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Astrasync - Exchange ActiveSync for Blackberry: Opening new doors for business users
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Historically, users were not able to sync their Blackberries to exchange servers without having a Blackberry exchange server in place limiting the selection of business approved phones. Astrasync bridges the gap. For a mere $49/year the client allows you to sync your calendar, contacts, and e-mail to your Blackberry. While the application lacks an attractive interface as well as most of the formatting options of ActiveSync, it works rather well.
There are certain issues to keep in mind when purchasing the product. The Company Directory feature will only work if the server you are connecting to supports Global Address Lookup (GAL).
You can either check with your server admin to see if your server supports this or go to the main Message List menu in AstraSync. The Company Directory menu item will only appear if your server supports GAL. If this menu item is absent then your server does not support GAL. This is not the case with the Company Directory item on the Compose Screen menu. Currently this menu item is always present.
Keep in mind that with Astrasync, your exchange e-mail will appear under the Astrasync icon under Downloads. Why is this? AstraSync is a pure J2ME application that does not use any proprietary BlackBerry API’s and is compiled as an unsigned JAR executable. Changing the application icon, integrating with the notification system, integrating with the native messaging client, setting the application to auto-start, and signing the application require the use of the proprietary RIM BlackBerry SDK. The company submitted an application to RIM in February 09 to join the ISV Alliance Program in order to be able to use the RIM SDK and proprietary BlackBerry API’s. This application has not yet been approved. Astrasync recommends that users move the AstraSync icon from the Downloads folder to the BlackBerry home screen.
You can either check with your server admin to see if your server supports this or go to the main Message List menu in AstraSync. The Company Directory menu item will only appear if your server supports GAL. If this menu item is absent then your server does not support GAL. This is not the case with the Company Directory item on the Compose Screen menu. Currently this menu item is always present.
Keep in mind that with Astrasync, your exchange e-mail will appear under the Astrasync icon under Downloads. Why is this? AstraSync is a pure J2ME application that does not use any proprietary BlackBerry API’s and is compiled as an unsigned JAR executable. Changing the application icon, integrating with the notification system, integrating with the native messaging client, setting the application to auto-start, and signing the application require the use of the proprietary RIM BlackBerry SDK. The company submitted an application to RIM in February 09 to join the ISV Alliance Program in order to be able to use the RIM SDK and proprietary BlackBerry API’s. This application has not yet been approved. Astrasync recommends that users move the AstraSync icon from the Downloads folder to the BlackBerry home screen.
The technical support for the software is run in a forum format where users can post their questions and they are then answered by the technician. The average turnaround time is 24 hours.
Overall, this is a solid tool and is definitely worth $49/year.
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