As part of an upgrade to Sprint's Mobile Email Work package -- which already offers corporate email access for those who refuse to capitulate and buy a stuffy BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device -- the Instinct is now capable of synchronizing work calendars with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino servers. It's pretty comprehensive, too; users can accept or decline invitations, shuffle appointments around, change details, and delete stuff when that 7AM "status meeting" just feels totally unnecessary. The support is included at no charge for Instinct users, though a software upgrade is required -- which, because you're not at the mercy of Tommy the power-tripping BES admin, you can download and install at will. Imagine that! Oh, and if you don't own an Instinct, Sprint plans on filtering the support down to some of its "non-PDA" phones down the road, so hang tight.

Nokia has announced that it'll no longer be working on its own "business mobility solutions," reallocating some of the knowledge and manpower in that division over to its consumer-focused push email client that recently launched in beta form. For what it's worth, the announcement comes across not as a message that Nokia's abandoning its enterprise customers -- far from it, in fact, with the Eseries looking better than ever -- but as a genuine admission that other companies with established solutions are better cut out to manage that functionality, even on Nokia's own S60. Interestingly, Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco are all mentioned as partners with commitments to develop for Nokia's wares, but noticeably missing is RIM, whose BlackBerry Connect went missing on the E66 and E71. These days, it's hard to mention "enterprise" without also mentioning "BES" in the same sentence, so we're not too sure how far Nokia's going to get here without roping RIM back into the equation.

43 devices representing some 80 million mobile phone users -- that's the largess of Nokia announcing Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync support on all its S60 3rd edition devices. Mail for Exchange will also be available out-of-the-box in future E-series and N-series devices. That means future phones like the Nokia Tube and existing, high-end, media-centric devices like the venerable N95 and new N96 will now feel just as comfortable in the beige cubicle as you do.

Hankerin' for some bona fide push email on your VZW handset, are you? If this is indeed the case, look no further than RemoSync, the latest Get It Now application that enables a handful of the carrier's handsets to get their Exchange-hosted email pushed directly to them. More specifically, those who purchase the app will be able to read, compose, reply, delete, forward, etc. emails, download Outlook contacts and view those immensely annoying calendar events. The pricing structure is quite curious, though. First off, it'll cost you $9.99 per month, and while a data plan isn't required per se, those without one will be charged $1.99 per megabyte (or "airtime") when using RemoSync. For a list of compatible mobiles, tap the read link and give that scroll wheel a few turns.

[Via PhoneScoop]

We've reported rumors about this should-have-been-in-the-initial-offering feature since well before the iPhone's launch date and here we are, half a year down the road from iPhone day and we're still kludging along with IMAP support. All that may be set to change with Apple's recent job posting looking for an "iPhone Windows Outlook/Exchange QA Eng" in Cupertino. Of course, this new position may simply exist to help bolster the team working on the IMAP features in its "ongoing effort to improve your mobile mail experience" -- but we hope not. We're hoping that this will usher in the era of real push mail from Exchange on iPhone, and we'd be willing to bet the proverbial farm that there are a ton of others out there thinking the same.

[Via AppleInsider]

It's not the first product to tout enterprise email integration for the iPhone, but Visto Mobile has announced a solution of its own, promising secure access to Exchange and Domino servers without any software install on the iPhone -- a good thing, we'd say, considering that most IT departments frown on having to hack their fleet of mobile devices to set them up. Unlike Synchronica's solution which games Exchange's Outlook Web Access feature to avoid having to expose POP or IMAP servers to the world, Visto Mobile actually does require that admins open up a secure IMAP port and publishes the corporate directory to a Safari-friendly web page. Many IT departments frown on all that, too, so if you're planning on pitching this lil' solution to your own IT peeps, know full well that you may be turned away brokenhearted. Individual users can get in on the action for a one-time fee of $39 plus $10 per month, while companies are looking at $799 plus $199 per year plus $10 per month per user. Whew, patent suits must not be cheap, huh?

Update: Turns out Visto uses port 443 -- typically used for secure HTTP -- to do its IMAP thing, so your IT department should calm down a bit when they find out they don't need to open special holes in the firewall just for your iPhone-totin' behind.

Symbian and Windows Mobile might be sworn enemies, but to play ball in the corporate space, Nokia has little option but to support the 800-pound email gorilla that is Exchange. To that end, Espoo has loosed version 2 of its Mail for Exchange client, tightening integration with Microsoft's Exchange Server 2007 (while still supporting 2003) and enabling full attachment handling and meeting management directly from Nokia's Eseries devices. Who'da thunk they'd be rocking ActiveSync from their E62? Get it now, free of charge, for the entire Eseries line along with the N73, N76, and N95.

If you've been dying without access to your Exchange mail account -- and come on, how many business types just need this? -- from iPhone, fear not, Synchronica's trial for Mobile Gateway 3.0 starts next week. While we've heard some people have had some success using Outlook Web Access (OWA) on iPhone, many haven't and if your IT group won't open the firewall for IMAP, you're out of luck. Synchronica's Gateway works by connecting to OWA, grabbing the mail and then making it available to your iPhone -- and many other types of phones -- via IMAP. So, if you haven't jumped onboard for this trial, we suggest you hop over to the site and get signed up.

Exchange using Helio members, your time is now: the Ocean's finally getting that Exchange ActiveSync support (for Contacts, Calendar, and email with Exchange Server 2003 SP2+) promised users, as well as bumped new version of Helio File Viewer (supporting .doc, .ppt, .xls and .pdf). But, as always, there is a catch. Although the first 60 days of use during the beta period will be free, the final version of Helio EAS + File Viewer will set you back an addition $10 per month for all-in users. If that still sounds workable with your expense account, jump on that Ocean right now and download the app that gets the corporate collaboration wheels moving. One more shot after the break.

The kids over at ThinkSecret have some exclusive pics of what they purport to be interface shots of the iPhone. In these, we clearly see an RSS view thanks to the reader.mac.com URL, a previously unseen SIM loading procedure (requiring a paperclip), and what appears to be an Exchange email configuration tab. TS says that the iPhone supports Microsoft Exchange servers and has likely licensed Microsoft's ActiveSync. The latter dealio we've heard before and is certainly making corporate IT departments a bit fidgety. After all, more than a few CEOs will be demanding integration of their new toys come Monday morning. Jobs himself responded to a USA Today question about the lack of corporate email support with, "You'll be hearing more about this in the coming weeks. We have some pilots going with companies with names you'll recognize. This won't be a big issue." The fact that most of these pictures still sport the old Cingular logo certainly doesn't give us much confidence for an "iDay" release.

Update: As pointed out by a number of our readers, the Exchange tab likely configures IMAP4 access to Exchange like Apple's OS X Mail.app client. Made all the more likely by yesterday's "Rollup 3" release by Microsoft which fixes Mac related issues with Exchange 2007.

Alright Treo 650 owners, you can now (carefully) climb off your soap box, as the svelte Exchange ActiveSync Update is now available to treat your very own handset. While Palm had already shoved the update onto the 680 and 700p handhelds, it's now giving the faithful 650 users the ability to revel in Push Email technology too, which is sure to make hard-nosed managers grin from ear to ear. Aside from the newfound support, the update notes here haven't really changed, so if you're interested in having your Outlooked life beamed straight to your Treo 650, be sure to hit the read link and get your download on. Of course, you should probably have your credit card ready as well, as folks with VersaMail 3.5 will be asked to cough up $2.99, while users without the aforementioned software will pay out $12.98.

Users of Windows Mobile 5 have been enjoying Direct Push for some time via AKU2 (from the manufacturers that have decided to offer it, anyway) -- but getting that always-fascinating corporate email beamed straight on down to your Palm OS Garnet OS device, on the other hand... well, that's novel concept, indeed. Palm has announced that an update for its 680 and 700p handhelds will be made available Monday to add automatic synchronization of email, contacts, and calendar with the Exchange Server of your choice. Cobalt, it ain't, but at this point we'll take what we can get.

[Via Phone Scoop]

During the Jobsnote, Steve said that the iPhone would support many different email systems including Exchange -- and as we well know, the most precious Exchange feature to a mobile user is Direct Push, which allows your device to receive updates instantly for email and other data from your server. Steve did specifically mention that the iPhone would support Push-IMAP from Yahoo, but didn't mention any details about Exchange Direct Push like the Windows Mobile phones have. To many, this is the killer app for business users and it isn't too much of a stretch to believe that Apple could include it on the hot new iPhone. Exchange Direct Push is a Web Service that runs on the Outlook Web Access server; WM5 devices connect via HTTP and make calls for data and then leaves port 80 open for updates from the server, keeping the device up-to-date just like a BlackBerry.

Because this is all done via HTTP, it is possible to reverse engineer the protocol -- in fact, Zimbra has already done this, and WM5 devices can sync with a Zimbra server the same way they would an Exchange 2003 sp2 server. Reverse engineering OWA WebDAV (an extension of HTTP that allows users to manage files on a Outlook Web Access server) service is also nothing new, as Ximian first did it almost 5 years ago with its app Evolution, bringing Exchange Server functionality to Linux. It is also not new for Apple, which has used it to sync OS X users' Apple Mail and Address Book with Exchange since OS X 10.3. Coincidentally, this is also how Microsoft's own Entourage connects to Exchange, versus using MAPI (Microsoft's Proprietary mail API) like Outlook. As important as up to the second email is to business users, we don't see how Apple could afford to leave this feature out.