Apple, Microsoft to push Exchange Direct Push to iPhone?

Rumor has it that Apple has licensed Exchange Active Sync after all, so let the Direct Pushing begin. Of all the gripes we've heard since this handset was announced, this one was by far the most prevalent, and indeed even a showstopper for some. It seems that Microsoft will announce the licensing of EAS tomorrow, though we aren't sure if this support will be included out of the box, or as an update in the near future. So now all the iPhone faithful will be armed with one more tool to defend themselves against the non-believers -- and here's hoping that the keyboard won't fail them as they begin pushing those missives out.

[Thanks, Arneh]

[Ben @ Jun 26th 2007 3:36PM]

uh oh, an iphone story. Lets go for 200+ comments this time

[Joe Smith @ Jun 26th 2007 3:38PM]

that's not hard ben. 3rd post!!!!!

[john @ Jun 26th 2007 3:42PM]

The New York Post doesn't count.

[foo @ Jun 26th 2007 3:42PM]

well, looks like i'm running out of excuses for not buying one now that it has exchange mail

[Jon @ Jun 26th 2007 4:24PM]

I guess that this is the big news from an unexpected 3rd party that was scheduled for Wednesday.

[Michael Emmons @ Jun 26th 2007 6:04PM]

Is anyone else here worried in the least what the AT&T branding on the iPhone will look like? Just how much of an eyesore will they make it? I am not a big fan of having a branded phone as I think it ruins the aesthetics of a nicely designed device. Will the one you pick up at Apple also have an AT&T corporate logo slapped on it somewhere?

[Mike @ Jun 26th 2007 3:42PM]

I hope they do! Wireless sync of Excahange data is the best.

[surfwax95 @ Jun 26th 2007 3:45PM]

iPhone?

What is that?

[Billbo @ Jun 26th 2007 3:48PM]

You should be banned from commenting for linking to a total idiots review of iphone. The guy has never even used one, his article is 100% speculation. Anyone with any kind of credibility knows you have to field use a product before doing a review.

What a joke.... Worst review ever. You suck, iPhone rules!

[brett @ Jun 26th 2007 3:49PM]

wow. stop the presses. this article contains so much new information that my head is exploding. you know, from all that new information...

[js @ Jun 26th 2007 3:49PM]

Billbo, you sir, are an idiot.

[Phil Ringsmuth @ Jun 26th 2007 3:51PM]

Please don't spam.

It's not an iPhone Review when he says right in it that he only used it for a short period:

"After spending some time, albeit briefly, with the iPhone..."

Let's wait until this weekend to see some actual reviews. ArsTechnica.com will have one, and it may not be until next week at the earliest, but I can guarantee you that it will be one of the most thorough you will find.

[Casey S @ Jun 26th 2007 4:04PM]

you Apple geeks are too funny.

[boe @ Jun 26th 2007 4:21PM]

If this is true - I think this is MAJOR news. I really hope this is true. It will force HTC to start making some decent phones as they'll finally have some major competion. Maybe MS will have to make a BlueTooth stack that actually works!

[Kevo @ Jun 26th 2007 4:24PM]

This guy has written a review based on probably 10 minutes he spent with the thing in January. He wasn't given one to test. Plus, he criticizes the phone for having a screen smaller than a laptop?! They probably won't fix that in version 2. It's not a review, and if it were, it would be the worst review. ever.

I'll wait for Walt. New York Post - HA!

[Fatima @ Jun 26th 2007 4:37PM]

you must be the most retarded person on earth, thats not a review its rampant speculation. Take your head out of your ass.

[Cloudscout @ Jun 26th 2007 4:42PM]

If true, this would be a big step but it depends on how complete the implementation will be. Will it support security policies? Will it sync contacts and calendar in addition to email? If so, they may have figured out how to get me to drop my Treo.

[Kevo @ Jun 26th 2007 5:14PM]

It does sync with contact and calendar. See here:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/easysetup/getready.html

[Matt B @ Jun 26th 2007 4:46PM]

My IT boss just wet his pants and had to go home.

[George @ Jun 26th 2007 5:26PM]

That reviewer mentioned editing documents on it. This review is BS because you can't edit documents on it. You can only view. If he said the web experience is bad on a small screen, has he tried it on blackberries and treos with screens twice as small. LAME

[George @ Jun 26th 2007 5:26PM]

Also, what happened to free Yahoo PUSH mail that Steve announced during its release. There is no mention of this anymore. Not that I care about PUSH, but what happened to it. This thing should at least have IM. Hopefully it will come in a future update. I hope all these haters are truly haters because then I will have no problem getting my phone come Friday.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 26th 2007 5:55PM]

You know, this "hater" stuff is just nonsense. Here is a clue, there is already a class of device called a smartphone. Apple didn't invent this concept. There is a list of things a smartphone needs in order to be useful. To point out that the iPhone doesn't have some of the things on that list isn't "hating" it is pointing out that it is truly weak in some areas compared to the competition. I think you would find that if this device came out and magically had a slide-out keyboard, HSDPA, a simple development environment for apps like Flash, and something like ActiveSync, a lot of the people like me wouldn't have any problem at all with it. In fact, if it had all those things, I wouldn't have just bought an HTC, and would be waiting to try it out when it hit the market. Of course it doesn't, so I quite validly point out that it isn't a very good smartphone. That isn't "hating" it is just the facts.

[George @ Jun 26th 2007 6:55PM]

I see your problem now, You just purchased an HTC and you are bent because a cooler device is coming. You have device envy. Guess what, You are on a thread about the iPhone aren't you? People troll around articles about things that they are interested in or desire. I'm not on a thread about the Verizon Wireless XV6700, because I could give 2 shits about that device. It doesn't interest me at all. That's great that your HTC fits your needs. Why aren't you on threads associated with it? I'm not, because WM devices suck and I could care less about them. That is my opinion. I'm on an iPhone thread because just like you, I want one. I'm just not afraid to admit it. :)

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 26th 2007 7:06PM]

No, you are wrong. What is it about you Apple supporters that you think everything is some sinister ulterior motive? Are you all just generally devious people who never mean what you say, or do you just all fancy yourselves hobby psychologists? I have been through 3 BlackBerries, 4 Palms, 2 Cliés, a Sidekick and a Treo. If I want a device, I get it, I don't "envy" it. I just bought the HTC yesterday, and it probably won't even be here before the iPhone comes out. If I wanted an iPhone, I could just return the HTC, and get the iPhone.

Of course I am interested in the iPhone, I'm interested in all handheld devices, and have been since I had my first GridPad. However, doing a feature for feature comparison of all the devices out or coming out soon, the iPhone, at least in my opinion, doesn't even stack up to the Helio Ocen, much less the HTC Mogul. That isn't some twisted rationalization to cover a purchase I don't even have in my hand, that is just my honest evaluation of the products. Do you understand that, or are you so clouded by an emotional attachment to a company that you have to see any criticism as some sort of sinister conspiracy?

[George @ Jun 26th 2007 7:27PM]

Um, for the record, I own a gen one shuffle. The iPhone will be my 2nd Apple product. So that makes me an Apple fanboy? I've had 10 Windoze devices and 5 palms. I'm pretty sure I know what sucks for me. After years of dealing with their crap, I'm tired so it's time for me to move on to something different. iPhone. That totally sucks that you bought a crappy HTC crashbox phone. I hope they have a good return policy for that garbage. PLEASE, All you haters don't buy an iPhone so that I can have a shot at one come friday.

[George @ Jun 26th 2007 5:27PM]

FILL IN THE BLANK POST FOR EVERY i-PHONE HATER

Another iPhone post, every time I log onto engadget looking for __________, I have to wade through these dang posts.

What a wast of money the iphone is. I can't believe it doesn't come with ______ feature. I use that all the time on my _____, and it is ridiculous that such a hyped phone wouldn't have it.

All I know is I bought a _________ from ________ service provider. I cracked it open and added some lasers and flame thrower. I also taped a digital camera to the back. SO my phone can do everything the iPhone does for only $_____ dollars per month.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 26th 2007 5:30PM]

IF this is true, then it makes this a MUCH more viable device. Of course if this is like the supposed delay of the iPhone, and the rate plans from yesterday, and any other of the rampant speculation about the iPhone passed off as fact on Engadget, then it doesn't really mean anything but people looking to make stuff up to counter criticism of the iPhone.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 26th 2007 5:41PM]

I do have to say though that the more I think about this, the more dubious it sounds. Apple didn't license Flash for the device from their close friends at Adobe so the device could surf the real YouTube, and so that people could develop real apps for the iPhone, but they did license ActiveSync from Microsoft? I would have thought they would have licensed BlackBerry Connect or Good Technology before licensing ActiveSync, but that is just me.

I have to wonder if this isn't a rumor just being floated to get people to buy one on launch day on the hope that at some point it will support the desired functionality. Of course if this story is true, it sounds like we will know tomorrow for sure.

[DBX00 @ Jun 26th 2007 6:10PM]

I was thinking the same thing, unless they are going to announce all the licensing agreements when they make the announcement about ActiveSync. In my mind, this device has a lot of obvious holes that I think Apple will fill over time but it might come in the form of a software update on day one.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 26th 2007 6:17PM]

Honestly, I think that it is more Apple's style to come out with an even more expensive iPhone Pro six months after launch than it would be to release a lot of free extra functionality to any already highly-hyped product that they have already sold a fair number of people on.

Of course, I am waiting to see the nature of this supposed announcement. It could well be something like Nokia's BlackBerry Connect announcement where it took years for the feature to show up in a few limited handhelds. On the other hand, maybe they will announce it, at which point I know plenty of people who will be pressuring IT to allow their iPhone on the corporate network.

[Neal @ Jun 26th 2007 7:38PM]

Guess we'll just have to wait till tomorrow and see if MS or Apple announces it, since the article states it could be announced as early as then - course you would think the sooner the better to get that out there. I also have to wonder if this means it's already done and not announced or if it will be something added "soon."

[Patrick @ Jun 26th 2007 6:30PM]

Mossberg's review is up and he says:
"It can also handle corporate email using Microsoft's Exchange system, if your IT department cooperates by enabling a setting on the server."

Now he doesn't mention EAS by name, so this makes me feel like he's implying enabling IMAP virtual server for Exchange. We'll see though.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118289311361649057.html?mod=blogs

[Clayj @ Jun 26th 2007 7:44PM]

If it's IMAP, that sucks.

If it's actual Exchange ActiveSync/Direct Push, then that's good. But I'm still going to wait for iPhone v2.0, because the lack of 3G is still a huge problem.

[George @ Jun 26th 2007 7:28PM]

FILL IN THE BLANK POST FOR EVERY i-PHONE HATER

Another iPhone post, every time I log onto engadget looking for __________, I have to wade through these dang posts.

What a wast of money the iphone is. I can't believe it doesn't come with ______ feature. I use that all the time on my _____, and it is ridiculous that such a hyped phone wouldn't have it.

All I know is I bought a _________ from ________ service provider. I cracked it open and added some lasers and flame thrower. I also taped a digital camera to the back. SO my phone can do everything the iPhone does for only $_____ dollars per month.

[teslasnp @ Jun 26th 2007 9:44PM]

Can we ever blame the service provider for crippling good products? Or is it assumed that the iPhone won't be touched by AT&T? I haven't seen anyone pose this question yet...

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 26th 2007 10:05PM]

Oh, don't worry, I'm sure if this thing bombs, Apple will be the first to claim that it was all AT&T's fault, just like they blamed Motorola for their sad iTunes implementation on the ROKR.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jun 27th 2007 8:48PM]

Well, it appears at least the part of the story where Microsoft was suppose to announce this licensing today was bogus.

[docsharp01 @ Mar 30th 2008 1:25AM]

Excellent article and comments about the iphone. I might get me one whenever the price decreases.
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