Symbian phones link to Exchange

Push email capabilities make most of MS Server

DataVizwill today make available its RoadSync software so Symbian phones can exploit the push email capabilities in Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2.

The move is designed to offer companies running Exchange a wider choice of devices, beyond Windows Mobile handsets.

RoadSync, available as a preview version since autumn 2005, supports the push email delivery that Microsoft added with Exchange 2003 SP2 last year. The shipping version of RoadSync also provides access to company global address lists and supports the Remote Wipe security features that allow an administrator to blank the data in any lost or stolen handset.

Now that RoadSync is shipping, Symbian phones could have push capability before Windows Mobile 5.0 handsets, which will require a forthcoming firmware update from Mic- rosoft, according to RoadSync product manager Ilya Eliashevsky.

“It’s important to highlight that there are alternatives to the Microsoft platform,” he added.

The RoadSync software currently supports handsets running the UIQ user interface, such as Sony Ericsson’s P910, or the Series 80 interface, including the Nokia 9300 and 9500 devices. An update in the second quarter of 2006 will add support for handsets with the more widely used Series 60 user interface and UIQ 3.0.

DataViz will demonstrate RoadSync at the 3GSM show in Barcelona next week. DataViz will also show a Symbian version of Documents To Go, a suite that lets users open and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on their handsets. A key feature of this system is that it keeps the formatting of the original document intact, DataViz said.

RoadSync costs $100 (£57), and there are volume pricing options for enterprise customers.