[bynkii]

One thing to keep in mind about ActiveSync is that it's not just Exchange. Kerio, Zimbra, Communigate Pro, and from what I could tell, but not verify, Notes all support ActiveSync to talk to mobile devices. This opens a lot of doors for the iPhone, not just Exchange shops.

[bynkii]

lantzn said:

How does Entourage work with Exchange Server? Can this Activesync license help make Entourage work better with Exchange? I hate how things just don't work the same as is does with Outlook on our PC. Every now and then I have to jump from my Mac over to the PC to do something I can't do in Entourage.

http://www.microsoft...03-06EASqa.mspx

ActiveSync is specifically targeted at mobile devices, i.e. lots of reading, some writing. It doesn't, IIRC, support things Entourage needs like Delegation, folder sharing, etc. Using ActiveSync would not be a good thing for Entourage.

Right now, Entourage primarily uses HTTP-DAV for its Exchange connections, but with 2008, has started moving towards Web Services. This is A Good Thing, as Microsoft is deprecating BOTH HTTP-DAV and MAPI in favor of Web Services for Exchange connections. The downside is, you need at least Exchange 2007 to use Web Services.

[bigpics]

Apple talking enterprise!!
That's a big event in and of itself.
Because it might mean they'll eventually finally get serious about creating a range of computers that will appeal to IT buyers, and finally give us a headless Mac smaller than a battleship and cheaper than a Maserati.
That, of course, assumes PC's aren't already on the way to endangered status by increasing miniaturization.....

[Olu]

I don't think developers have access to the dock port.

The gaming apps you mention already exist ;-) and are quite fun to play.

[producer]

I was initially excited about this announcement until I got this from our IT dept:
"Exchange synchronization using the Activesync protocol wona??t, unfortunately, meet our rather tough security standards. Main iPhone showstoppers at this point appear to be 1) no support by Motorola Good (our approved Exchange sync solution), 2) no encryption of data on the device, 3) no antivirus application, and 4) no encryption of data traffic."
I would imagine Motorola will port Good to the iPhone. Anyone heard any grumbling about encryption and antivirus?

[samrod]

When I asked an iPhone engineer at MW07 when the iPhone was introduced, and according to a comment by Apple in today's event, developers have the same "access" to the dock as they do to iPod docks.

Even the paddle ball thing exists that uses the vibrator as force feedback? Damn, I thought that was my idea! :(

[jimchick]

Great news! Now if they would only get away from At&T who I
refuse to do business with based on terrible past experiences.

[bynkii]

producer said:

I was initially excited about this announcement until I got this from our IT dept:

"Exchange synchronization using the Activesync protocol wona??t, unfortunately, meet our rather tough security standards. Main iPhone showstoppers at this point appear to be 1) no support by Motorola Good (our approved Exchange sync solution), 2) no encryption of data on the device, 3) no antivirus application, and 4) no encryption of data traffic."

Goodlink is for people who don't want to use ActiveSync, or are doing quite a bit more than just syncing exchange data.

there's nothing saying there isn't encryption of data on the device either. There's no AV because there's no malware for the iPhone yet, (and honestly, AV on devices eats CPU they can't spare). As far as no encryption of data traffic, you mean besides things like SSL et al?

Quote

I would imagine Motorola will port Good to the iPhone. Anyone heard any grumbling about encryption and antivirus?

I hope they don't. Goodlink was a great product until Motoral fuxx0r3d it all up. It's why we dropped it and went to activesync. As far as encryption and AV, no, not yet, because no one's had a chance to actually USE the enterprise enhancements.

[producer]

Understood. There's no convincing our IT guys, though. They are locking our network down ultra tight to try and comply with some sort of credit card standard or something. Some of the measures they are taking seem to be over the top. The people who are using Good on their Treo's and AT&T devices that are running Windows mobile get frustrated beyond belief with how unstable those units are. Does that make a difference with our IT guys? Nope. All I can do is keep asking and keep pushing data in front of them. Is there anything you can point me to that will help them understand the benefits of activesync over Good?

[dannyg000]

Will all of this push technology work with Leopard Server Mail Server and iCal Server? I did not see it specificaly mentioned, but I would hope that the can make it work on their own server as well

[bynkii]

producer said:

Understood. There's no convincing our IT guys, though. They are locking our network down ultra tight to try and comply with some sort of credit card standard or something. Some of the measures they are taking seem to be over the top. The people who are using Good on their Treo's and AT&T devices that are running Windows mobile get frustrated beyond belief with how unstable those units are. Does that make a difference with our IT guys? Nope. All I can do is keep asking and keep pushing data in front of them. Is there anything you can point me to that will help them understand the benefits of activesync over Good?

Depends on what they're using Goodlink for. If it's for application and device management, then probably not. ActiveSync does support SSL, so you can encrypt the connection at the very least, and Apple did mention 2-factor auth support. WIthout knowing more about your setup, there's no good answer, although ActiveSync does tend to be cheaper.

[stevenchagar]

Surely you jest! They can't even give a consistent connection with the phone and their ringer and voice mail reminder ring is a joke! If I am not holding the phone or in a completly quiet environment you can't hear the ring! The connection is weak and drops calls all the time! The speed of the internet is fine, but with out solid basic functions there won't be a company anywhere that trust their valuable time with an unreliable phone!

[BILLinBCN]

Of course the key to any business application is interoperability.
Apple software doesn't penetrate in the Business world. To really bring
value to the market, the new iPhone applications need to bridge the gap
between Apple software and MS Office, Outlook, Lotus, and other popular
business tools.

Here's some of my list: See the rest at BroodingSavage.com:

1) Document Editing/Creation:

2) RSS Reader:

3) VoIP:

4) Instant Messaging & Push E-mail:

5) Calendar Lookup and Scheduling:

6) Synchronized Task List: