Android and Exchange Support?

[paradigm]

I'll be the first to admit that Android is just one of those things I've never had to use, to be honest I just don't see the point, if I want a more relaxed mobile computing platform I'll use WinMo as I have a million apps in a back catalogue from years of WinMo ownership, and if I want something "swish" I'll just stick to my company provided iPhone.

However, one of the finance guys at work has obtained what I think is an HTC Magic (vodafone branded, white thing), and has come to me to see if he can sync his work emails, calendar and contacts to it. From a network and security perspective I have no objections to this, but from what I can tell from playing with the device, it only supports POP3 and IMAP. Surely this can't be right, as if so that is utterly crap for something that is supposed to be a SMART phone.

Is there something I'm missing here, something obvious? Is it a case of Vodafone firmware being locked down? Or am I actually right in my earlier diagnosis?

Cheers.

 

[paradigm]

Nah, won't be cooking ROMs just for a personal mobile phone of an employee.

At least this has confirmed my thoughts that android is nothing but a toy and still isn't serious enough to be a business platform.

I'll stick with WinMo, BlackBerry and iPhone.

 

[paradigm]

Classic

Nice rolleyes, but you can stick them back in your android loving head.

If it doesn't have Exchange support out of the box, it isn't a serious contender for a business platform. WinMo might not be an intuitive or nice platform for someone to strut about with, but at least it comes with Exchange push out of the box, and has done since 2003SE.

 

[paradigm]

It's a HTC Magic - a low end consumer level Android device released well over a year ago.

And well over 6 years since exchange push support became available on low the cheaper SMART phones, such as my qtec S200.

So what I've basically said is that android (not the hardware) is NOT a suitable business platform.

 

[paradigm]

So what? It's a cheap and cheerful base model handset, you are writing off an entire OS because a previous version of it on a base handset didn't have a feature you wanted?

Current proper Android devices have exchange support as standard.



Based on your experience of one cheap kids phone running an old OS. Nice.

Since when does the hardware level affect the software functions that the device can support? It's not like I'm asking for hardware assisted GPS or the ability to take HD quality video, I just want it to use its internet connection to communicate via OMA, something that even S60 Nokias have done for years.

Are you saying that S60 isn't an OLD OS? What about WinMo 2003SE?

 

[paradigm]

There are plenty of Exchange capable apps for Android FYI.

That integrate with the standard Android suite of calendar/email/contacts? For free?

 

[paradigm]

It doesn't matter what 1.5 will or will not support because it isn't found on the high end Android devices.

But it was at one point? At one point that was AFTER the introduction of Exchange Push on mobile devices?

Yeah, I'll leave you to your toy.

Exchange support is only part of the package, the whole OS felt vile, but I didn't want a discussion about the OS as a whole, just its usefulness as a business platform hinged on Exchange support. You go back to your photocopying or whatever you do, and leave the rolling out of technology to those of us who's job it actually is.