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How to Setup Direct Push on your Smartphone

Every Arrowmail Exchange mailbox account can "push" email to an ActiveSync client on a Smartphone.

A Windows Mobile 5 based PDA or Smartphone has ActiveSync built-in and most other modern Smartphones come with a suitable ActiveSync client.
If your Smartphone doesn't, then check out Dataviz who sell a product called RoadSync for US$99 which enables Direct Push with an Exchange server on almost any Smartphone.

We've also setup a test account on our server that you can use, for free, to confirm that you're able to get Direct Push to work with your Smartphone and our servers before you go further with a trial or purchasing an account.

FIrst, Get your Smartphone connected to the Internet

We can't provide a step-by-step guide on to how to do this as the process varies between different Smartphones and different mobile networks.

Your aim is to connect using the built-in phone with either a GPRS or 3G connection.

Some Smartphones allow a connection to the Internet over WiFi which is usually cheaper but, unless you stay within range of a WiFi network for the majority of the time you want Push to be operating, a WiFi connection is not practical - on my phone if the WiFi signal drops out it dials GPRS and doesn't automatically switch back when WiFi is restored.
Smartphones can also get a connection to the Internet through a PC when linked to it via a cradle or USB lead.
This is obviously not practical for Direct Push but maybe useful for testing.

If ever Direct Push is not working, first make sure that you still have a connection to the Internet by opening a website in the Smartphone's browser.
This site is a good site to use:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile/index.wml?

PocketPC show the BBC website optimised for mobile devices

Mobile Data charges for Direct Push Email

If you use Direct Push seriously you will consume between 25 and 40mb of data each month which is likely to cost you around £25/month.
These charges are between you and your mobile operator.
We're not involved and we don't get a cut.
You pay us a separate charge of £7.99 which is more than reasonable in comparison to the data charges.

Setting Up and ActiveSync Connection to our Server

Once you've confirmed that the Smartphone has Internet access, click:-
Start - Programs - ActiveSync - Menu - Add Server Source…

Enter the Exchange server DNS name

Click Next
Fill in the User name, Password and Domain as shown below and put a tick in
"Save password"
In these screenshots were using a publicly accessible account we've setup that anyone to use for testing purposes and so we keep changing the password.
You'll find the current password here.

Enter your username and password for the Exchange server

Click Advanced…
There's nothing to do on the first page so click Next
Click on Calendar - Settings
and set how far back into the past you want to see your events - 2 Weeks is the default. Click OK
Click on Email - Settings and change the options here if you wish.
Click Advanced and put john.smith@arrowmail.co.uk as the Primary e-mail address
Click OK - OK - Finish to get back to the main ActiveSync screen and the Pocket PC should then synchronise with the Inbox on the server.
Click Menu - Schedule
This is where you set how often to synchronise with the server.
As they arrive means Direct Push.
Here you can also set different actions for peak and off-peak times as well as defining peak times.
To economise on the amount of data transferred, we recommend setting off-peak times of between, say, 8.00pm and 8.00am each day when Push is disabled.

Define when you want Direct Push to operate

Click OK

Close ActiveSync, plus any other program that's open, until you're back at the Smartphone's Desktop.

Configuring Mobile Outlook

Click on the "envelope" icon on the Desktop to open Mobile Outlook.
Click on Menu - Tools - Options
On the Accounts tab you can set a signature for outgoing emails and on the Message tab you can choose whether to include the body of the original message in Replies.
Back on the main Outlook screen, Click on Menu - Tools - Manage Folders…
and select any additional folders that you want to keep synchronised on the Smartphone besides the default Deleted Items, Drafts, Inbox and Outbox.

Other Settings

To get the email delivery times showing correctly click:-
Start - Setting - System - Regional Settings and chose the correct location, such as English (United Kingdom).

Configuring New Email Notification

There no point having Push Email if you're not alerted when new email arrives.
Click:-
Start - Settings - Sounds and Notifications and set the options as shown below:-

Enable notifiactions for new email

Click the Notifications tab and set the actions for the event Messaging: New e-mail message as shown below:-

Set the notification actions when a new email arrives

Many Smartphones also have the option to Vibrate and, although I can't find where this is set, on my Smartphone, if I ignore the first email warning, when subsequent emails arrive, a shorter sound is played.

Testing Push Email

If you leave the Mobile Outlook Inbox as the front-most window then, although new emails will pop into the inbox, the new email notification won't sound so close Mobile Outlook and any other open programs to get back to the Smartphone's desktop.
Use a PC to send an email to john.smith@arrowmail.co.uk and as soon as it arrives at our servers you should get a new email notification on the Smartphone:-

PocketPC showing an alert for a newly-arrived email

Be aware that because this is a publicly accessible account, by sending an email to it, you may be revealing your email address to others.

Use Outlook Mobile Access (OMA) to Check Email

To try out Outlook Mobile Access, click:-
Start - Internet Explorer and go to the page:-
https://exchange.arrowmail.co.uk/oma
Log On as shown below using the current password:-

Outlook Mobile Access logon screen

Outlook Mobile Access is certainly not as impressive as Direct Push but it can be useful to check Outlook folders that you haven't selected for automatic synchronisation.

OMA is also the only way to change your password from a mobile device.

Outlook Mobile Access shows all your mailbox folders

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