iPhone: IMAP vs. ActiveSync
And where does RoadSync fit in?
Exchange connectivity for the iPhone has been a hot topic lately. There’s been months of discussion about iPhone support (or lack thereof) for Exchange ActiveSync (EAS). There’s even been speculation that Apple will license the EAS protocol from Microsoft. As of this writing, the iPhone does not include EAS support. It does, however, include the ability to sync with Exchange via Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).
So, what’s the difference between IMAP and EAS, you ask?
The Exchange Team at Microsoft put together a comparison of the two methods of connecting with your Exchange server. They describe IMAP as an “adequate” solution for email, but end the article by saying, “Exchange ActiveSync…provides a very rich email and collaboration experience for end-users as well as support for the important security measures needed for IT.” They also included the following chart which breaks down each protocol by feature:
I guess it shouldn’t surprise us that Microsoft wants to spin users toward their newer, more robust method of syncing with Exchange. However, if you’re looking for someone to defend IMAP (or at least provide a different view of the two protocols), look no further than this - slightly more candid - article from John Welsh. He’s a bit condescending in parts, but he does make some interesting points in defense of IMAP as compared to EAS.
I guess the bottom line is that some users (or potential users) are complaining about the lack of EAS support on the iPhone. And, right or wrong, it seems a lot of people consider IMAP to be subpar compared to EAS.
So where does that leave RoadSync?
Since DataViz supports EAS on 6 mobile platforms and well over 100 handsets, and the iPhone currently does not support EAS, you can imagine that it’s something we’re looking into. However, the fact that Apple is not allowing third party development on the iPhone (other than web-based apps) makes it a difficult nut to crack.
“...without ActiveSync, I still consider it an iPod rather than a smartphone, but only time will tell.” – Ilya Eliashevsky, RoadSync Product Manager, DataViz, Inc.
If you want RoadSync on your iPhone, let us know, and keep your eye out for more of Ilya’s thoughts on the iPhone next week.
Related Articles:
[10/18/2007] Apple Announces iPhone SDK
[1/18/2007] iPhone: Third Party Software