else found the stock mail appto be a complete pos?
I understand that the Surface RT is more a "Home" device than a "Work" one but still, a better mail app is needed, hell I've even settle on Outlook Express than this lol...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is junk, especially coming from the people who created Outlook. POP3 support is the biggest issue. I thought by now we would see an update, but no go
guitar1969 said:
It is junk, especially coming from the people who created Outlook. POP3 support is the biggest issue. I thought by now we would see an update, but no go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought by now pop3 would be dead. Horrible protocol for mail
Hello,
i miss a "reading confirmation" for sendet items.
also i think the app has a big failure in syncing imap-directorys.
so on my "surface rt" or my desktop "windows 8 pro 64bit" i have the following issues.
- not all directorys are synct.
(i think there must be a restriction to the count of directorys, becouse new emails in the exist directorys are synct correct.
i have only a overall of 20 root-directory and a 222 down-under-directorys
i missing a count of 14 root-directorys with 71 down-under-directorys
can anyone confirm a restriction of syncing a count of directorys???
For me, the killer lack is the complete inability to send plain text. Too many automated systems, and a few of the people I'm in touch with, can't handle HTML email. Given the simplicity of supporting plain text vs. supporting HTML, it's a very annoying thing to not have.
I also really wish there was some support for user filters. Full integration with Exchange (server-side filters) would be great, but I'd settle for (a lot) less to have anything at all.
The inability to view the compose message window along with any other window at the same time is very annoying. I get that on a low-res display this might be difficult, but while the app is very good at scaling its display as resolution decreases on something like my Surface (right down to being usable while side-snapped!) it's terrible at using the resolution on my desktop.
I'm not experiencing any issues with the mail app. I use Hotmail, so I can set up filters at the Outlook.com website. I have a filter set up to route job-related mails into a specific folder and that's working well. Outlook.com also handles my sender blocking. I have a few folders and they all sync fine. I can view the "compose email" dialogue side-snapped on my surface without difficulty. It's not the most full featured app ever but there's nothing I need to do that I can't. *shrug*.
I think if there's one feature I'd like, it would be to be able to highlight a spam message and select "block future emails from this domain/address" to save me needing to do that on outlook.com
The only thing I now use the Outlook desktop app for is a weekly download & offline backup of my emails.
schettj said:
I thought by now pop3 would be dead. Horrible protocol for mail
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Click to collapse
I agree but unfortunately some big providers still only offer it, like Roadrunner Mail(time warner). I understand the argument to set up a gmail account but MS should be all about flexibility and shouldn't dictate what email service we can use with their devices.
I personally use email pretty much all day every day, for a Microsoft app, it lacks so many features. As a simple start, flagging emails, every email client and their dog can flag emails and show flagged emails, the mail app however can't, its not exactly rocket Science!
Secondly, as mentioned before hand the lack of plain text emails.
The fact it isn't integrated in any way with the calendar, I mean I don't expect a complete replacement for outlook, but even windows phone applications can do these simple things, so why doesn't windows 8 get possibly the worst excuse for a mail app I've ever used?
I only managed to get the built-in Mail app to sync with my Gmail once, after that it throws generic connection errors. It was slow and obnoxious to use, I gave up and just use the web mail interface.
Trig0r said:
Anyone else found the stock mail appto be a complete pos?
I understand that the Surface RT is more a "Home" device than a "Work" one but still, a better mail app is needed, hell I've even settle on Outlook Express than this lol...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put my gmail accounts on the surface mail app and all I want is the "send mail as" option.
When you open a new email you will find your email adress in the left bottom corner. and there is also the possibility to use an another email adress.
@feygor: I agree in general, but there is actually some calendar integration. You can receive calendar invites via the mail app, and respond to them (yes/tentative/no). It's not perfect but it's no worse than on my phone, so far as I can tell, in terms of *that* feature.
Now, the lack of support for flagging (or, especially, the Importance flags)... that's annoying. You can't even filter the mail list to show only the unread messages! That's an option out of the box on WP7...
feygor said:
I personally use email pretty much all day every day, for a Microsoft app, it lacks so many features. As a simple start, flagging emails, every email client and their dog can flag emails and show flagged emails, the mail app however can't, its not exactly rocket Science!
Secondly, as mentioned before hand the lack of plain text emails.
The fact it isn't integrated in any way with the calendar, I mean I don't expect a complete replacement for outlook, but even windows phone applications can do these simple things, so why doesn't windows 8 get possibly the worst excuse for a mail app I've ever used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree its not a full featured mail client - it's the first release of the windows 8 store (gag) mail client. There's nothing saying it can't grow into something better, or even that other clients that are better won't show up in the store. As an "adjunct" email client its good enough for now - given I have my phone with me always and it "owns" my calendar, I can manage it there. The calendar sync does work fine with my various calendars, at least
Give it a rev or two. You may not remember the first versions of email and calendar in iOS, but I do. Yeah, they sucked pretty bad too.
Yeah, it's poor enough that I have to use webmail for all my non-Exchange accounts. Kind of sad that my phone is better for email triage than the Surface.
I'm actually tempted to write a new mail app. I have some POP3 and IMAP code sitting around from a few years ago when I was writing a replacement mail client for WM 6.5, so if I get a chance, might see if I can use some of that.
@amb9800: That would be great. It should even be possible to publish it on the store; MS seems willing to let people duplicate the functionality of built-in apps, and the required Capabilities already exist (really, just network access and File Picker, with Share integration if you want to get fancy). Just make sure (especially if it's C/C++ code) that it's reasonably secure...
I only had a problem with the mail app when using it to access my ISP mail account directly. Since setting up Gmail and forwarding my accounts to there I've had no problems with syncing my mails, contacts, calendar entries, chats etc. Strangely my surface is more reliable for chats than my win8 laptop... the laptop is constantly saying it can't connect to various services but the surface is okay.....just my personal experience.
amb9800 said:
I'm actually tempted to write a new mail app.
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Click to collapse
Porting some existing app over should be fairly easy. Let's hope for yours and/or others to arrive
One thing I have noticed people complaining about and I may have an answer.
GMail only allows a certain number of IMAP connections.
If you exceed this, you will get errors. So, if you use Outlook, an iPhone, and a few other devices, you hit the limit.
Additionally, some apps are not following the rules and will open more than one IMAP connection. For example, Thunderbird will use 4 by default!
http://kb.mozillazine.org/IMAP:_advanced_account_configuration
Reducing the number of apps that are hitting your IMAP may help.