My Digital Life

Apple – Another Quarter, another Blowout!

Apple and the iPhone just keep trucking along with a record quarterly sale of 7.4 million iPhones and 440,000 Macs. The only disappointing news was slightly lower iPod sales, but Apple still holds 70%+ of the MP3 player market. Maybe the Zune HD is having an effect! (I had to say it)…

The interesting tidbit in all of this is that smartphone competitors are throwing everything they have at the iPhone and are barely dinging it. It seems that even the mighty Verizon is growing concerned and have now started to attack the iPhone with the Motorola Droid TV ad.

 That said Apple still has a formidable opponent; Research In Motion's BlackBerry holds 51% of the smartphone market (IDC), while the iPhones is at less than half with 22%. The basic reason is that Apple has neglected corporate functionality especially on the email front (when do we see full Exchange ActiveSync functionality?). Tim Cook's (Apple COO) response is that iPhone is being piloted or deployed in 50% of Fortune 100 companies and he is very pleased. From my contacts in the Federal government and corporations, IT is begrudgingly allowing the iPhone but they are not supporting it. This means users are on their own, which is very problematic for most users. Until Apple can show they are serious about corporate requirements they won't make a real dent in RIM's lead.

Exchange Tasks and the iPhone – My Environment for Now

After trying multiple approaches this is my current Exchange 2007 Tasks synchronization with the iPhone, here is my current configuration:

• PC – Outlook 2007 with ToodledoSync
• Web – Toodledo web site
• iPhone – TaskTask (Exchange Task Sync)

Since the only way to currently enable push notifications with Toodledo (they are working on it) is to set the "remind me" flag use the web site, I have decided to use TaskTask on my iPhone to manage tasks. I use a combination of the toodledo web site and Outlook on my PC.

This seems to work pretty well for now; I can add tasks to Exchange with TaskTask and set the "remind me" flag using the toodledo web site. "remind me" flag note: there can be a fluctuation of +/- 5 min on the notification time you set. I receive my push notification 4 minutes before the set time. It would be nice for Toodledo to remedy this, but I understand their concern about potential congestion on their systems and it is better to get an early notification then a late one.

I am also beta testing tasktask 1.1 which has some exciting features including support for Exchange 2003 and flagged email support for Exchange 2007 (this is a big one).

Exchange Tasks and the iPhone – Part 1

One of the many advantages of the iPhone is the inclusion of Exchange ActiveSync which allows email, contacts and calendar items to be pushed to the device. Although they are licensing ActiveSync from Microsoft, it seems that Apple is devoting little time to fully implement the ActiveSync functionality. One of the big holes is the lack of support for tasks. This does not seem to be an affront to Microsoft, the base iPhone OS has no support whatsoever for tasks. Maybe Apple does not believe in task management, hard to believe but here we are at OS 3.0 and users have to rely on third parties to provide any kind of task support on the iPhone.

If you search for "task" at AppShopper, the results include 690 applications with some sort of task functionality. Out of those I found three which synchronize directly with Exchange. TaskData, Tasks'n Notes, and TaskTask. Back in January, I plunked down $12.99 for TaskData. I had high hopes but even with the latest version 3, I have never been able to get it to work consistently with my GoDaddy Hosted Exchange account and for the price the support has been lackluster. Even though the application looks good, it sounds like the developer does not fully understand how to use the Exchange web services. I would recommend staying away from TaskData, especially for the price. Yesterday, I decided to try TaskTask, it is a new Exchange task application and for now is selling for $1.99. I was pleasantly surprised, the configuration uses the Exchange Autodiscover feature (worked with GoDaddy) and although the functionality is basic the synchronization is fast and so far it is working consistently. The only missing functionality I have found is the inability to set reminder times which I believe is an iPhone OS issue.

Hopefully that will come in time, but I wanted to explore the possibility of having task reminders. I found a somewhat convoluted solution which works with Apple's alert push model. I will describe the solution in part 2.

iPhone 3GS – 1 Week Later

With minor restore glitches and battery training issues, my overall first week impression of the 3GS is "speed". Apple was right in adding the "S" to the 3G moniker. Applications like Trip Cubby which were sluggish on the 3G, run smoothly on the 3GS. Everything is just faster from web page rendering to GPS acquisition.

I like the new auto focus camera; although I can't say that I have seen a dramatic improvement in picture quality.

I had noticed that the 3GS' screen was not as bright as the 3G and Jason Kneen mentions a yellow tint in his first impression post. I put both units side by side and he is absolutely correct. Although this picture taken with my Omnia i910 does not show the difference clearly, you can see that the 3GS on the right has a yellowish tint compared to the 3G on the left. It is not dramatic but enough to notice.

I am befuddled by the lack of a full Stereo/Remote control (A2DP/AVRCP) Bluetooth implementation. Although the sound quality is very good with my Motorola HT820 headphones, the lack of a full AVRCP (remote control) implementation has me puzzled. It is like they went a quarter of the way by implementing start/stop and answer/call last number dialed but no track forward/backward. I also found that the Bluetooth stack won't recognize A2DP on my Altec Lansing iMT 525 Bluetooth stereo speaker. It recognizes it as Hands Free device, but I suspect this could be an Altec Lansing issue since the Motorola HT820 headphones which are older paired which no issues.

The biggest issue I have had this week has been with the battery. It seems that battery needs multiple full charges before it starts providing enough power for my average usage day, but at this point I have to say that battery life is no better than the 3G.

All in all I find the 3GS with OS 3.0 are a good evolutionary upgrade, but Apple still has work to implement key Bluetooth and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync functionality. Bottom line I am sticking with the 3GS.

iPhone OS 3.0 Upgrade and Exchange ActiveSync (update)

With the help of Twitter's @TheBigHeavy, I was able to upgrade my iPhone 3G to 3.0 in about 30 minutes. The problem was that Apple's authorization servers were overloaded. To get around the problem you have to turn off or disable your network access once the update starts to extract itself. I disabled my network adapter and the update continued without flaw. Once the upgrade completed, 8 of my apps needed updates, it took several tries to get them downloaded and installed because of the iTunes store overload.

The big improvement I have been looking is with Exchange ActiveSync. Here is what I have found so far:

• Mail Folders to Push options allows you to select folders (cool, but you Sent items is not one of the choices and I like to have it synchronized)
• Calendar event invitee selection (that is a big one)
• Search
• New option to load remote images (on/off). This is like in Outlook.
• Landscape keyboard
• Notes are automatically synchronized
• Ability to attach multiple pictures

From Apple's Enterprise guide here is the list of ActiveSync functions which are not implemented:

• Folder management
• Opening links in email to documents stored on SharePoint servers
• Task synchronization
• Setting an "out of office" autoreply message
• Flagging messages for follow-up

Hopefully we won't have to wait another year for these functions to be implemented but unfortunately given Apple's track I think that is where we stand. That said the improvements in 3.0 bring ActiveSync usability close to Windows Mobile.

One the best features of the upgrade is the Search with server side functionality.

Microsoft Exchange e-mail server and mobility

In the late 1980s, Microsoft started developing an application for e-mail which became Exchange Server. Exchange Server is the most widely used corporate e-mail server in use today and the Gartner Group estimates that Exchange Server will attain a 70% market share by 2010.

I use Microsoft Exchange for my e-mail on the iPhone and Windows Mobile. It is one of the critical applications for businesses today, but how can you leverage the power for the individual. Here is a brief overview I wrote for pocketnow.com.

iPhone is slowly making its way into the Congress

Last week the Hill newspaper (via arstechnica) reported that "iPhones are a must-have for Congress". According to the Hill "The Chief Administrative Office (CAO), which oversees the communications systems for the House, has begun testing a small number of iPhones within its ranks to see if they are compatible with the working needs of lawmakers and staff.". The article goes on to say that their email system is currently not compatible with the iPhone because they use the Blackberry Enterprise server, but that is incorrect.

The House and Senate use Microsoft's Exchange server as their main internal email system. With version 2.x of the iPhone's firmware you are able to connect to the Microsoft Exchange server directly. There is no need for Blackberry's convoluted architecture (it was innovative in the 90's, but now seems archaic) which requires messages to be funneled to/from Exchange via Blackberry's Enterprise Server then to RIM's Network Operation Center (NOC) in Waterloo, Canada and finally transmitted to/from the cellular network. With the iPhone and Exchange everything happens over a secure SSL Internet connection directly to the House or Senate's Exchange server (Windows Mobile devices work the same way). There is no intermediary server or NOC required.

As pointed by the Hill, the major issue with the iPhone is whether the available functionality provides what congress needs. The lack of some key Exchange ActiveSync functionality like email search, and creating appointment invitations may hamper its adoption, but I understand the move is on by many staffers on the Senate side to switch to the iPhone even though they are paying for the devices themselves and have to sign a document stating that they will not receive any support. It is now up to Apple to ramp up its Exchange ActiveSync functionality and make it harder for congress' IT organizations to stem the trend towards the iPhone.

Quarterly sales of Exchange Mobile ActiveSync surpasses RIM's Blackberry Exchange client

The Microsoft Exchange group understood the power of the iPhone when they licensed Exchange ActiveSync to Apple. Last night Apple reported sales of 6.9 million iPhones in the last quarter. According to Steve Jobs, this outpaced sales RIM's Blackberry sales for the quarter. Since every iPhone is shipped with Exchange ActiveSync they are capable of connecting with Exchange Server, however for now I am sure there is only a small percentage of iPhone users like myself which connect to Exchange. This is mainly due to corporate IT blocking the iPhone and the lack of marketing of Hosted Exchange Services for individuals and small businesses. Apple also chose to implement the minimum functionality for Exchange ActiveSync to work, but they have a dedicated team working on adding key features like the ability to create invites to calendar appointments and synchronizing tasks.

As of today Apple says that they have sold more than 10 million iPhones this year. At this point I am not sure how the Blackberry and Windows Mobile fend off Apple's attack. Today is also when T-Mobile's Android based G1 goes on sale in retail stores, I will be curious to see if any lines are forming... There are reports of 1.5 million units pre-orders, I seriously doubt it, but that does not rule out the G1 being a success for T-Mobile and according to reviews it is somewhat a worthy competitor to the iPhone. I think the iPhone needs a competitor to keep Apple on its toes, unfortunately I think the G1 is the closest one we have. The HTC Touch Diamond/Pro/HD, the Samsung Omnia and Sony/Ericsson X1 are all very good attempts at making Windows Mobile more of a touch environment but they are hobbled by what is now considered an archaic user interface paradigm. I am sure some will differ and praise the paradigm as more efficient, but that does not mean it is user friendly or intuitive. I think it is clear that the overall marketplace has decided that touch is better than using a stylus. The lessons of the current marketplace is probably why Microsoft has chosen to delay the launch of Windows Mobile 7. They have a lot of work to do...

To paraphrase Mark Twain, I think that reports of Windows Mobile and Blackberry's death have been greatly exagerated. The smartphone's marketplace is huge, Windows Mobile and Blackberry both currently have a lock on corporate smartphone use, and Apple has a ways to go to meet corporate functionality needs. But with Apple current quarterly results the marketplace has spoken and even though it is the consumer who has chosen the iPhone hands down, Windows Mobile and Blackberry need to step up or in the long run they could become a casualty.

I think the good news for Windows Mobile is the appointment Terry Myerson as corporate vice president of the mobile communications product group. Myerson oversaw the successful re engineering of the Exchange platform into Exchange 2007. Hopefully he can make Windows Mobile 7 a success, until then I am sticking with the iPhone.

GoDaddy Hosted Exchange - Forwarding to multiple email addresses

The problem: I use several alias email addresses to forward emails to myself and my wife. For example when I make a travel reservations I use an email alias called travel@mydomain.com to receive the confirmation. This eliminates the need for me to manually forward the confirmation to my wife. The problem with the GoDaddy Hosted Exchange service is that their Microsoft Email Manager Email Forward feature only allows you to forward to one email address. With GoDaddy's standard SMTP email service, you can forward to multiple addresses.

The resolution: GoDaddy's Hosted Exchange Service does allow you to create Exchange Server rules which can be executed when email arrives in your inbox. Here are the steps I use:

1. Create forward using GoDaddy's Microsoft Email manager under Email Forwards. The display name is the alias email address you want to use and the forward to address is your email address.
2. In Oultook 2007, go to Tools/Rules and Alerts.
3. Under the E-Mail Rules tab, click on New Rule.
4. Under the Start from Blank Rule section, click on Check messages when they arrive.
5. Click Next.
6. Select the check box next to sent to people or distribution list.
7. Click on the hyperlinked people or distribution list (in rule at bottom)
8. Select (double click) the email alias you created in the GoDaddy Microsoft Email manager (step 1). You may have to select the Global Address List under Address Book to view the email aliases.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Next.
11. Select the check box next to redirect it to people or distribution list.
12. Click on the hyperlinked people or distribution list (in rule at bottom).
13. Select (double click) the email address you want the email forwarded to.
14. Click Finish.
15. Click OK.

Now every time an email comes from an alias address you created in the GoDaddy Microsoft Email manager (step 1), it will automatically be forwarded to the other individuals you specified in the redirect step 11/12. These rules will run even when you are not signed in to your email account.

GoDaddy Hosted Exchange service - 2 weeks later

Two weeks after switching to GoDaddy's Microsoft email service, that is what they call their Hosted Exchange sevice which I think confuses people, I am very satisfied with the service. The iPhone and AT&T networks is working well with push email with messages arriving almost simultaneously with those in Outlook 2007.

My friends and colleagues are now starting to switch. The only issues so far have been:

1. 4smartphone required an entry in the hosts file to make Exchange's autodiscover feature work. That entry must be deleted.
2. We found one PC which is unable to find or connect to GoDaddy's Exchange server and are currently thinking that is PC related since we have been able to successfully create profiles for the same account on 2 other PCs. I will update when we find the issue.
3. Calendar items with invitees created under the 4smartphone account sometimes are not modifiable. Exchange tells you that you are not the owner. Updating your organizer email address in the item solves the problem.

In conclusion, the switch has been seamless and it was worth it from cost standpoint and better integration with my domain name DNS.