Mail For Exchange For Nokia Nseries

April 23rd, 2008 · No Comments

I’m normally not discourage when I read that a certain software doesn’t support the Eseries devices. If the application is for a S60 3rd edition device I go ahead and try it anyway. What’s the worst that could happen - the application doesn’t run? One of the biggest takeaways from my visit to Nokia World was the plethora of the many great Nokia devices in addition to the Eseries. I really haven’t spent time on non "E" devices but experiencing these devices at the event wetted my appetite for more. Thanks to a friend I got to use a Nokia N80 for a week. The first thing I did was to set up (corporate) email on the device. I didn’t think that I could run Mail For Exchange (ActiveSync) on the Nokia N80. The Eseries devices are the only supported devices according to the Mail For Exchange download site. As if that wasn’t enough I also remember reading in the original Nokia - Microsoft press release that - "Enterprise Solutions business group today announced that it has licensed Microsoft Corp’s Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol to enable wireless and direct synchronization between Microsoft Exchange Server, part of the Windows Server System and future Nokia enterprise mobile devices."

But low and behold - Mail For Exchange installed beautifully on the Nokia N80. Within minutes I had my corporate email, calendar and contacts syncing with my Nseries device!

In theory, most S60 3rd edition software should work on most S60 3rd edition devices. However, I just thought that for something as complicated as email and syncing, or even the fact of the licensing issue of ActiveSync, the usage would be restricted to Eseries devices. It is clear that Mail For Exchange wasn’t targeted for the Nseries and that it is not an ideal solution in its current (not supported) format. For an example I couldn’t get mail from Mail For Exchange to show up in Active Standby.