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Apple pushes iOS 6.1.2 with Exchange bug fix

Jon Fingas — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:13:00 -0500

Apple said it was working on a solution for the Exchange bug in iOS 6.1, and that's what it delivered: iOS 6.1.2 has appeared for all devices to address the calendar flaw. The release is targeted and doesn't appear to fix much if anything else, but we'll keep our ears to the ground for more. For now, check for an update in iTunes or on-device to cure at least some of your iOS gear's recent battery woes.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Apple

Apple says iOS 6.1 Exchange bug will be zapped in 'upcoming release'

Steve Dent — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:55:00 -0500

Apple's iOS and Microsoft Exchange Server have been cronies for quite awhile now, but since iOS 6 there's been some issues. The latest rift is a version 6.1 recurring calendar event bug that causes "excessive communication" if you respond to an exception error. Cupertino's identified the problem and says a fix is incoming, though it didn't specify exactly when -- and iOS 6.1.1 just hit devices to fix network connectivity issues, so it may not be imminent. Meanwhile, Apple advises that you not respond to the exception and to disable, then enable any Exchange calendars that run amok -- which should keep you BYOD-ing in the interim.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple

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Via: The Verge

Source: Apple

Google to continue offering Exchange ActiveSync support on Windows Phones through July 31st

Brad Molen — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:58:00 -0500

Today is the day that Google has been planning to shut off its support for Exchange ActiveSync, but it appears that the company has had a slight change of heart. Google has confirmed that it will allow Windows Phones to access Google Sync services for an additional six months, ending on July 31st. This move will allow Microsoft a little extra breathing room, giving the company more time to determine how to best resolve the concern that will affect countless Gmail fans that currently use Windows Phone as their primary driver; according to a blog post (linked below), Microsoft has indeed confirmed that it's working on building CalDAV and CardDAV support into Windows Phone.

We reached out to Google and received this confirmation: "As announced last year, our plan is to end support for new device connections using Google Sync starting January 30, 2013. With the launch of CardDAV, it's now possible to build a seamless sync experience using open protocols (IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV) for Gmail, Google Calendar and Contacts. We'll start rolling out this change as planned across all platforms but will continue to support Google Sync for Windows Phone until July 31, 2013."

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft, Google

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Via: The Verge

Outlook.com hits 25 million users, gets an Android app to call its own

Jon Fingas — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:58:00 -0500

Microsoft launched Outlook.com as much to lure Gmail users as to cast off some of its Hotmail baggage, and there's signs the strategies might be working. About 25 million are frequently using Outlook.com four months into its fledgling existence, with a third of total users being curious Gmail fans; neither figure will challenge the webmail status quo, but they reflect how far the service has come since the 10 million of the first two weeks. The company is marking the occasion with faster archiving, more shortcuts and more color themes in the web client. For some, though, the real reason to celebrate may be a dedicated Outlook.com app for Android. While it's not revolutionary (there's clear traces of the Hotmail app), it provides an avenue for Exchange-based messaging on a platform where access still isn't guaranteed. We're not expecting legions to switch to Outlook.com just for these updates, especially not among an Android contingent that has Gmail almost as a matter of course; Microsoft might not mind if the upgrades at least keep existing converts from drifting back.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Microsoft

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Source: Google Play, Outlook Blog

Some Apple stores offering exchanges on iPads purchased in the last 30 days

Terrence O'Brien — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:19:00 -0400

We get it, some of you are feeling a little burned by the iPad update today. It was only about eight months ago that Apple's slate was last refreshed with the stunning Retina display, now its gotten a subtle, but hardly negligible spec bump. If you're having a little bit of buyer's remorse and only made the plunge in the last 30 days, you might be in luck. According to CNET, at least one Apple store (the Stockton Street branch in San Francisco) is offering a free upgrade to a fourth-gen iPad for those that picked up the 9.7-inch tablet in the last month. However, a manager at the 5th Ave shop in NYC told us this isn't a company-wide policy. Instead its up to individual stores to decide whether or not to offer the extended exchange period, or simply stick with the standard 14-day return policy. We called a few locations and most don't appear to be willing to make the trade, though the branch in the Mall at Millenia in Orlando, FL is playing ball. We can't guarantee success, but it can't hurt to give your local shop a call.

Filed under: Tablets

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: CNET

Early iOS 6 adopters report problems getting Exchange push email: are you affected?

Jon Fingas — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:27:00 -0400

We all know about the central issue surrounding iOS 6. For the suits and ties among us, however, there's a potentially more glaring problem with Exchange support. Some users quick to upgrade to Apple's latest mobile OS report losing automatic push delivery of their email, requiring that they check for themselves to get any fresh messages. The issue isn't carrier- or device-specific, and attempts to reboot, reconfigure or restore devices are at best temporary fixes: what flows smoothly at first runs dry several hours later. Apple technicians are aware that the flaw exists, but it's tough to know if and when engineers will have a fix -- the company typically waits until it has a solution in hand before it goes on the record. We've reached out to Apple for a possible comment all the same. In the meantime, let us know if your Exchange access (or push data as a whole) is going awry.

[Thanks, Daniel]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, Mobile

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Source: Apple Support Communities

Apple posts OS X 10.8.1 update, mends your Mountain Lion

Jon Fingas — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:31:00 -0400

There's a special moment in every operating system's life when it loses its innocent .0 status and grows up. It's OS X Mountain Lion's turn to mature, as Apple has just pushed out the 10.8.1 update for early adopters. Most of the fixes are for issues that plague specific use cases, such as audio output from a Thunderbolt Display or crashes in Migration Assistant. There are a few remedies that a wider audience might appreciate -- a fix for iMessages that don't send and an improvement to Exchange compatibility in Mail, for example. We don't yet know of any surprises lurking underneath, but it can't hurt to have a smoother-running Mac while we investigate.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

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Via: 9to5 Mac

Source: Apple

Verizon adds Office 365 to Small Business Essentials, gives small businesses more mobile productivity tools

Michael Gorman — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 14:23:00 -0400

Fresh off unveiling Office 365's cloud app model last month, Microsoft has teamed up with Verizon to add the productivity suite to Big Red's Small Business Essentials service. Similar to the Governmental version of Office 365, small businesses can gain access to Office web apps, SharePoint website design tools, Exchange email and calendar service, plus Lync messaging. Best part is, it's just six bucks a month per user, and most all enterprise customers are taken care of: the tools are available on Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone. Want to know more? PR awaits after the break.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile

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Microsoft details the People app, its cloud-connected address book for Windows 8

Zachary Lutz — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:28:00 -0400

If you've yet to try the Release Preview of Windows 8 for yourself, fear not, because along with our detailed impressions, Microsoft is catering to your trepidation with a series of blog entries on its MSDN site that explore the nitty-gritty details of its latest OS. In the latest installment, we're given an in-depth preview of the People app, a cloud-connected address book that promises to be one of the many centerpieces in the Metro environment. For starters, Windows Phone users are bound to feel right at home, as the address book relies on cloud services to populate the entries from sources such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Twitter. Not only does this ensure that one's address book is always accessible and up-to-date -- friend removals come to mind -- it also brings quick access to social feeds via the "What's new" section and lets you keep tabs on specific contacts via live tiles on the home screen.

By leveraging APIs known as contracts, Windows 8 makes the address book available to other apps such as Mail and Messaging, along with other programs written to take advantage of the service. One of the hurdles Microsoft is working to overcome with its cloud-connected services are the inevitable duplicate contacts. Currently, Windows 8 does a pretty good job of identifying and linking multiple accounts to one individual, but for the rare exceptions, the company will soon add the ability to manually edit and link various accounts to specific contacts. Naturally, with such a connected approach, security could be an issue for businesses, and for this reason, one's Exchange contacts will not be synced with their Microsoft account. In this scenario, users must manually add their Exchange accounts for each device they use. Take one look at the length of the MSDN blog entry and you'll be left wondering how Microsoft employees find time to code, but it makes for a worthwhile read.

Filed under: Mobile

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Samsung announces Galaxy Note 10.1 at MWC (update: hands-on photos!)

Daniel Cooper — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:00:00 -0500

Samsung's announced another 10.1-inch tablet to join its burgeoning collection of slates. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an S-Pen toting variant of the similarly sized-and-named Galaxy Tab. It's running Touchwiz-infused ICS on a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM, but here's the answer to the question on everyone's lips: nope, you can't use it as a phone. Sadly you'll only have access to HSPA+, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0, dashing our hopes of using this as our primary cellphone to annoy people on the train. The 10.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) display is nestled opposite a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and beside a 2-megapixel one for video conferencing. S-Pen specific features include S Note for scrawling text, Shape Match and Formula Match (to digitize images and mathematical formulae) -- but more importantly is the ability to use Adobe's new Photoshop Touch and Ideas, which will both come pre-installed.

If you'd rather use the slate as one of the world's largest sat-navs, you'll be relieved to know it's packing both GPS and Glonass. For the businesspersons of you out there, there's Exchange ActiveSync, on-device encryption, Juniper Junos Pulse and Cisco VPNs. It'll come in 16, 32 and 64GB variations, with a microSD slot for you to add up to a further 32GBs into the mix. It's clear that Samsung's bisecting its tablet business: purely touch-driven devices will now be branded as a "Tab" and anything with a ~~stylus~~ S-Pen will be suffixed with "Note." Pricing and availability are currently unspecified, but we'll do our best to shanghai that information out of a passing company rep when we see one.

Update: We've added a gallery of hands-on photos just below.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 hands-on

Gallery: Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, compared

Brad Molen contributed to this report.

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RIM welcomes Office 365 users into the fold with BlackBerry Business Cloud Services

Zachary Lutz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:04:00 -0500

For wary Office 365 enterprises who've been reluctant to dip their toes into the beta pond, today will certainly be memorable in the IT room: Research in Motion has gone ahead and blessed BlackBerry Business Cloud Services as ready for prime time. The software, which has been in beta stage since October, allows BlackBerry users to easily integrate with their firm's Office 365 deployment. Users can expect synchronization with their Exchange email, contacts and calendars, along with the ability to remotely wipe or lock their data should the device go missing. Likewise, IT gurus may take advantage of remote administration and wireless activation of the handsets. The software is free and will work for all medium-sized and enterprise subscribers of Office 365. So go ahead and uncork that dusty bottle of champagne, or absent that, feel free to flavor up the Folgers a bit. The press release just after the break, and you'll definitely want to prepare yourself.

Filed under: Mobile

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Deutsche Bank ditches BlackBerry for iPhone, Apple puts chink in RIM's enterprise armor

Christopher Trout — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:45:00 -0500

For years, suit-and-tie circles have bowed to BlackBerry as the king of corporate communication, but iOS has been creeping in on enterprise territory, calling into question RIM's sovereignty in the boardroom. The folks at Deutsche Bank Equity Research struck the most recent blow to RIM's enterprise dominance with the announcement that they'll buck BlackBerry for iPhone, following a trial using Good Technology's secure email app. The company tested the app in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange Server, delivering AES 192-encrypted email and calendar data to employees, and, according to the firm's research analyst, the iPhone proved an easier and faster solution to BlackBerry. Last summer, AT&T announced that 40 percent of iPhone sales are enterprise, and we just reported on RIM's possible move to devices beyond the BlackBerry. We're not saying it's off to the guillotine with the old standard bearer, but it definitely looks like there are new contenders for the enterprise crown.

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Verizon outs Mobile Email 4.0: true push and Exchange support for dumbphones

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:01:00 -0500

We imagine that the lion's share of people that need Exchange email access are getting it on a BlackBerry or some other manner of smartphone, but Verizon's covering all its bases here today with the release of Mobile Email 4.0, a dumbphone-compatible release that lets even some of the cheapest handsets in Big Red's lineup (the Octane, Cosmos Touch, and Zeal are specifically called out) in on the corporate action. Besides Exchange support, the release includes a "true push experience," an all-new UI, and Outlook calendar synchronization -- the perfect companion to Exchange email compatibility. It's available now for free if you're on a data plan of at least $15 a month, or for $5 a month with a pay-as-you-go data option. Follow the break for the press release.

Filed under: Mobile

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Dell offering free Venue Pros to employees in exchange for their BlackBerrys

Vlad Savov — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:53:00 -0400

You'd think working for a big tech company would have its gadget-related perks and in Dell's case that's very much true. The big PC vendor has demonstrated its commitment to building up its own smartphone services by offering to trade employees' old and busted BlackBerry devices for the shiny new hotness that is the Venue Pro. If everyone takes up Round Rock on its offer, there'll be 25,000 RIM smartphones looking for new homes soon, along with a sprightly start to Windows Phone 7's time in the limelight. The Wall Street Journal reports this'll cut Dell's mobile communications bill by a quarter, thanks to no longer having to support BlackBerry servers, while also noting that Android variants will be made available in the future as well. Where there's Lightning, there's gotta be Thunder, right?

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Peek 9 is nine times faster than Pronto, adds PeekMaps, weather, Twitter, and Facebook

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:59:00 -0400

It's official. The latest Peek -- dubbed the Peek 9 -- is up and dancing with a full list of features. The hubbub boils down to speed improvements thanks to revamped software that claims to reduce lag and sluggishness experienced when connecting to newly enhanced Peek servers. While the hardware appears unchanged, it's still said to offer better reception and be 9 times faster (hence the name) than the Peek Pronto. The 9 comes pre-loaded with native Twitter and Facebook apps with ActiveSync support tossed in for Exchange. They've also added PeekMaps and weather apps to give you an idea of where you are in Google Maps and what the weather forecast is for that location. Rounding things out is the Streams RSS reader; the ability to view Word, PDF, and spreadsheet attachments; and a new Peektop Apps feature that lets you transform Peek into a "tailor-made mobile productivity machine," whatever that means. Peak 9 is priced at $69.99 or $99.99 plus two months of contract-free service (sorry, no lifetime service offering at the moment). After that, the Peek service will cost you $19.95/mth or as little as $9.95/mth for 24 months. Of course, with the 9's broader communications focus beyond just Twitter or eMail, we really have to wonder why anyone would buy this instead of a much smarter featurephone -- a Nokia C3, for example, can be had in the US unlocked for just $129.

Gallery: Peek 9 is nine times faster than Pronto, adds PeekMaps, weather, Twitter, and Facebook

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Debunk: 'camera' reference in iPad configuration policy is likely a copy-paste error, not evidence of new iPad

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:43:00 -0400

Look, we don't doubt for a second that Apple's working on an iPad with a front-facing camera to support FaceTime. That's the obvious next step in Apple's relentless, iterative product-refresh cycle that keeps the money rolling in. But a story loose on the interwebs claiming "evidence" of Apple's intent is likely bunk, having more to do with a copy and paste error made by a low-level tech writer than Apple inadvertently revealing plans for the next generation iPad. As the story goes, Apple tipped its hand by adding a bullet to its "iPad in Business" deployment overview document describing the ability to restrict the iPad's non-existent camera via Exchange policy or configuration profiles. Thing is, the text is a word-for-word copy of the existing "iPhone in Business" document as shown in the image above. Move along folks, nothing to see here... literally, Apple already removed the camera bullet from the iPad document.

Filed under: Tablets

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Apple patches iOS 4 Exchange issue

Nilay Patel — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:43:00 -0400

It hasn't gotten quite the attention of the iPhone 4's antenna problems or its proximity sensor troubles, but iOS 4 has caused some heartbreak for corporate users who connect to Exchange servers -- checking mail or syncing contact and calendars can stall out interminably, with no option but to restart and try again. We've definitely had this problem ourselves, but happily Apple's right on the case with this one -- iOS 4 users who need to get their Exchange on can download an updated configuration file that seems to make things better. The new settings don't seem to do much other than increase iOS 4's idle timeout, but if it works, it works -- and in our limited testing things appear to be going swimmingly. Okay, that's one -- now let's polish up the rest, shall we?

[Thanks, Paul]

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More Droid 2, Droid X details surface in leaked commercials

Donald Melanson — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:49:00 -0400

We've already gotten a pretty good look at both the Droid 2 and Droid X and some of their purported specs, and it looks like we can now fill in a few more gaps thanks to a set of leaked slides for some new Droid commercials. The most interesting of the lot is the slide / script for a Droid 2 commercial pictured above, which not only confirms an expectedly sci-fi-themed ad for the phone (Gattaca-esque, to be specific), but Exchange support and a 1GHz processor (not 750MHz, as previously rumored). There's comparatively fewer details in the pair of Droid X commercials, but they do offer yet more confirmation of a 4.3-inch screen, and our first indication of a new EyeCon app that will apparently come pre-loaded on the phone and let you access and control media on your home network -- the script for the ad actually mentions a "720 dpi" screen, but we're going to chalk that up to adspeak rather than Motospeak. Hit up the link below for a closer look at the complete set.

[Thanks, Kellen]

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Droid Incredible's mysterious OTA update actually fixes Exchange bug

Sean Hollister — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:25:00 -0400

Saturday afternoon, reports came in that Verizon's new Droid Incredible had already received its first OTA update. Nobody knew quite what it did and few even received it, but some figured it probably fixed the smattering of random reboots and radio bugs experienced by some early adopters. We reached out to Verizon on the matter, and we're afraid to say that's not the case -- the new 1.22.605.2 CL161494 software build merely fixes a bug in Microsoft Exchange support. As such, you'll only see the update if you've got a corporate handset, and those who do can expect their carbon-copy email fields (which would apparently fill with unintended addresses beforehand) to be fixed sometime around May 6th. On the off-chance that fix magically transforms your mobile world, feel free to let us know in comments. Full statement after the break.

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Dell Aero details confirmed with new leak: 624MHz processor, handwriting support, DRM

Sean Hollister — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:18:00 -0400

Compared to the other crazy handsets Dell leaked today, the Aero is definitely the runt of the litter. But with a leaked Q2 AT&T release date, the Aero will be first on our doorstep. What other juicy morsels have we gathered? On the hardware side, it's sadly a slow 624MHz Marvell processor that drives that 3.5-inch capacitive multitouch screen, but hey, like the Chinese model, it's planned to ship with a capacitive stylus for handwriting recognition.

More interesting is software. Like Motorola's CLIQ, Aero comes with QuickOffice right out of the box, and supports Microsoft ActiveSync and Exchange to ostensibly keep in touch with your business. For the social crowd, there's on-device photo editing and "aggregated notifications" for the bevy of social networks Dell's agreed to support. While you probably knew the device would have a WebKit browser with Flash Lite, leaks reveal it will have a robust media player as well -- robust enough to have some sort of music streaming and download ability (PlayReady, anyone?) protected by Windows Media DRM. Though it's probably still Android 1.5 onboard, docs show Dell plans a "refresh" to Android 2.1 sometime between Q3 and Q4, but it's hard to say whether the Aero will get an OTA update, or whether only new Aeros will ship with Eclair. That said, given the relative insignificance of this handset compared to its new big brothers, we're more than willing to wait and find out.

Gallery: Dell Aero details confirmed with new leak: 624MHz processor, handwriting support, DRM

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Nokia initiates shocking charger recall program (update: affects 14 million)

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0500

New Nokia owners take notice: Espoo just launched an "exchange program" for certain Nokia-branded chargers. According to the world's largest handset maker:

"We have determined that the plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electric shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket."

The chargers affected are models AC-3E and AC-3U, manufactured between June 15 and August 9, 2009, and model AC-4U, manufactured between April 13 and October 25, 2009. Fortunately, Nokia provides a website that removes all the guesswork from obtaining your free replacement.

Update: Gulp, looks like we're talking about 14 million defective chargers.

Show full PR text

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE November 9, 2009

Nokia initiates charger exchange program

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today initiated a charger exchange program, in which consumers owning certain Nokia-branded chargers manufactured by a third-party supplier are recommended to exchange these chargers for free replacements.

During a routine quality control process, Nokia identified a potential product quality issue with certain chargers manufactured by one of its third-party suppliers. The plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electrical shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket. Nokia is not aware of any incidents or injuries related to these chargers.

Only a limited number of chargers of certain model types manufactured by a single third-party supplier during a specific time period are within the scope of the exchange program. They are the AC-3E and AC-3U models, manufactured between June 15, 2009 and August 9, 2009; and the AC-4U model, manufactured between April 13, 2009 and October 25, 2009.

For more information, including how consumers can check to see if their chargers are part of this exchange program, Nokia has established a website. Consumers are asked to visit http://chargerexchange.nokia.com or their local Nokia website.

Nokia recommends consumers with chargers within the scope of this exchange program to stop using the charger and exchange it for a free replacement.

Filed under: Peripherals, Nokia, Mobile

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Nokia initiates shocking charger recall program (update: affects 14 million)

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0500

New Nokia owners take notice: Espoo just launched an "exchange program" for certain Nokia-branded chargers. According to the world's largest handset maker:

"We have determined that the plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electric shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket."

Show full PR text

Filed under: Cellphones

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Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, 'fixes' iTunes media sync

Thomas Ricker — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:20:00 -0400

The game's back on. Palm just announced the availability of its 1.2.1 update to WebOS for the Palm Pre and, well, that's it for the time being. It fixes Exchange mail syncing issues experienced by some users, which is nice, but for everyone else it re-enables media sync with iTunes 9.0.1, with or without the USB-IF's support. In fact, Palm has signaled its commitment to its rogue approach by improving synchronization with the Photos app to keep the album structure in tact while allowing lower-resolution images to be synced to the Pre. Oh happy day -- enjoy it while it lasts Pre owners.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

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Google adds support for push Gmail via Exchange ActiveSync

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:38:00 -0400

Google Sync's pretty awesome as it is, but it's had one glaring flaw in its implementation: no support for Gmail, just Calendar and Contacts, which means you aren't able to get true push email delivered. Well, they've gone ahead and completed the holy Google trinity today with the introduction of Gmail support into the Exchange ActiveSync mix, so any phone with Exchange support should theoretically be able to get in on the action. We say "theoretically" because they're only quoting support for the iPhone and Windows Mobile at this point, but it seems like anything that can speak the EAS protocol should be able to make this happen. Let us know your trials, tribulations, and successes getting this set up in comments, won't you?