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The Reason Wi-Fi Support Was Removed from ActiveSync
Posted by: Steve on Nov 12 2006 - 1,124 viewsHere’s a great article by Ed Hardy about why Wifi was removed from activesync.
Easily the most controversial change made when Microsoft released ActiveSync 4.0 was the removal of support for synchronizing over Wi-Fi. Many people don’t understand why a feature that had been available for years was abruptly removed.
In a recent post on the Windows Mobile Team Blog, Mike Calligaro explains why this change was made. It essentially comes down to the fact that there’s no encryption in the standard form of ActiveSync, so it’s possible for a hacker to intercept the information if it’s being wirelessly exchanged.
In addition, ActiveSync doesn’t work very hard to be sure the device attempting to synchronize is actually the correct device and not an unauthorized one masquerading as the real one.
For these reasons Microsoft decided that doing ActiveSync over a Wi-Fi connection was too insecure and removed the feature.
ActiveSync vs. Exchange ActiveSync
Adding some confusion to this issue is the fact that it’s still possible to synchronize a Windows Mobile device with a Microsoft Exchange server over Wi-Fi.
As Calligaro explains, despite their similar names and similar functions, ActiveSync and Exchange ActiveSync are two different applications, and the Exchange version was designed from the beginning with encryption built into it.
Maybe Someday
It has not escaped Microsoft’s attention that there are many Windows Mobile users who want Wi-Fi support added back to the standard version of ActiveSync.
"I can tell you definitively that the team responsible wants to re-enable desktop ActiveSync over Wi-Fi," is Calligaro’s response. "But I have to also tell you that they have a lot of other things they need to do first. I can’t tell you when you’ll get your Wi-Fi back."
Go to original post here
Technorati tags: Wifi, Activesync, Removed, Ed Hardy, Microsoft Blog
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Subscribe to the comments for this postNew Contest - 5 Free InvisibleShields from ShieldZone
Posted by: Steve on Oct 16 2006 - 1,437 views
Contest Deadline: November 30th 2006 - 6:00pm US CST
Here’s a bonus contest for this Monday, with a brand new sort of prize, and a very nice one at that!. ShieldZone have been generous enough to offer 5 of our readers a free InvisibleShield.
What is an InvisibleShield? The InvisibleShield is an amazing protective film that protects the device from any scratches. Jim Rossman of the Dallas Morning News best summarizes the InvisibleShield with "Bottom line: I won’t own an iPod without an invisibleSHIELD."
The InvisibleShield is an amazing add on for any gear on the go. I’m personally using one on my iPod and HTC Apache and I tell ya, it’s amazing. Applying it is a little bit tricky, but after thinking about it, the Shield goes on like a piece to a puzzle. My full review and "how to/tricks/tips to apply screen protectors" will be up soon. Good luck to everyone!
Read on for details on How To Win …
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Pocketnow’s new contest!
Posted by: Steve on Sep 30 2006 - 929 views"Dell Axim x50/51/v owners: We’ve partnered with Proporta to create the Dell Axim Awesome Accessory Kit that includes six items: a Magnesium case, a Aluminum case, an Alu-Leather case, a retractable USB sync cable, a 3 in 1 stylus, and best of all – a 2GB SD card with built in USB, which costs over $100 alone! That’s a total of more than $250 worth of Dell Axim accessories!
To enter the contest, you’ll need your imagination. If you were a product engineer over at Dell working on a new Windows Mobile device that is to improve upon the great features of the current Axim line, what would it look like? What types of features would it have? Would it include cell phone connectivity? The most creative entry will be chosen as the winner. Photoshop prototypes will add value to your entry.
Post your submission into the discussion thread of this contest. The winner will be chosen Friday, 6 October, at 12:00PM Pacific. Good luck!"
Head over to pocketnow.com and enter this contest to win yourself some awesome Dell Axim toys! It looks like a very fun and rewarding contest. Kudos to Pocketnow.com
Direct link to the contest below:
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Palm Treo 700wx for Sprint reviewed by Mobile Tech Review
Posted by: Steve on Sep 03 2006 - 1,442 views" Palm and Sprint have a better solution— equip the
Treo 700w with twice the memory, bringing it up to the standard Windows
Mobile Pocket PC 64 megs of RAM. And thus we have the Treo 700wx on
Sprint. The 700wx is otherwise nearly identical to the Treo 700w reviewed here. In fact, you’ll notice some shared editorial copy because there are only so many ways to say it has a 240 x 240 pixel display 
. Other than the much needed memory boost, the Treo 700wx differs in the following ways:
1) More memory (we just wanted to say that again, it’s really important)
2) Bluetooth DUN (dial up networking)
3) Microsoft’s AKU2 Microsoft Security and Messaging Feature Pack
(MSFP) which means Direct Push email when used with Exchange 2003 mail
servers and bug fixes
4) Good Mobile Messaging bundled with the device (though you must pay for the service if you wish to use it)"
Alas it is out and running! This looks to be the perfect Treo. 64mb ram, great Palm software, and awesome form factor. Actually, the only thing that could be drastically improved is the screen resolution. Bring it up to 480X480 and I’ll go buy one for the crazy prices that they charge when your still in contract.
Click here to read the full review over at Mobile Tech Roundup…
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MoTR Gone Mobile Friendly. JAMM soon to follow?
Posted by: Steve on Aug 28 2006 - 919 viewsMobile Tech Roundup, a mobile podcast run by Kevin Tofel, James Kendrick, and Matt Miller over at www.mobiletechroundup.com, has just gone Mobile friendly! If you point your mobile browser over there you will be able to see a stripped down text only version of their webpage and download their Podcast with only one tap away.
Now here’s the interesting bit that I saw in their post.
"A big shout out goes to Alex King for the awesome WordPress plugin that does all of the heavy lifting here. If you’ve got a WordPress blog and want to make it mobile, stop over at Alex’s site for the plugin."
It looks like Alex King’s wee bit of code, located here, is able to turn Wordpress sites into fully mobile friendly sites. This could be interesting for the development of JustAnotherMobileMonday and other Wordpress sites.
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Onyx Concept on ClearPad Technology- Advance TouchScreen input + Dynamic UI
Posted by: Steve on Aug 21 2006 - 1,233 views
Instead of having physical hardware buttons to control mobile electronics, Synaptics decides to utilize their ClearPad Technology in a mobile environment so that the User Interface evolves and adapts to suit the users current needs. In other words, the dynamic User Interface will eliminate the need for traditional buttons and should be easier for the user to customize to his or her own needs. You ask, don’t touch screen based devices such as Windows Mobile Phones already offer the capability to customize the UI? Well yes, but no current touch screen device offers Synaptics ClearPad Technology. Synatics own website reveals,
"ClearPad is based on Synaptics’ proprietary sensing technology, and will offer unique capabilities such as two finger input, proximity sensing, text entry and high resolution finger input that can dramatically improve and enhance the user experience with a touch screen."
"The ClearPad accurately recognizes not only points and taps, but also shapes, complex gestures, and proximity to the user’s finger or cheek. This creates new possibilities such as assigning functions to two-finger taps, closing tasks by swiping an ‘X’ over them, sending messages by swiping them off the screen, or answering a phone by holding it up to your cheek. The prototype phone uses a dynamic UI, where applications are layered and opened simultaneously, allowing a seamless flow of information between applications," Synaptics said.
The concept of having a dynamic UI and advance touch screen input is great, but I’m not sure how valid Synaptics’ statement is on "no longer requiring traditional buttons". I believe that when a touch screen is capable of giving full tactile feedback just like physical buttons is when physical buttons will no longer be required. But if phone companies begin adopting the ClearPad input system in addition to the current hardware buttons, navigation on mobile devices, especially phones, should be a whole lot easier. From the looks of it the technology shouldn’t be hard to implement at all. "ClearPad is a thin, high resolution capacitive touch screen that can be placed over any viewable surface for finger input. Additionally, because ClearPad is solid state, it can be curved and mounted beneath plastics, offering mobile designers an opportunity to create sleek and stylized industrial designs." Says Synaptics Website. I guess the only barrier is cost.
For the time being, kudos to Synaptics for releasing such an interesting concept.
For more information regarding the Onyx Concept and ClearPad input, check out the official website here…
Tags: ClearPad, Synaptics, Just Another Mobile Monday
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