I’ve got Windows in my pocket

… and the other one is linking to Alanis.

OK, now that the bad pun-slash-pop-culture-reference is out of the way, I’ll tell you about my latest toy productivity enhancement tool.

After literally weeks of exhausting (and pretty close to exhaustive) research, I finally chose a new mobile device: the Verizon Wireless XV6700. I’m quite sure that within six months there will be a new device on the market that puts this one to shame, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to start using a Pocket PC phone before my clients did!

Many thanks to Pete, Angela, Paul, and Matt at imo in Framingham, Mass., a great place to buy a mobile phone. If you’re in the market for a new phone — any type of phone, any carrier — these folks can help you. Tell them I sent you and we’ll both get a little something as a referral bonus. (Of course, if you’re a Boston-area small business owner hoping to integrate PDA phones into your technology infrastructure, talk to me first.)

One of the major benefits of having a Pocket PC phone running Windows Mobile 5.0 is to get “Direct Push” — i.e., Blackberry-like — synchronization of my e-mail. So that’s what I tried first. Later, I’ll tell you how I fare with other funky functions.

Synching with Microsoft Exchange

To get my Outlook information synching wirelessly between my Exchange server and my XV6700, I had to follow the steps laid out in this 35-page Microsoft document. (Hint, hint: this technology stuff is hard; you should hire a computer consultant to do it for you.)

I would add a few things to Microsoft’s instructions. Warning: the rest of this post gets awfully tech-y.

First, before upgrading to Exchange Service Pack 2, you might want to run a health check using the Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer 2.7. This step was suggested by Lee Benjamin, a local Exchange wizard.

Second, I would move the warning about not using the version of ActiveSync that comes bundled with Small Business Server 2003. The warning would be more effective if it came at the beginning of the ActiveSync installation instructions rather than at the end. I would also add a note that users might want to install ActiveSync from the CD that came with their phones, because they might find some extra goodies there. FYI, SBS03 ships with ActiveSync 3.7 or 3.8, but ActiveSync 4.1 or later is required for the kind of Exchange synching we’re talking about here. Why Microsoft doesn’t automatically push down an ActiveSync upgrade through the update process, I don’t know. Update: FYI, ActiveSync 4.2 is the latest release as of November 2006, and as a result the link in the Microsoft instructions to ActiveSync 4.1 no longer works. Version 4.2 can be downloaded here and will likely be included on the CD that comes with the phone. ActiveSync 4.5 is in beta, and the Vista-compatible Mobile Device Center is also in the pipeline. I don’t recommend installing beta software except in a testing environment.

Third, I would point out that the ActiveSync installation is not going to be completely successful until the SSL certificate is installed, so don’t be surprised.

Fourth, I would have noted that installing a self-signed SSL certificate can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 minutes depending on your device, carrier, and Googling skills. What finally worked for me was a slight variation of the instructions supplied by Nick Pieters in a smallbizserver.net forum. My version:

1. In IIS, right-click on the companyweb web site and choose Properties.
2. On the Directory Security tab, click View Certificate.
3. Click Details, then Copy to File. The Certificate Export Wizard will run.
4. Do not export the private key. Choose DER encoded binary. Enter any path and filename you want. I chose C:\ClientApps\SBScert\sbsexport.cer.
5. Copy sbsexport.cer to the Mobile Device. I don’t think it matters what folder you put it in.
6. On the mobile device, open (tap on) sbsexport.cer. You should get a prompt that you are about to install a certificate.

Fifth, I would add more to the troubleshooting section. Specifically, I would put in suggestions for what to do if everything seems to be synching smoothly except for your calendar, which takes forever and effectively defeats the purpose of Direct Push. I’m still stuck on that bit at the moment, and my Googling skills have been of no use here. If you have any ideas, let me know. Update: The calendar synching problem resolved itself after a few hours and is no longer an issue. But I would still like to see more troubleshooting information.