Best method for BB Sync - Proud new owner of a 8310 Curve

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motorwayne

841 posts

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#17780 11-Dec-2007 15:02

Hi there, I've made the jump from WM to BB. Some say I'm mad, but Iactually 'm interested in something different for a while and the learning might be fun.

Have a few observations and questions.

The consensus seems to be that MS SBS and BB BES software aren't too happy together, or at least that is what the MS guys say. Which leads me to think how am I going to get over-the-air syncing going with the BB?

My thinkingis:

1) I can go with a service like VF NZ's BIS service and get email only as a wireless service, but contacts, calendar and tasks remain a desktop sync funtion and pay $35 NZ a month.

2) Muck around and make another server and use VF NZ's BES service and pay $35 a month plus any hardware costs.

3) There are these guys with this plan http://exchangemymail.com/solosync.asp which looks to me like i won't need the New Zealand VF BES service, and pay $24 US a month with no hardware costs, am I right in thinking this Mauricio? and will it work.

Have I missed anything....I'd like your thoughts and Ideas. I'd like to go wireless sync on all Outlook items if I can.

Cheers

Can't wait for 4.3.1!!

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#99439 11-Dec-2007 15:08

Why not run a virtual server with a small memory footprint, only to run the BlackBerry server software? If needed you might add more memory to your current hardware, but no need for an entirely new server.

motorwayne

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#99449 11-Dec-2007 16:51

Failing a vitual server, what does the solosync look like? Will I still need to pay VF?

dan

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#99562 12-Dec-2007 09:00

If you go that way you would need to pay for a internet data plan on the phone as well from vfnz

johnr

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#99566 12-Dec-2007 09:15

dan: If you go that way you would need to pay for a internet data plan on the phone as well from vfnz

Blackberry plans includes 3meg of data

iistudio

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#99576 12-Dec-2007 10:32

Just something popped on my mind, have you looked funambol opensource projects?
they have a blackberry plugin free to download i think.

freitasm

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#99578 12-Dec-2007 10:42

johnr: Blackberry plans includes 3meg of data

Excuse me while I ROFL...

geekiegeek

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#99582 12-Dec-2007 10:55

Go back to Vodafone and give it back. Head down to Telecom and buy a Okta Touch. Setup of Exchange Activesync on an SBS server is pretty painless and requires no additional software.

From my experince with Blackberry I think they are a bit overated - especially when you consider the backend work needed to get them working - i.e BES server.

JMHO

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barf

643 posts

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#99585 12-Dec-2007 11:09

just use IMAPwith SSL
or use Windows Mobile

Sniffing the glue holding the Internet together

motorwayne

841 posts

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#99609 12-Dec-2007 13:25

Haha -- you guys have had it too good for too long!

Yeah, I know all about staying with SBS, it's the easy option as we run half a dozen WM phones off our SBS at the moment.

But I gotta tell ya, this 8310 Curve is brilliant, it's got that hard edge the WM has lost. Battery life is awesome too.

Thanks for your advice though, mucho appreciated!!!

----------------------------------------------

I'm going to stick with the BB Curve and my Palm 750v is staying in the draw and I'll lick this BES issue and report back. Time for a change!

Asta la vista

Come over to BB, you know you want to.

Cheers

Motorwayne

P.S if you still have thoughts on this issue, keep them coming.

johnr

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#99617 12-Dec-2007 14:51

freitasm:
johnr: Blackberry plans includes 3meg of data

Excuse me while I ROFL...

Not sure whats so funny 3m of data is lots on a Blackberry as blackberry works in 2kb lots when moving data

dan

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#99624 12-Dec-2007 16:23

johnr:
dan: If you go that way you would need to pay for a internet data plan on the phone as well from vfnz

Blackberry plans includes 3meg of data

I dont believe this setup he is stating would be using the BIS 3meg, 35 a month option?

motorwayne

841 posts

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#99626 12-Dec-2007 16:47

Oki doki, done some figuring.

I've put myself on BIS over Xmas so that I can get my email and sent it. Named the emails that go from the BB with a (BB) in brackets on the end , so that when the BCC copy turns up in my desktop inbox, I can see its from the BB and just move it across to my sent folder. At least I'll have a full record of comings and goings then.

End Jan, we have new SQL server going in which will gut out alot of the stuff currently running on the SBS box, and leave room for a BES unit which we'll stick in. After that we'll get the boss and a couple of other onto BB's for try.

Good stuff!

Just couldn't feel settled with all that email sitting in some US server...too far from home.

Motorwayne

P.S Why is Christmas just like a day at the office? You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.

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#99636 12-Dec-2007 17:54

freitasm:
johnr: Blackberry plans includes 3meg of data

Excuse me while I ROFL...

Indeed. I easily pull down 3MB a day using MS push email, and while it is a lot of emails - it isn't a heck of a lot of attachments... would hate to think what my usage would be like on a 3MB monthly plan (currently I am on a Telecom 200MB plan)

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Objectivism

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#99637 12-Dec-2007 17:56

You could use the Desktop Redirector that is on the CD that came with your handset - but have to leave your PC on with Outlook running.

Or, you can use Mail Connector which just needs to be on any PC that is left running in the office and can see the Exchange Server. It can support multiple users, I think up to 5, and I have heard it is quite powerful, but not well documented or publicised. You get it when setting up a new BIS account, something like this:

1. Enter your work email address and password
2. BIS service won't be able to find this from its list of ISP's
3. Tell it it is a work address
4. Tell it it is an Exchange Address (if you have OWA then BIS can access your mail directly through OWA)
5. But if you tell it you always use Outlook then you will be prompted to download Mail Connector.

Also I doubt Vodafone supports it - certainly nothing on their website. But I think it has advantage of reflecting read status and sent messages into your exchange sent folder.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.

freitasm

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#99639 12-Dec-2007 18:02

Objectivism: 4. Tell it it is an Exchange Address (if you have OWA then BIS can access your mail directly through OWA)

If you don't use self-issued certs. If you use self-issued certs then it won't work.

Good luck installing all this. I don't want this to become a "BlackBerry vs. Windows Mobile" but I like to think of this as a good example of bad Occam's Razor implementation ("All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best") meaning that if I have the choice of using Exchange and my device only or yet another server between my Exchange server and my device I rather not have the extra server in the middle - it's just one more thing to complicate implementation.

Also, why is that data roaming is $10 on Vodafone networks, but always $30 if you are using a BlackBerry, regardless of using a Vodafone network or not?

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