Activesync 4.5 needs some work...
I took the plunge and installed Activesync 4.5 beta. What a disaster. Keep in mind, my device being “right” is critical, as it is with most that I know that use PDA’s. You need activesync to keep the device current, install apps, etc. Yes, using direct exchange activesync keeps contacts, email, calendar and tasks current over the air, but I have hundreds of notes that I’m changing all the time. I have to sync (not sure why other products like Good Mobile Messaging has figured out syncing all of the Outlook data over the air but Microsoft still hasn’t) to keep my notes current. I also have to sync to keep windows media files loaded.
Well, the first thing I noticed was that it REMOVED all of my installed programs, requiring me to reinstall applications to be able to reload. I hard reset the devices I test all the time, reinstall applications, etc. Being able to go to Add/Remove programs in Activesync makes this a simple task to do on the fly without having to rerun setup for each of them. I installed Activesync 4.5, all the programs I had installed on the device were gone. So, off I went to run setup for the 10–12 programs I install on each device.
Second, all of my partnerships were deleted. I’m currently syncing three PDA’s and all the partnerships are gone. When I tried to sync, I was presented a message saying I was already syncing with a computer, and to sync with this computer, I had to create a new partnership. Again, what a mess that caused. I looked at activesync on the devices, there was a partnership for my Exchange server, and two entries for the SAME computer. That’s right, the SAME computer.
Third, out of the week or so I had it installed, I’ve been able to actually complete a full sync once. The other times, it connects, says its looking for changes, and after several minutes of whatever it is attempting to do, gives me an error message that it was unable to complete.
What a disaster. How much testing has this thing undergone before release? Did they actually get users to test this or did they just post it? This was a really frustrating experience. I uninstalled it, and reinstalled 4.2, then reinstalled all of the apps I had preloaded, then had to set up partnerships and resync all of my devices. The least they could have done is post a note that it would delete existing partnerships and clear out all of your installed programs. I know it’s beta, but this is ridiculous.