I get this question a lot. Most I talk to are running Windows Mobile 6 with Exchange 2003. While that environment works, there are several user enhancements, and policy enhancements, when you combine Windows Mobile 6 with Exchange 2007. I've already written about the difference in policies here. But, what will end users see? I've cut and pasted from all of the docs I have for "requires Exchange 2007". The following are the enhancements from an end user perspective when combined with Exchange 2007:
| Feature | Description |
| E-mail Setup User Experience | The Messaging Application and the ActiveSync® Framework have been enhanced to support: Access to ActiveSync settings from the Messaging Application. Discoverability of e-mail messaging setup. This feature improves the end user's ActiveSync/Exchange Server e-mail partnership setup experience. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Exchange Search for E-mail | Search for Exchange e-mail will enable Windows Mobile users to search their Microsoft Exchange mailbox for items that match specified criteria. The search results will be downloaded and displayed in a Search Results folder. Having the ability to search for any e-mail in the user’s Exchange store is a powerful feature that helps keep users from being effected by a mobile device’s limited storage space. Users can have access to the information they need while on the go. One common need for mobile device users to return to their desktop is to access e-mail not available on their device. With the device enabled with the ability to access any e-mail message in the Exchange message store. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Fetch Mail | The Fetch Mail feature is a single item e-mail messaging operation that gives the user the ability to download a single e-mail message in its entirety, including inline images and/or attachments—instead of having to invoke a full Send/Receive. It helps increase the speed and efficiency with which the end user can triage email, and helps economize data usage by limiting a download to just the content the user wants. When the Fetch completes, the rest of the message is filled-in, without leaving the read form, and without changing the user's scrolling position within the e-mail message. The Fetch Mail feature is available in both the read form and the list view. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| HTML Support in E-mail | HTML e-mail support is an enhancement to the Messaging Application (Inbox, tmail.exe), that allows end users to receive, view, compose, and send e-mail in HTML format. Supports the following messaging transports: ActiveSync, POP, IMAP, and Exchange Server 2007. Users can now configure their messaging account with their preferred download format (either plain text or HTML). A “First Look” of the mail renders before full content is rendered. Message may ‘paint’ or ‘render’ progressively but without layout shifting or resizing. You can’t tell whether a reply originated from the device or the desktop based on appearance. Maintain thread integrity. Supports HTML Smart Reply, Inline Smart Forward, Compose, and Fetch. Fixed a known issue with Forwarded e-mail, which was sent as an attachment. Forwarded e-mail is not shown inline, as it is in desktop Outlook. E-mail can contain hyperlinks to content on the web. Includes UI for controlling the presentation of an HTML Mail (View and Zoom). The UI helps users control downloading of offsite content, as well as navigation to Internet content. Policy and user options: Control HTML payload per account via Configuration Service Provider and user options: Enterprise / Operator can provision HTML or Plain Text defaults and lock. Default mail format and download size are configurable via Configuration Service Provider and by the end-user in the UI. Default download size is specific to HTML vs. Plain Text global setting per account (assuming optimum setting is not the same for POP vs. Active Sync/Exchange). Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. |
| Online Global Address Book | Online Global Address Book gives end users the ability to search for contacts in the enterprise online address book. This feature provides support to: Integrate the Global Address List (GAL) search experience into existing Contacts Application. Enable a user to look up a contact in the GAL. Enable a user to send e-mail, a text message, or call the person they looked up from the returned results. Enable a user to add the contact they looked up to their Contacts list. Provide extensibility features such that e-mail and other applications can make use of the GAL look-up functionality. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Outlook Email Message Flags | Outlook Mobile now supports the use of Follow-up Flags on e-mail messages. Specifically: Users can now flag outbound e-mail messages. Flags and related properties on a message are synchronized between the Exchange Server and the mobile device. Functionality has been added to set/clear/complete flags from the list view and read forms. E-mail message reminders are available inthe device-wide notification system. Mobile devices now display similar reminders to the desktop. The UI related to flags is disabled or hidden for previous versions of Exchange Server partnerships. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| SharePoint Document Attachment in Email | SharePoint Document Attachment gives mobile users the ability to open links that are embedded in HTML e-mail to documents that are stored on SharePoint servers. This can be used as an alternative to attaching documents to e-mail messages, which is costly in terms of bandwidth and storage. Additionally, this approach helps ensure that the recipient gets the most recent version of a document. Generally, mobile users are unable to access documents from outside an enterprise firewall, but this problem is solved by using Microsoft Exchange Server as a proxy or redirector for the document. This approach allows HTML e-mail to contain links to SharePoint documents just like standard attachments. Provides read-only access to items stored in both SharePoint and Universal Naming Convention (UNC) shares. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. |
| Information Rights Management E-mail Messages | The Messaging Application now supports receiving, replying to, forwarding, and composing of Information Rights Management (IRM) protected mail. IRM helps organizations improve the mobile messaging experience for their users. Without the ability to work fully with IRM emails, organizations that use IRM extensively may have a poor mobile messaging experience. IRM is a feature unique to Windows Mobile. This feature supports the following goals: Reply, Reply All and Forward When permitted allow Reply, Forward or Reply All on IRM protected e-mail. Preserve all rights-restrictions of the original message. Include the text of the original message thread. (This is the behavior in Exchange Server 2007) New Mail Support creating new mail with “Do Not Forward” permissions. (This is the same out-of-the-box experience present in Exchange Server 2007 and 2007) Provide special rights to the owner of a conversation. |
| Enhanced PIN Strength | Enhanced PIN Strength in Windows Mobile 6 will help prevent users from choosing a PIN that contains a simple pattern or has too few digits. The Microsoft Default Local Authentication Plug-in (LAP) can be configured to prevent users from choosing a PIN that contains a simple pattern or has too few digits. The feature will: Enable a policy that requires end users to choose a PIN that does not contain a repeating sequence, such as '1111'. Enable a policy that requires end users to choose a PIN that does not contain a sequence with a predictable difference between values, such as '1234' or '1357'. Provide a mechanism for IT administrators to configure policies via a third-party device management solution. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Password/PIN Expiration | Password/PIN expiration permits setting the expiration time of a password or PIN on a device using the Microsoft Default LAP. The new feature will: Provide a policy that requires end users to choose a new password or PIN after a configured time period (in seconds). Provide a mechanism for IT administrators to configure policies via a third-party device management solution. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| User PIN Reset | User password/PIN on a device using the Microsoft Default Local Authentication Plug-in (LAP) can be reset using an Authentication Reset Component (ARC). Unlike the other features, the use of the Authentication Reset Component with a custom LAP is supported. The ARC is a pluggable component and an OEM may create an ARC for use with a custom LAP or the default LAP. The feature will: Provide the ability for the end user to request a reset. Help ensure that devices lock reliably. Support infrastructures that use certificate authentication or rely on credentials to authenticate a user to the system. Support OEM customization of the Local Authentication Plug-in. Support OEM replacement of the Authentication Reset Component. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Password History | Password History uses the Microsoft Default LAP to maintain password history and store passwords on the device to prevent reuse of a password. The feature will: Enable a policy that requires end users to choose a new password or PIN that is different from a previous password. Provide data as to the number of stored passwords to the end user if the new password matches a previous password. Provide a mechanism for IT administrators to configure policies via a third-party device management solution. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Meeting Attendees and Status | Mobile meeting organizers can view the status of all attendees in their scheduled meetings. For users who only carry their mobile devices to meetings, this may help keep track of attendees. The goals of this feature are: Display the name of the meeting organizer in the Appointment summary card. Allow meeting organizers to see the list of attendees, along with the status of each (Free, Busy, Tentative, OOF). Allow attendees to see the list of other attendees. Give mobile attendees the ability to contact any attendee on the list. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Meeting Request Improvements | This feature provides more functionality for meeting request management. It helps give mobile users more control over their schedule, helping them make more intelligent decisions regarding meeting requests. In the meeting request, indicate if there are conflicting or adjacent meetings. Allow mobile users to check their calendar for the requested time-slot from the meeting request. Deleting a new meeting request from Inbox deletes the associated calendar meeting. Allow mobile users to edit their response when they respond to a meeting request. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Out of Office Assistants | This new feature gives mobile users the ability to retrieve and set their out-of-office (OOF) status, along with their OOF message, from their Windows Mobile powered device. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
| Reply and Forward Meeting Appointments | This feature brings Meeting Request functionality on mobile devices up to the level that is supported on the desktop. This feature gives mobile users the ability to: Reply to the meeting organizer, from a Meeting (Appointment) item in the Calendar Application. Reply to the entire group of recipients on the attendee list, from a Meeting (Appointment) item in the Calendar Application. Invite another attendee to the meeting (i.e., forward the Meeting (Appointment) item to a contact), from a Meeting (Appointment) item in the Calendar Application. Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |