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Ive been looking at the possibility of different ways of utilising the push mail facility.
The main objective is to make it a s cheap as possible, with the stipulation that I need to be able to download my mail to my outlook desktop client. Webmail pop3 is fine for me and I don’t need the email left on the server although this woul be a nice to have.
I am currently using easily to host my email account and domain - I have 2 email accounts under the one domain - this would work only if easily did forarding of my email - but they don’t!
I have looket at using 4smartphone and there service to include the ability to download to my desktop outlook would cost $6.99 a month approx 4 pound a month 48 pound a year
They also provide outlook web access as well as calendar etc….
The next option is to use a sign up with another email hosting company xcalibre that do email hosting pop3 and email forwarding for 19.99 a year, this would allow me to have upto 10 email accounts. They have a 1000mb bandwith and 20mb storage per email account
It appears to me that using someone like xcalibre would be the cheapest option, if there forwarding facility is pretty much instantaneus
Has anyone got any ideas or considerations I should think of before I make my decisions.
Thanks in advance
Assuming you have a ROM that is AKU 2 and up and has push capabilities.
Most ppl are using live.web2mail.com
Do your current accounts have a forwarding option?
If so then the best option that I kno ppl are doing is, setting up a mail2web account and gettin their mail forwarded to there, and mail2web's exchange server just pushes it to your device for free.
Only cost will be the charges on the phone, so if you have an unlimited data plan, you're all set.
thanks rxr my own domain name email does not have forwarding otherwise I would have used that as I'm currentl using mail2web and gmail forward and that works great!
I've got all my details on how to connect to my Exchange server, however how do I get it to update as and when I receive new mail? At the moment I have to do it manually.
On the PDA, if you have filled in server, user name, password and domain thats all you need to do.
If you are not getting the email automatically I suspect its a setting issue on Exchange Server. Thats outside my experience, you are best posting a question on an MSDN forum related to Exchange
rgds
As colonel said, the settings themselves are very few and easy to input.
The major problem is:
Which settings do you need ?
This is highly dependent on the infrastructure "your" Exchange Server is located in.
Personally I would have been lost without the infos sent to me by the SysAdmin of our company.
BTW:
Is it really "your" Exchange Server or the one from your mobile operator or the company you are working in ?
If the former is the case: you should know the settings, because it is very risky running an Exchange Server without being familiar with it downto the bits. If the latter is the case you are lucky off: your (experienced) SysAdmin will be glad to tell you. If he doesn't the service will not be open for useing it and if you are in a company it's be advisable then not to try to bypass services not intended for internal use.
It's through a third-party. I have a copy of Exchange, but I don't currently have a Windows server to run it on.
Trapper, go to Activesync on your workstation and press the Schedule button. Select "When new items arrive" for both Peak and Offpeak times.
There are also settings within your user ID in Active Directory. Go to properties of your user ID and I think it is the Exchange Advanced tab. This will allow you to set the sync options from the server side. You will need to do this from your Windows server, or get your administrator to do it for you.
Trapper, go to Activesync on your workstation and press the Schedule button. Select "When new items arrive" for both Peak and Offpeak times.
There are also settings within your user ID in Active Directory. Go to properties of your user ID and I think it is the Exchange Advanced tab. This will allow you to set the sync options from the server side. You will need to do this from your Windows server, or get your administrator to do it for you.
If its through a 3rd party then they are responsible. Why don't you contact their support dept. ?
1. If its a professional company like 4smartphone.net or mail2web.com then their IT depts will help you.
2. If its a small company with an exchange server and a DSL connection who have 'gifted you' an account they will need to get 3rd party consultancy to solve this. There are a number of checks, for example is it exchange 2003 ? has SP2 been applied ? has push been setup in the server engine ? etc etc
My experience of server based systems is that you need an expert. If you want to become an expert yourself then fine, but that probably means many years in the business, reading loads of books and/or an MS certified course.
I have had so much experience over the years of people who claim to know about a system, tinkering around but not solving problems. You have to get the A-Team.
nooblet here ...I did a search but did not find a comprehensize guide to telling me all of the types of email options I have So I Was hoping some one would be so kind enough to explain to this me.
Xpress mail from cingular ...umm you just add in all your email accounts to it and it send it out ?
Direct Push ( new from Microsoft ...have to have exchange server up)
Data ( some reason I like this ... I have the unlimited media works package and I get unlimited data ...so I have my email IMAP'ed and set to check ever 10 minutes) it uses data connection ..but I have unlimited so I dont care...
I really dont see why people would want the direct push as apposed to the data ...any way some one can explain all the options a person has with some pro's and cons of each ?
Thanks
Data is just a data plan that you purchase for Cingula, similar to purchasing minutes for your voice calls. It has nothing to do with email. Without the unlimited data plan though you'd get hit with a whopping big bill.
IMAP4 is an email protocol that leaves a copy of your messages on your server and downloads the headers, making it faster than POP3 and easier to manage IMO.
Direct Push requires an Exchange 2003 or later server and is what makes this device a true Crackberry Killer. IMAP4 and POP3 are polling email clients that one configures to check their mailbox on a periodic basis. Direct Push enables our emails to be pushed out to the device whenever the server receives a new email. In addition our Calendar, Tasks and of course Contacts are also synced in realtime.
Hope I was of some help.
geekserver said:
nooblet here ...I did a search but did not find a comprehensize guide to telling me all of the types of email options I have So I Was hoping some one would be so kind enough to explain to this me.
Xpress mail from cingular ...umm you just add in all your email accounts to it and it send it out ?
Direct Push ( new from Microsoft ...have to have exchange server up)
Data ( some reason I like this ... I have the unlimited media works package and I get unlimited data ...so I have my email IMAP'ed and set to check ever 10 minutes) it uses data connection ..but I have unlimited so I dont care...
I really dont see why people would want the direct push as apposed to the data ...any way some one can explain all the options a person has with some pro's and cons of each ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Direct Push is great for people who are running Exchange, as new messages are queued up and copied over to your device automatically, as opposed to POP3 or IMAP where your device polls the mail server periodically for new E-mail.
Its whatever you prefer... direct push is mainly intended for companies who want to ensure employees get internal E-mail. Also, with the Microsoft Messaging and Security Feature Pack which comes on some new Windows Mobile 5 devices, companies can push out policies to the devices, for example requiring a password of x character length, 15 min timeout, hard reset device if wrong password typed in more than x amount of times, and other items, which makes IT and auditors able to sleep at night.
I personally use POP3 over SSL. It doesn't "guarentee" that E-mail winds up on the phone, but since I'm not doing anything business-critical, that is OK for my needs. Your needs/wants may be different, though. If you absolutely have to have mail on your phone due to clients and mission critical information, you might see about an Exchange hosted provider.
Pros of Direct push: Syncing of contact info (like the above poster stated), "Guarenteed" E-mail on your phone, security policies enforced, ability to remotely wipe your device should it get lost or stolen (assuming the thief hasn't yanked your SIM card and swapped his in.)
Cons of Direct Push: Need Exchange Server 2003 SP2 to access the features of it, so you need to run Exchange on a machine that is on the Internet, or use an Exchange hosted provider. HP offers this service for around $15-$20 a month.
Pros of POP3/IMAP: Internet standards, straightforward.
Cons of POP3/IMAP: Insecure unless your ISP allows for the use of SSL, no "guarentee" that E-mail winds up onto your phone.
wow cool
so I guess for me I will stick to my data plan. I just wish Cingular had a faster data serivce and better coverage .
THANKS a bunch !
Cingular is actually rolling out 3G service and they claim it will fully be implemented by the end of the year (hopefully!)
I've been using the Push Mail function since it was released ... which is really a good alternative to a CrackBerry though it still need more development say at least 2 more years before if could be considered a real competition to the CrackBerry. ... (i hate these ugly so called devices - blackberry)
you can actually get an exchange service for 10 bucks a month for a mailbox which isn't bad. The advantage of getting an exchange mailbox is the just mere fact you can have a "synchronized" mailbox on your mail application (on your laptop or desktop ... even on a Mac which i have set up), on the webmail and obviously on your pocket pc. i like the functionality of using this over POP because the synchronization is real time and there is not dependancy on locally sync-ing your device on your laptop/desktop just to update your contacts and your calendar.
POP3 doesn't give you that synchronization and if you like to have ALL FOLDERs synchronized ... getting the 10 Bucks a month exchange service is well worth it.
Obviously push mail services are designed for the business user and powerusers ....if you don't need this then don't even think the higher end pocket pc's available ....
US Carriers are so slow on selling higher end PDAs and phones ... the selections on T-Mobile and Cingular suck ... how can you accept that they just released their versions of the HTC Wizard while several flavors of the HTC Hermes are now available ... Cingular and T-Mobile USA should also think about adding BlackBerry Connect on their devices just like everybody else in the non-american world ....
Note that IMAP can also be used (in most cases) in a "Push" form. The "IMAP IDLE" function establishes a connection and waits for new messages to arrive, at which time they are immediately announced to the device. Extremely handy when properly implemented. You need a compatible client, of course. Apparently the latest test builds of FlexMail will handle this, though I have not tried them yet.
Our company is paying Cingular $5 per month per user for the Push Mail service over and above the unlimited data plan. We have been told not to use it while roaming (even in Canada) as it will cost us a fortune. But, the push mail seems to be very robust and per IT, it was very easy to setup and ofcourse the phone needs to be upgraded to the latest ROM available on the cingular site.
Cingular's charging for Push Mail? ... That would only happen if Cingular is also maintaining your exchange server. If you have your own Exchange server it should be fine.
I've never paid above my unlimited internet access feature.
How come no one has mentioned mail2web.com Live. This is exchange push email that is free. You just forward your email to their server and set your mail settings in Active Sync from the mail2web site.
I have been using it for six weeks and it is great. Sometimes I get the email before I can get it on outlook.
mail2web.com looks good but i just talked to them and if you have your personal domain name (like i do), it would cost you the same price as the other exchange services out there ... the free version and the personal exchange options do not support personal domains.
sorry i'm a geek through and through ... he he he
C
Me and my buddies are doing an independent study at our university this winter. It will basically consist of designing and implementing an application for android phones. We have an idea, but will need to set up a server to store usernames and passwords. We are all computer science majors, but networking is not our strong point. What do y'all think is the best way to set this server up?
Thanks in advance
lighttpd with memcached .apk's for fast install delivery. 2 second cache (minimum) for server side stuff (such as service status or something)
These apps allow you to remotely access your phone from a web browser. However, they all run a web server on the phone, and I cannot connect to any of the over 3g (Verizon).
LazyDroid Web Desktop
Remote Desktop
Remote Web Desktop
I want to move the web server off phone, and (hopefully) onto private sites.google.com site. App Engine might be necessary, but I'm hoping this could be done solely in JS.
The hosting site would provide the UI, and interact with the phone using C2DM (the magic that powers Chrome2Phone, GMail, and installing apps from the web Market).
The UI is pretty obvious. It just needs a whiz to create HTML, Javascript, etc.
The C2DM backend is a still a bit mystifying to me... and searching for c2dm and javascript does not yield any obvious working implementations. But it seems plausible. Push a command to the phone, phone returns/uploads data to website, and UI updates.
Then there is the Android end. Well, there are the 3 projects above, Tasker for a quasi-hackish approach, and RPC (promising, but it seems like a WIP).
Thoughts? Volunteers? Geniuses?
Ooo... 2 birds with one stone!
This would also kill 2 birds with one stone.
No more typing in dynamic IP addresses! You get to use DNS to handle the connections. Bookmark your site in your desktop browser (it is always the same!). And set a preference in the Android app.
On lazydroid i've in planning some kind of trick that will let you connect behind firewall ... similar to a vpn...
CloudsITA said:
On lazydroid i've in planning some kind of trick that will let you connect behind firewall ... similar to a vpn...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it again last week, and it is still unsuccessful. Webkey is currently the only application that I can successfully use to reach my phone.
Now, I could be wrong, but I believe all of these apps run a web server on the phone. I get a lovely, private 10.x.x.x IP address, which I can't reverse the route to. I have tried and failed to get DynDNS to work.
I have been looking into a solution since my original post. I have not had any time to do code squat, but I have loosely figured out all of the parts.
The big architectural difference I have been seeking is removing the server from the phone. I am not an Android expert, but I don't believe it even requires a running service. (Thank you, C2DM.)
With the app-webservice separation, you can work a "protocol" that reduces the overall bandwidth used... and thus improve battery life. Put all the "hard work" on a webserver, and (things get fuzzy here) possibly push it off onto the client browser (JS).
C2DM Browser Links
I could probably make something like WebKey but with C2DM and some more features. If you want you can give suggestions and I'll start making on saturday (after my exams). It would probably be possible in javascript for the actual sending from server and php just for logging in to your google account. The phone would just be registered on the server and no services (just as you wanted )
nebkat said:
I could probably make something like WebKey but with C2DM and some more features. If you want you can give suggestions and I'll start making on saturday (after my exams). It would probably be possible in javascript for the actual sending from server and php just for logging in to your google account. The phone would just be registered on the server and no services (just as you wanted )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure "more features" is necessarily the direction I'm headed. I am focused on making a "seamless" experience (i.e. less separation of phone and computer).
I was headed to App Engine (Python bias + easy Google integration). I have a project created. I haven't pulled together the various examples to make the core, but it seems <naive>simple</naive>. Stir in some templates, CSS, a sprinkling of JS, and voila!
The big "tricky" part that I can't convert from f***ing magic to a clear approach is the data link in the server. I want to avoid any storage to a Google disk, or otherwise, even temporarily. No stored data = easy privacy policy.
nebkat, if you're really chomping at the bit to code, here's my Android client concept.
- C2DM is a wake-up call. (cheat an borrow ChromeToPhone's ID to begin with)
- Connect to web server, send "I'm here," and wait for further instructions (Channels API/Comet/AJAX/.........)
- make the command set extensible
- each command is blockable in the client. (Permission control is set on the phone, not remotely.)
- After N minutes of no activity, send a "good bye," disconnect from the server, and fade into the background.
Don't worry, I'm very experienced with the server side stuff and I know exactly what you want. The only information stored on the sever side would be google account, the device c2dm registration id and some logging features just for statistics. A password could be set on the phone that would be sha512 hashed on the ajax request and would be sent to the phone. Even if a hacker found the hash, it would be useless without being logged in to the persons google account or knowing the server side auth token.
For now i'll just make the reciever, processor and command output and later on the extra security and ui stuff. It will work exactly the same way as Chrome2Phone except it will have server side php and the different commands. The connection from pc to phone will be something like this.
user command -> ajax request -> php c2dm request -> phone
phone -> php server http request -> controller page status
BTW I'm saving up for a Nexus S, how much would people pay for this type of app? There would definitely be a free version, but I just need to get the Nexus S because I have a Galaxy Spica now and it isn't the best for app development. I'm new to how stuff at xda works, would a donate version get me enoguh for the Nexus?
nebkat said:
Don't worry, ... <snip> ... auth token.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alrighty then. I'm feeling like I can stop contemplating implementing this.
BTW I'm saving up for a Nexus S, how much would people pay for this type of app? There would definitely be a free version, but I just need to get the Nexus S because I have a Galaxy Spica now and it isn't the best for app development. I'm new to how stuff at xda works, would a donate version get me enoguh for the Nexus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since I was learning the ins and outs of App Engine, I read their quota rules and realized if this were popular it would require funding. I don't know where you are going to your web server, but I assume you'll have to pay someone to keep it running. But I had thought about $$$ already.
"Give away the razor, and sell them the blades."
Make the app free, no feature restrictions.
You get your money through various "membership" levels on the server. (See the account levels at fastmail.fm for an example.) So, you can use the app for free, but you only get, say, 2-3 MB of traffic per day, and only X sessions per day. Need more? See the pricing chart.
user command -> ajax request -> php c2dm request -> phone
phone -> php server http request -> controller page status
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
user command -> php server http request -> phone
phone -> php server http request -> controller page status
user command -> php server http request -> phone
lather, rinse, repeat.
C2DM is not deterministic, and acts up in low signal conditions. So, I made a decision to only use C2DM to initiate a session. Once both ends are connected to the server, everything goes over HTTP.
Oh.... and not that we need another Lookout/Phone Finder, but a shared-secret SMS code for the case where "they" have shut down the data connection.
I have my own server nebkat.com and there is nothing on it anyway.
The only other way to make "push" requests to the phone is with WebSockets. It would probably be better than c2dm because we have full control over what gets sent (google limits some requests). The advantage of WebSockets is that they send no header information which means that we could send our messages in 20 to 30 bytes.
I'll look into more detail on friday.
With web sockets won't you need to ensure the phone has a routable, external IP address? I know, for one, t-mobile does not expose an external IP address for their phones. Unless, of course, if the phone is connected over WiFi. C2DM works great for me (I have used a couple of apps with it and it is really useful).
MrGibbage said:
With web sockets won't you need to ensure the phone has a routable, external IP address? I know, for one, t-mobile does not expose an external IP address for their phones. Unless, of course, if the phone is connected over WiFi. C2DM works great for me (I have used a couple of apps with it and it is really useful).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, WS is server initiated and the ip address' shouldn't make a difference.
MrGibbage said:
With web sockets won't you need to ensure the phone has a routable, external IP address? I know, for one, t-mobile does not expose an external IP address for their phones. Unless, of course, if the phone is connected over WiFi. C2DM works great for me (I have used a couple of apps with it and it is really useful).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need an valid external IP address if you are attempting to initiate contact with your phone, which is why the 4-5 apps I've mentioned do not work on carriers like t-mo and verizon.
But the phone can establish a connection, and the carrier NATs (or whatever) will handle the routing for outgoing and incoming data.
I think the right questions are: Will Verizon/T-Mo allow the ports and protocol for WebSockets? Do Android and desktop browsers implement the draft API correctly and consistently?
I like C2DM. I works well when you have a good connection. But there are 3 issues with it.
1) The message size limit is 1024 bytes. Not ideal for file transfers.
2) In a poor signal areas, since the service retries sending messages, you will get delayed and/or duplicate messages. I work in a large "concrete" building, so I get this behavior often enough that I don't want to rely on it.
3) I believe there is a limit on the number of messages you can send. So, hunting around the filesystem could hit this limit (but unlikely in reality... I hope.)
It would be interesting to see exactly how those apps handle all of the data. Do they only use C2DM, or do they hand over to another protocol?
Ok my exams are over and I am starting with it. I'll give updates on this thread