Motorola Q Blog: Day 4 -- ActiveSync Issues

[Pony99CA]

WARNING! This is a rant! While this doesn't deal with the Motorola Q directly, it does deal with issues involved with using the Q (or any Windows Mobile 5 device).

When Microsoft introduced ActiveSync 4.0 (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/activesync41.mspx), I thought about installing it. After all, the latest ActiveSync should be an improvement right? And it was required to sync any Windows Mobile 5 devices, which was a long-awaited upgrade, and something I wanted to check out. After all, the Dell Axim x51v and the HP iPAQ 2795 looked pretty sweet.

However, I still had an iPAQ 5550 running Windows Mobile 2003, and Microsoft themselves said that people with Windows Mobile 2003 SE or earlier should stick with ActiveSync 3.8. That seemed odd, but I took their advice. I'm glad that I did.

One of the most publicized "improvements" to ActiveSync 4.x was the removal of Remote Syncing (WiFi or LAN) "due to Enterprise customer feedback around security issues." I've done some WiFi syncing, and it's pretty cool, but it's not that big a deal to me. However, as I've written before, I would have thought Microsoft could have created some remote administration tool to allow turning remote sync capability on or off. And I'm still not sure why the ability to sync via USB or Bluetooth is acceptable, but syncing with WiFi isn't. People can steal your data either way; they just have to be a little bit closer now.

However, let's forget about that for now. With the Motorola Q, or any smart phone, you can do wireless sync over a cellular network, which might be good enough for many people. And to use the Q, I had to install ActiveSync 4.1 if I wanted to synchronize my data.

That led me to discover another huge problem with ActiveSync 4.x — Microsoft seems to have removed the Backup/Restore feature! What kind of brain-dead decision was this?

Sure, with non-volatile memory, you don't need to back your device up to avoid data loss in case of a battery failure. However, what if your device spontaneously hard resets (like my iPAQ 5550 did earlier this week)? What if you need to return your device for a warranty repair and they send you a replacement instead of your original device? What if your PDA is lost or stolen and you buy another device? With a backup, you can easily restore your device to the way it used to be.

Yes, you can fairly easily reinstall most of your applications with ActiveSync, and all of your PIM data will be synced, but you'll still have to customize all of your settings again, both for the device itself and every application you have. Of course, you can always buy a backup program (like Sprite Backup (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=788)), which allows restoring your device anywhere you have a memory card, but why should you have to?

And what about those people who have a Windows Mobile 2003 SE (or earlier) device with a nice large screen that they use as a PDA and a Windows Mobile 5 device to use as a phone? Unless ActiveSync 3.8 and 4.1 can run on the same machine (which is doubtful), they can only sync one device or the other with their PC, but not both. Well, that may not be quite true — if ActiveSync 4.1 works with pre-WM5 devices, they can sync their data, but they can't back it up. One dead battery and you're dead. Thanks a lot, Microsoft.

Microsoft says the advantages of ActiveSync 4.1 include easier partnership setup with a new wizard, faster file transfer (for Windows Mobile 5 devices only) and the ability to synchronize contact photos from Outlook.

Do those advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Should Microsoft give us back remote syncing and backup/restore? Should the ActiveSync product manager be castrated with a rusty butter knife? Share your thoughts in the discussion.

Navigation: Day 1 (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3671), Day 2 (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3676), Day 3 (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3677), Day 5 (http://pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=3684)

[whydidnt]

I think the suggested punishment might be a little extreme :D , but I do agree that MS has and continues to make bone-headed decisions in regards to Active Sync. We are now on version 4 of Active Sync and still they have not been able to provide a reliable, bulletproof solution. Message boards are filled with posts from people unable to connect, sync, etc. and have been for years.

With the latest version, they did as only MS can-- removed features and then called it "New and Improved". It seems in their lust for Corporate dollars they have attempted to make AS enterprise ready - it seems to me they could release a neutered corporate version and a full featured consumer version and make everyone happy (once they figure out the whole connectivity thing). :rolleyes:

[IronGuy]

A few months ago I was having dreadful problems with AS 3.8. Suddenly, and without any warning, my iPaq 2215 just wouldn't sync properly at home. Often I couldn't even get AS to recognize that my device was even connected, even after reloading AS and multiple PPC soft resets. So I installed AS 4.1. I've had no issues at all with syncing at home.

At work, I sync with AS 3.8.

As far as a backup is concerned, I have to wonder how many people really use the AS backup/restore feature. I never use it. I tried it waaay back when AS was at 3.5 and found it to be very slow compared to other backup solutions. Currently my backup plan is to keep almost everything installed on cards and export my entire registry to a card. The few programs that I install in memory are easily reloaded without actual data loss.

With a very large Outlook database, I would guess more people would rather have fast syncing than backup capability. Of course, I could be ay out in left field!

Regarding wireless syncing... been there, tried it, both bt and WiFI. It's actually so much easier just to plug in my PPC when I sit at the PC to do stuff.

If MS and smartphone people were doing their job, AS would sync via phone call.

With the upcoming Windows Vista release (don't hold your breath), many syncing issues will change.

All in all, AS 4.1 works well for me. None of the 'lost' features impact me in any way.

[Pony99CA]

A few months ago I was having dreadful problems with AS 3.8. Suddenly, and without any warning, my iPaq 2215 just wouldn't sync properly at home. Often I couldn't even get AS to recognize that my device was even connected, even after reloading AS and multiple PPC soft resets. So I installed AS 4.1. I've had no issues at all with syncing at home.
In searching a bit on the Internet last night, I found at least one person who claimed that ActiveSync 4.1 did have Backup/Restore capability for devices running Windows Mobile 2003 or earlier (I don't know if that includes WM 2003 SE, but I assume it does).

Have you found that to be true?

I use ActiveSync Backup regularly (although not nearly enough), even though my iPAQ 5550 comes with its own backup utility. Why? Because I've lost files saved on SD cards, and I wouldn't want that to happen to my backup.

Yes, ActiveSync Backup is slow (my loaded iPAQ 5550 takes about 20 minutes to do a full backup), but it's still better than nothing, especially if they could fix the issues with recreating E-mail accounts. If Sprite could do it, I bet Microsoft could, too.

Steve

[matt]

Motorola is recommending the beta version of ActiveSync 4.2 to adress some synching issues. I don't know if it will help with backup/restore. The 4.2 version is coming out of beta soon.

[Pony99CA]

Motorola is recommending the beta version of ActiveSync 4.2 to adress some synching issues. I don't know if it will help with backup/restore. The 4.2 version is coming out of beta soon.
Do you have a link to this recommendation? A quick Google didn't find anything specific about the Q. I'm curious what syncing issues there are.

However, I doubt it will help with Backup/Restore. I think Microsoft wants to get rid of those for every Windows Mobile 5 device.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

OK, I installed ActiveSync 4.1 on my main laptop to see if Backup/Restore was still available for pre-WM5 Pocket PCs and it is. In fact, the ActiveSync user interface appears to be almost identical when I connect my iPAQ 5550 (there's no LAN sync, of course).

However, connecting the Motorola Q gives a different user interface. Why couldn't Microsoft keep the same UI (and features) then?

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Yesterday my Q stopped playing audio using the speaker in Windows Media Player and the Sounds settings applet. It would still play ring tones when a call came in and audio would get played on my Bluetooth headset if I turned it on.

I tried several different things to try to get audio working again, but I eventually had to do a Master Reset (a program that hard resets the Q). Because I didn't have a backup, I lost all of my customizations -- my Home screen, my profile changes, my Bluetooth headset partnership, my POP3 E-mail accounts, etc. This is exactly what I feared, and why I said ActiveSync 4.x needs to provide a Backup/Restore function for WM 5 devices.

Come on, Microsoft, the function is there for pre-WM 5 devices! Help your customers avoid this problem.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Another feature missing from ActiveSync 4 that's in previous versions is category synchronization. You used to be able to synchronize only items tagged with a given category, but now you can't.

This was useful for syncing your PDA between home and work PCs. You might not want your personal information on your work PC, so you could just synchronize items marked Work on the work PC. Now you can't.

Another use was if you shared a common copy of Outlook at home, but you and somebody else had a Windows Mobile device. You could tag each item with the person it was for and your PDA would only have your items in them. You can't do that anymore, either.

Steve