Not all good news. But have a read of this:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=5915
Shame about the poor BT performance
Do you have the AK2 kit for the XDA Exec then?
No, I was referring to the link. An employee of O2 has undertaken extensive testing and the news for 3G users using push email is not good (kills the battery!)
which means that if this employee is usin it on his exec, it should be ready and we can expect to see it soon right?
hmm but if there is A2DP and it only works over WMP, does that mean we still cant use Skype through a wireless headset?
I use skype through my bluetooth headset with no problem. It is not a stereo headset, but it works perfectly. If you wish to know how to do this, and you have a normal non-stereo headset, pm me for simple instructions - or I can post them here. I did not realize people were having a problem.
I use skype through my bluetooth headset with no problem. It is not a stereo headset, but it works perfectly. If you wish to know how to do this, and you have a normal non-stereo headset, pm me for simple instructions - or I can post them here.
Don't see much difference between this and checking email automatically every 15 minutes. I suppose the new AKU2 method might be easier on data overhead though, albeit heavier on battery.
chetccox said:
I use skype through my bluetooth headset with no problem. It is not a stereo headset, but it works perfectly. If you wish to know how to do this, and you have a normal non-stereo headset, pm me for simple instructions - or I can post them here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know that tweak too that allows me to use the headset for skype but its not stereo.
i thought with the AKU2, we would be able to do it.
vapor said:
chetccox said:
I use skype through my bluetooth headset with no problem. It is not a stereo headset, but it works perfectly. If you wish to know how to do this, and you have a normal non-stereo headset, pm me for simple instructions - or I can post them here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know that tweak too that allows me to use the headset for skype but its not stereo.
i thought with the AKU2, we would be able to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mind sharing that tweat with us too????
I have skype installed on my qtek 9000, and wanted to be able to use it from my bluetooth headset (Jabra 250). I started skype from the qtek screen, and of course could not get the bluetooth audio to stay on for more than a few seconds. The cyberon voice dialer keeps starting up, and as soon as it is through waiting for sound, it shuts down and so does the bluetooth headset audio. I happened to create a voice tag to start skype, and made a 100% repeatable discovery. If I start skype from the headset, I have continuous audio. Even if I shut skype down in memory, running programs, the audio continues in the headset. This also means you can listen to mp3 files etc. on the headset until you push the headset button to turn off the audio lock. If I start skype from the qtek screen, this does not happen. Once I have the continuous audio connection, a simple press of the headset button reverts all to normal. Setup the voice tag in settings, voice speed dial, applications. Choose skype, and setup whatever tag you wish.
jah said:
No, I was referring to the link. An employee of O2 has undertaken extensive testing and the news for 3G users using push email is not good (kills the battery!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's an ex-O2 employee. We have to make it clear because there's no link to the company.
jah said:
Not all good news. But have a read of this:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=5915
Shame about the poor BT performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not flaming you Jah, just the writer of this review
My first post and not flaming
But I cant see how push email will be any more battery and data consuming that having the device set to sync every 10 mins. I have mine set to that and I use about 20 - 25 mb a month and I view webpages.
I think it will be a big leap forward
2 other things that a totally incorrect about the review
The Messaging and Security Feature Pack adds some new features to the administrator’s arsenal, including Force Password, Password Reset and Device Reset. The first two are fairly obvious, but the third is an option to force the device to hard-reset to factory condition, in the event the device is lost or stolen. Note this feature doesn’t extend to any Storage folder on the device or an SD Card in the expansion slot.
Wrong, The remote wipe carrys out a clear storage and this will also clear the entire device. Granted the storage card wont be, but I am sure this will be resolved in future updates
The bigger question is the impact on Server performance a fleet of mobile devices constantly synchronising with it will have. Servers tend to be resource hungry at the best of times, and this will add to the load. More to come as live installations occur and people get stuck in – but Exchange Server 2003 SP2 is already known to require more power than earlier versions to run effectively.
I am sure normal syncs cause this and if you are running exchange you will have a system to cope with this
I think time will tell, but a think a real rival for RIM
ratclj01 said:
jah said:
Not all good news. But have a read of this:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=5915
Shame about the poor BT performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not flaming you Jah, just the writer of this review
My first post and not flaming
But I cant see how push email will be any more battery and data consuming that having the device set to sync every 10 mins. I have mine set to that and I use about 20 - 25 mb a month and I view webpages.
I think it will be a big leap forward
2 other things that a totally incorrect about the review
The Messaging and Security Feature Pack adds some new features to the administrator’s arsenal, including Force Password, Password Reset and Device Reset. The first two are fairly obvious, but the third is an option to force the device to hard-reset to factory condition, in the event the device is lost or stolen. Note this feature doesn’t extend to any Storage folder on the device or an SD Card in the expansion slot.
Wrong, The remote wipe carrys out a clear storage and this will also clear the entire device. Granted the storage card wont be, but I am sure this will be resolved in future updates
The bigger question is the impact on Server performance a fleet of mobile devices constantly synchronising with it will have. Servers tend to be resource hungry at the best of times, and this will add to the load. More to come as live installations occur and people get stuck in – but Exchange Server 2003 SP2 is already known to require more power than earlier versions to run effectively.
I am sure normal syncs cause this and if you are running exchange you will have a system to cope with this
I think time will tell, but a think a real rival for RIM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're probably right. But it's early days isn't it.... hardly anyone has seen this software in a commercial environment, and the way people deploy exchange server can vary from company to company. I also don't think there are many companies (except Microsoft) who have large ActiveSync deployments sucking on the exchange server now, so it's hard to tell what could happen.
The interesting thing is that EVERYBODY will have work to do, not just O2. Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, I-Mate and so on - lots of keen people, lots of opportunities to tweak and get things write.
8)
ratclj01 said:
jah said:
Not all good news. But have a read of this:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=5915
Shame about the poor BT performance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I cant see how push email will be any more battery and data consuming that having the device set to sync every 10 mins. I have mine set to that and I use about 20 - 25 mb a month and I view webpages.
I think it will be a big leap forward
2 other things that a totally incorrect about the review
The Messaging and Security Feature Pack adds some new features to the administrator’s arsenal, including Force Password, Password Reset and Device Reset. The first two are fairly obvious, but the third is an option to force the device to hard-reset to factory condition, in the event the device is lost or stolen. Note this feature doesn’t extend to any Storage folder on the device or an SD Card in the expansion slot.
Wrong, The remote wipe carrys out a clear storage and this will also clear the entire device. Granted the storage card wont be, but I am sure this will be resolved in future updates
The bigger question is the impact on Server performance a fleet of mobile devices constantly synchronising with it will have. Servers tend to be resource hungry at the best of times, and this will add to the load. More to come as live installations occur and people get stuck in – but Exchange Server 2003 SP2 is already known to require more power than earlier versions to run effectively.
I am sure normal syncs cause this and if you are running exchange you will have a system to cope with this
I think time will tell, but a think a real rival for RIM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not the one who wrote the review, but some clarifications:
1.When MSFP initiates the sync cycle it will open an HTTPS connection to the server, with a long timeout. This means that regardless of traffic, the radio will always be transmitting and receiving. This is very different from your 10 minutes sync cycle, where the radio only transmits during that time.
2.The remote wipe does a clear storage as you state, and as you agreed the storage card is not erased. I can't see why you disagree on this then?
3.Server performance may be impacted because of the way the sync works. When the direct push is in use the HTTPS connection is initiated and the server is notified by the device of the current list of folders to be monitored. If any changes happen during the HTTPS connection availability this is immediately notified to the device and a synchronisation of that folder only happens. The extra load comes from the fact that the Exchange Server now has continuously monitor each folder, while an on-demand ActiveSync on a 10 minutes cycle does not require this monitoring to be on.
By the way, edited the article to have my explanations 1 and 3 added to the appropriate sections.
Southern_Man said:
... hardly anyone has seen this software in a commercial environment, and the way people deploy exchange server can vary from company to company. I also don't think there are many companies (except Microsoft) who have large ActiveSync deployments sucking on the exchange server now, so it's hard to tell what could happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost true. There are lots of companies with large deployments. I used to work for a multinational company with 40,000 employees, using an Exchange Server infrastructure around the world. And I was in a push email trial (using Intellisync) back in 2004. This just to show that this is not a new concept, and companies have been working on this for some time now...
freitasm, I always assumed that direct push events would be generated by MTA events for a given users, rather than some sort of polling of users mailbox fodlers? It would seem a little more efficent this way? I'm guessing tho!
Probably it is because it would be better. I am not aware of the actual implementation - the events are only fired for the specific folders involved in the synchronisation, so some filtering is going on, which requires some processing anyway.
:roll:
freitasm said:
ratclj01 said:
jah said:
Not all good news. But have a read of this:
2 other things that a totally incorrect about the review
The Messaging and Security Feature Pack adds some new features to the administrator’s arsenal, including Force Password, Password Reset and Device Reset. The first two are fairly obvious, but the third is an option to force the device to hard-reset to factory condition, in the event the device is lost or stolen.
Note this feature doesn’t extend to any Storage folder on the device or an SD Card in the expansion slot.
Wrong, The remote wipe carrys out a clear storage and this will also clear the entire device. Granted the storage card wont be, but I am sure this will be resolved in future updates
I am not the one who wrote the review, but some clarifications:
1.When MSFP initiates the sync cycle it will open an HTTPS connection to the server, with a long timeout. This means that regardless of traffic, the radio will always be transmitting and receiving. This is very different from your 10 minutes sync cycle, where the radio only transmits during that time.
2.The remote wipe does a clear storage as you state, and as you agreed the storage card is not erased. I can't see why you disagree on this then?
3.Server performance may be impacted because of the way the sync works. When the direct push is in use the HTTPS connection is initiated and the server is notified by the device of the current list of folders to be monitored. If any changes happen during the HTTPS connection availability this is immediately notified to the device and a synchronisation of that folder only happens. The extra load comes from the fact that the Exchange Server now has continuously monitor each folder, while an on-demand ActiveSync on a 10 minutes cycle does not require this monitoring to be on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with reference to your point 2
The author states that a remote wipe WILL NOT clear the folders on the device and I am pointing out that the wipe will clear the entire device. That is the bit I was saying was incorrect
With reference to your point 3
I am currently running Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 and the option for push email is already there and switched on. The monitoring of the folders needs to be happening regardless of push email supported devices because even if you connecting via push or set cycles the folders need to stay current regardless and the moment any change is made the exchange server needs to react and alter the folders on the server. To think that the exchange server does not monitor constantly just because MSFP device is not attached is silly. How would a user connecting though the web intereface stay current if monitoring was not enabled in the same way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ratclj01 said:
I am currently running Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 and the option for push email is already there and switched on. The monitoring of the folders needs to be happening regardless of push email supported devices because even if you connecting via push or set cycles the folders need to stay current regardless and the moment any change is made the exchange server needs to react and alter the folders on the server. To think that the exchange server does not monitor constantly just because MSFP device is not attached is silly. How would a user connecting though the web intereface stay current if monitoring was not enabled in the same way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Direct Push a HTTPS connection with a long timeout (determined by the server Timeout parameter) is established and kept alive. To reduce traffic and data charges the connection is not used until items are ready to sync. And to prevent unnecessary data usage only changed folders are synchronised. The monitoring is on the server side, and only on folders that are set to be monitored when the connection is established. This is the initial traffic - more folders more traffic.
http://blogs.technet.com/exchange/archive/2005/06/07/406035.aspx
When doing the manual ActiveSync the whole structure is synchronised, folder by folder and the traffic is higher, but the process is longer. The server is only participant during the ActiveSync, with no monitoring happening. When this type of sync starts each folder's content are compared with the current status on the Exchange Server at the time. The server does not store status on individual item if there's no direct push involved.
Related
Hi all. Heard there's a newer version of ActiveSync on another thread. namely Activesync 4.1. Can anyone give any feedback confirming this (although I think it's still in Beta stage). If so, isn't it worth a try given the problems encountered on the Universal using just Activesync 4.0.
Someone must know!
Here's the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=28535
Well I have it installed and I don't see anything different. Probably bug fixes. Won't harm to upgrade.
i have 4.1 running, dont know if its connected to the activesync on universal always restarting but i can only sync with pc if i have the universal powered off, then when plugging it in i see the orange power led kick in, 10secs ish later active sync will start,
if i plug in when switched on i get a error bubble on pc saying i have a malfunctioning device, power off and plug back in, wait a bit, i have a working syncing device. wierd!!!!
i only got usb1 on this lappy and my other has 2.0 had same problem, so i dont think its a usb problem
no bugs on my side
i installed 4.1, and it works like a charm on both pda2k and universal
mikeycollins13 said:
It took a while to work out, but here it is: Skype works fine as long Activesync is not on. In the old machines, AS would kick in and appear in the memory only after you sync'd. Here it comes up automatically, whether you sync or not. In fact, you should see Active sync running in the background virtually always.
Clicking on the memory you'll see its always on, you press stop, and Skype works for 5-10 minutes, until AS turns tiself back on.
Any fixes for this in the registry?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great stuff Nabil! Now, can someone please check if there are still issues with ActiveSync causing problems with Skype? I would do it, but I don't have my Universal yet! Waiting on the MDA Pro or Exec.
I'm not entirely happy that Activesync is workig the way it was intended & as I was unable to get this confirmed from several forum members, I ventured out of Xda developers.com to seek confirmation of my doubts.
I ended up reading a review of the new Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC, which as you may or may not know, uses WM 5.0 (but less the phone side of things). Not exactly to my surprise, i found that even in non-phone PPC devices, Active sync is a bit of a cause for concern!
Read here: Review of Dell Axim x51v PPC (WM 5.0)
Windows Mobile 5: Not All is Golden
I won't delve too much into Windows Mobile 5 in this review, since I'm focusing on the X51v itself, but I found Windows Mobile 5 very painful in two ways when I was setting up and using the X51v. First, after a hard reset I connected the X51v to my PC and set up a new partnership. ActiveSync 4.0 has a different partnership wizard if you have a Windows Mobile 5 device, and it's quite intuitive. I entered my hosted Exchange account information, then watched as basically nothing happened. The X51v synchronized with my desktop PC, but coughed up an 0x85020006 error when the device tried to sync with the Exchange server. ActiveSync 4.0 removes the option for Internet passthrough - I assumed that meant it was automatic, but after fighting with Connection Manager on the X51v for 15 minutes I gave up and disconnected. I turned on WiFi, and the X51v saw my access point - I entered my WEP key, started ActiveSync, and clicked sync. It worked! Within a few minutes I had all my data on the X51v - but why wouldn't the synchronization work in the cradle? I have no idea, but it's a serious problem.
Later, I wanted to see if a particular ActiveSync bug had been fixed: I've always had the problem where, after a backup and restore, the Pocket PC has been unable to synchronize against the Exchange server again. Only a hard reset would allow the Pocket PC to sync again. On the X51v, I did a backup using the included application, then hard reset and a restore. I restore the device, then after a soft reset I noticed the date was wrong. No matter, I fixed it and started a sync session. Much to my delight, the sync actually started, which is sometime that wouldn't have happened under Windows Mobile 2003SE.
My delight turned to disbelief, then anger as I saw what ActiveSync was doing: it duplicated 900 contacts, 50 emails, and 6 months worth of appointments! No warning, no "Replace, Remove, or Combine" dialogue box, simply a duplication. It will take me hours to fix this manually, unless I can find a tool to remove duplicates. I have memories of such a tool, but at this point I haven't had time to track one down. Any suggestions for one that will work with Outlook 2003 and an Exchange server? I'm unsure as to whether this is a problem with Dell's backup application, or with ActiveSync. The bottom line is that in this instance Exchange ActiveSync remains broken after a restore - and I'd rather have it break completely then duplicate all my data, so from my point of view it's actually gotten worse. I didn't think that was even possible!
Suffice it to say that while Windows Mobile 5 brings with it several key advantages - persistent storage is amazingly helpful - my experience with it so far has been mixed (WMP 10 Mobile retains its horrible library functions), and I have no shortage of feedback for Microsoft at the MVP Summit coming up in a few weeks. Windows Mobile 5 feels like one step forward and two sideways.
End of this part of the review. Full Review here: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,43092&start=2
What do you guys think? I think quite a few problems Universal owners are experiencing will dissapear once MS fix their ActivShite application!
Hi everyone,
first of all i want to thank you all for the excellent work... this forum is really a gold mine...
Anyway, my problem is:
I set Activesync (the one in the phone) to syncronise once every hour with my company's Exchange server between 9:00 and 17:00. As my company entire building is fully covered by WiFi, I was expecting activesync would use WiFi to syncronise, and connected to GPRS when that is not available...
Insted, with my great surprise, Activesync uses always GPRS !
I think that when AS turns the devices on, it finds no connected interfaces - WiFi need at least 5 seconds to connect - so it connects to GPRS!
The only solution I found is to schedule an appointment with an alarm to the device is on (and connected) when AS syncronises, but this leave some ugly "scars" on my calendar...
Anyone knows a solution for this problem?
If I understand You correct You use the Universal for syncing. This means You use ASync 4.0 or 4.1. I recall that Microsoft changed (for security reasons) the way to synchronize with ASync. Bluetooth is still available, but WiFi is NOT available anymore.
Not a nice information, but should "solve" your problem. No sorry, that's not solve, but "answer".
Ruud
Currntly WM5 prevent you to sync with your computer through WiFi, but syncing with Exchange server is working - if I start Activesync manually it syncs using WiFi. If I am too fast (and manage to click sync before the WiFi is connected), it syncs through GPRS.
OK, sorry for that.
I am the one here now receiving information, where I wanted to answer You. Thanks very much for that information, but sorry I cannot be of any help.
I tried to contact with our ExchangeServer. It works through USB whilst connected to my office-PC, but does not work through WiFi, GPRS or even while being connected through USB to my home-PC. I am quite sure it has to do with our Exchangeserver not being configured correctly so I stopped bothering (more important things to do
As I have NO sync with the exchange working through GPRS I am not even getting as far as You are, not even noticing the problem You mention.
Hope somebody else will be of more help.
Ruud
If you are not able to connect from the WiFi network and from home, this means that your system administrator does not trust internet and wireless, so he let you only connect through the office wired network...
I have not tested that, but I believe that Exchange uses an SSL connection, which should be safe even if you are connected through an unencrypted channel...
Normal AS connections (USB for example) are not encrypted, and MS, in its infinite wisdom, think that the user is too stupid to setup a wireless network properly (to be honest, i am still not able to connect with the Universal to my WPA home network)
My/our system administrator is willing to let me in, but simply does not know the exchange server software well enough to understand where he is making a mistake. He offered me to try as he was sure that he prepared the system correctly, the result was a no-go.
When we both get some spare time (which hardly happenes) we will try out some more. As with the internal firewall, spending enough time looking through the microsoft information will finally solve the problem, it's just that lack of time.
Pity that nobody else jumped on this thread yet to help You,
Ruud
Pleased with my Orange M3100 so far, about 3 weeks of use...
Just have one problem, activesync randomly starts up and I'm bothered that I may accidently start a phone call if it fires up whilst in the case and I don't know about it...
I have the WiFi turned off unless I need it and also have data disabled using
the util off MODACO... so it shouldn't be seeing any thing to sync to, the only thing active is the Bluetooth which I leave on all the time for headset or GPS use with TOMTOM...
Any thoughts please....
Phil
You need to use the 'Fake Server Trick'. I can't find links to it on this forum, but if you spend a bit of time searching you'll find it on the board somewhere. I saw it mentioned recently.
It was a must-do on my old Dell Axim x51v because it would stop the PDA starting and lose the compactflash card amongst other problems, requiring a soft reset to start the PDA. Not so much a necessity on the Vario II thankfully. If you can't find it here I posted a thread on Aximsite a while ago giving the procedure step by step:
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=112638
@ Gooners
Is this gonna stop the WSOD and the "not coming back from standby mode"? Cause I've got these problems in daily basis and I have to reset all the time
I have a question about the fake server trick. Will it stop direct push? Also, will it stop updates to my calendar and contacts from syncing?
nickcerda said:
I have a question about the fake server trick. Will it stop direct push? Also, will it stop updates to my calendar and contacts from syncing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't really answer your question with absolute certainty because I don't use the Direct Push service on my Vario II.
However, I would guess if you already have an Exchange server mapped for Direct Push, then you need to have Activesync running for it to work properly and sync with the Exchange server regularly, so the F.S.T. is probably not for you.
That said - if you are getting problems which *may* have something to do with Activesync launching itself while on standby and causing WSOD etc, you could apply the F.S.T. then just load Activesync manually, start a manual sync, then close Activesync down afterwards. This would completely defeat the object of Direct Push though!
takis999 said:
@ Gooners
Is this gonna stop the WSOD and the "not coming back from standby mode"? Cause I've got these problems in daily basis and I have to reset all the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give it a whirl... it can't do any harm.
I didn't realise the Hermes/TyTN/VarioII sufferred from these problems... maybe because I did the F.S.T. on my VarioII the moment I received it.
I did the fake server trick, seemed to work, but after a while ActiveSync is back in my runinng programs list. Is that normal or should the program be gone?
Every time you dock and sync with your PC, Activesync will load on your TyTN no matter what. When you undock you'll need to manually close Activesync otherwise it will stay running in the background.
I'm assuming you docked at some point?
g00nerz said:
Every time you dock and sync with your PC, Activesync will load on your TyTN no matter what. When you undock you'll need to manually close Activesync otherwise it will stay running in the background.
I'm assuming you docked at some point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I didn't. I did the server trick 4 times now, but every few hours when I look at my open programs ActiveSync is there again. I don't know if ActiveSync still tries to sync automatically or does nothing, but is is there...
Killsync - Stop ActiveSync!
So you have ActiveSync and you want to stop it from running. Well with Killsync, it stops ActiveSync so you can release the ram and increase the speed of your PC. This application does the same thing as the user switching to the task manager and killing the wcescomm task. When you need ActiveSync you can click on the ActiveSync icon. You can try putting Killsync in your startup to close ActiveSync if it starts first.
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/applications/killsync.htm
Just got around to trying the fake server trick yesterday, it appears to have worked on my M3100.. May it continue...
Thanks for help
Phil
Hi all yes I tried the Fake server trick 2 weeks ago before going To Germany on Business. I have not had the problem in the two weeks away. seems to have worked though I was not syncing quite as much or to same office PC. I will see home it goes now I am back in the office.
Thanks
Nigel
Is there a kind of utility that if a connection is required, asks user how to connect? Something like there use to be on a PC, when You start IE? I don't remember which version of IE/Windows it was but it looks something like this - http://support.bee.net/dial/email/outlook6.gif
The problem is, selecting manually how to connect is very much pain in the ass, I am wondering that if there isn't a software already written for this, why is that. It would be a simple yet very usable - You start IE for example, and the phone asks you how to connect, via WLAN or GPRS or whatever. OR maybe even over BT if You have a BT device for connection over PC or smth.
The second option would be to prioritize the connection list - like tell the PDA that first try WLAN, if it fails then try GPRS etc.
The third option would be somehow to use MortScript for this. It's still better than going to Connection Manager through tens of taps.
Been searching the forums. Looked through at least all threads' titles under networking. But no solution so far.
Any ideas? I would appreciate any help. And still wondering why someone hasn't already solved this... Maybe they have, but cannot find it then
So nobody has ever heard of anything like this? Would there be an enthusiast who would program such utility? It would not be a major application...
How do you manually choose connection?
I have HTC Diamond with Windows Mobile 6. I connect it to my work computer to synchronise with Outlook but I want to use my 3G (or GPRS) connection for internet. What should I do?
i really dislike the way the WM6 autoamatically chooses GPRS has its first connection type.. but then if WIFI is turned off it has no choice
An option to possible enable Wifi rather than GPRS would be nice
Windows mobile's connection manager is horrible. I suspect the group assigned to WM networking at microsoft had little (or no) prior experience and didn't really understand how IP routing, interface stacking, etc. works.
We sorely need some kind of end-to-end communications manager that is aware of all network devices (GPRS, CF wireless/ethernet cards, onboard wireless, bluetooth, USB, etc) and virtual devices (all forms of VPN), and how they interoperate. Something that allows editing of routing rules, per-connection DNS servers, gateway priorities, preferred devices, timeouts, connection persistence, etc.
Worry about things like "dial-on-demand" after the basics are covered.
Today it's virtually impossible to keep a WM device on a VPN connection and even harder when you've got phone calls and wifi to deal with. I have my activesync configured through a PPTP VPN and at least 5 times a day it loses its connection and requires me to manually press "sync." Sometimes that doesn't even work, requiring a reboot. Usually there will be some vague and unhelpful error message like "waiting for network" or "could not connect for an unknown reason."
In fact while I'm on a bit of a rant, is anyone else infuriated by error messages like that?
Obviously there was an error - you don't need to tell the user that. If there was no error, you'd be connected! What is the purpose of telling the user there was an error? There is always an "error" unless there is success. TELL THE USER WHAT THE ERROR WAS. Anything else is useless and frustrating.
The device should also absolutely freak out if it ever loses any connection. If the phone loses anything.. the GSM signal, activesync's connection to the exchange server, the VPN... it should beep, vibrate, flash, and refuse to do anything (sleep, power off, etc) until either one of two conditions is true:
1. The error is no longer present (the phone was able to reestablish the connection), or
2. The user has acknowledged and dismissed the error.
It should never be the case that the phone is disconnected and not attempting to reconnect, unless the user chooses that mode of operation. Anything else leads to lost email, missed meetings, and high blood pressure.
Ugh.
Anyway, I think there's a lot of money to be made by a company that can put together a properly functioning WM connection management system. I'm still looking...
This might help, I've not tried it yet but it looks promising....
http://www.iaccarino.de/silvio/ppcstuff.htm#MobileProfiler
That is a much needed program. WM 6.1 does an awful job with GPRS, WiFi,
Phone, etc.
Thanks joemanb, somehow I missed Your reply. But this isn't exactly what I'm looking for. But thanks anyway. I understand that this proggy would be very useful for many people but I don't understand why somebody with programming skills doesn't want to do it...
I have the very same problem.
I have both symbian and WM phones.
Nokia have had this right since my 9500 when you check email or go on the Internet it prompts you for the connection to use. I got a Imate-Kjam and was shocked that it did not do this. It was subsequently replaced with a E90 that still does it the right way and very well. I just got a Samsung SGH-i780 and it is great but it still has no Idea of how to connect to the Internet the way I would like. having 3g makes it less of a problem as I simply don't use the wi-fi but this bugs me that I can't.
All they need to do is have the phone prompt you when you open a Internet app for the connection to use. How hard can that be to realize ?
Bump bump bump
Um... Bump?
Come on developers, You cannot say You don't miss something like that already...
Bandswitch
I hope too in the developers. While waiting I found "Bandswitch" which make something similar...
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-bandswitch-v1-2-3.html
Disable GPRS connections
Try this. Works fine on my Herald/P4350.
http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-software/246171/new-free-utility/
Thanks for the suggestions but as far as I can tell, these apps only handle mobile data connections and now Wi-Fi. You can easily disable GPRS by creating a fake GPRS connection with no real access point. That is not what I am trying to accomplish here. But thanks anyway.
I live in Venezuela. We have an alright cell infrastructure but I've noticed that the data services are far from 99% uptime. There are areas and times of the day when you lose your data connection completely. It seems though that Windows Mobile can't handle this environment properly. After losing a connection a couple of times, it just fails to get it back again even under working conditions. I noticed this because a reboot or sometimes just switching to airplane mode for a few seconds and back brings you back online (Which should've happened automatically without intervention)
Venezuela is also one of the largest Blackberry markets in the world. Everyone has a blackberry here and I've had plenty of chances to observe their behaviour under what I'm guessing are the same conditions. Blackberry phones are not at all hindered by the intermittency of services. They seem to take it in stride and keep on going.
Now, I wan't to get to the bottom of this and there are a few issues that need clarification first:
1. Is RIM compensating through the use of Push services or some kind of server retention where data is held until the phone comes online? That seems like a good way to mitigate the effects of intermittent connections and I want to know if they're doing just that since I know a lot of their software routes data through their servers. (It also baffles me that Palringo or IM+ don't do this to the same degree)
2. Why does WinMO fail so miserably at reattaining connection? Even if RIM is compensating through server-side retention, it STILL performs better at reconnecting reliably and repeatedly. Is there anything I can do to fix this? What is happening that is making windows seemingly give up after a few failed attempts?
3. I've heard that RIM requires the carriers to have dedicated "RIM" servers to guarantee the quality of service for their phones alone. Is this true?
4. How does Android perform under these conditions? I haven't had a chance to really try out these phones and most users are not keen enough to technical matters to notice the flaws. We also don't have much Android adoption yet.
Bonus question:
I'd like to study this matter a little more scientifically. Is there any easy way I can make a batch file or some other script to regularly ping a server and log the results? I do know how to program but I'm not well versed on the WinMO platform so I'd like to avoid that rampup with a simple script instead of a full program.
Your compare is a little vague in scope. BB is a dedicated "always connected" device, where the data-link is active and the server pushes through that to the waiting client on the device. This demands that a connection must be active all time, so the device will probably just re-connect automatically. As a side-effect you can browse anytime you have an (automatic established) connection. Also do all services on that connection always go through RIM servers - you never connect directly form the device to any external resource! Blackberry is VERY special in that regard!
Windows Mobile is highly configurable by the OEMs that make the devices. There is no own strategy how to link the connectivity and the services on top of it. This is a matter of the OEM for the device or the vendor of a service/application the you have bought. Without telling more about your device and checking on the GPRS/Data auto-connect and auto-disconnect it is hard to give advice. For sure there is no permanent connection establishment automatism (as you do not need that because there are no default push services).
Usually (as all most other devices as well), the connection is done when a service on the device request one, not any earlier. This connection establishment takes time (some seconds) and then you can use the connection, until it either breaks, you disconnect or the device disconnects after a period of inactivity.
Fair enough, but I have several apps that are constantly seeking information. IM and social networks. They seem to reconnect automatically, yes. But the thing is that at some point in time, that auto-reconnect process seems to crash and no longer works. The apps keep requesting it but it just never comes.
Is there a hard limit? Is there a glitch? Where are the settings for this?
(I've observed this on the HTC Touch, HTC Imagio and HTC Touch HD)
Establishing connections is handled in the RADIO part of the build just on request of the OS layer. The radio stack is an own partition on the device (distinct form the OS). They interface via the RIL (Radio Interface Layer).
So if there are problems in that part, they are probably due to the radio stack on the devices or the RIL parameter settings. Both are under responsibility of the OEM (in this case HTC). Complain to them (and your network operator) and ask for a resolution of your problem - this is no Windows Mobile related generic problem.
I had faced similar problems with an old device of mine where only the first time a GPRS connection could be established, and then no more until the radio was disabled/enabled again. I had solved this by picking the a radio part that was explicitly tested and released for my country and operator. Though all things are "standardized" by 3gpp sometimes dedicated device<->network alignment may be needed.