Cingular Wireless will offer its business customers access to corporate e-mail via Direct Push Technology, a feature of Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) upgrade, beginning on June 19, 2006.
The solution initially will be available on two of the hottest wireless devices in the market today: the Cingular 8100 series Pocket PC and Cingular 2125 Smartphone. Direct Push Technology delivers an enhanced mobile experience to organizations that use Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 by pushing updates to e-mail, calendar items, contacts and tasks as they arrive directly from the Exchange Server to the devices. MSFP additionally enhances these Windows Mobile-powered Cingular Wireless devices by delivering improved device management and added security features for IT administrators, like over-the-air device password policy enforcement and remote wipe of the device in case of loss or theft.
Corporate customers will be able to access e-mail and other Microsoft Office Outlook-related functions via new solution-specific rate plans. These rate plans will identify Direct Push Technology customers and qualify them for specialized customer service and technical support, a key part of the Cingular Wireless e-mail offering.
Easy Deployment
The enterprise-grade solution is simple to deploy for new and existing customers. For new B2B customers, the client software is included on the Cingular 8100 Series and Cingular 2125 devices and the server software is included in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2. Users of devices running Windows Mobile 5.0 simply plug in the same credentials they would use for Outlook Web Access, and their e-mail and other Outlook information is delivered automatically. All existing customers can download the upgrade for free from the Cingular website.
The new combined offering includes the following features:
· Direct Push Technology – This innovation pushes e-mail to Windows Mobile-powered Cingular devices automatically. It is designed to deliver time sensitive e-mail as it arrives and helps ensure that device battery life is not drained by unnecessary synchronization cycles.
· Task Synchronization – Outlook tasks are automatically pushed to the device, along with e-mail, calendar entries and contacts.
· Global Address Lookup – Over-the-air look-up of addresses enables a mobile user to send email to anyone in the company’s Global Address List, even if they do not have the recipient’s contact details on their device.
Enhanced Security and Device Management
Enhancements to security and device management include remote policy enforcement, remote device wipe, password enforcement, native S/MIME support, certificate-based authentication and FIPS 140-2 certification.
Cingular’s offering of Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology meets the needs of companies that depend on wireless e-mail for mission critical communications. It has been thoroughly tested for certification on Cingular’s nationwide* EDGE network, the largest national high-speed wireless data network in the U.S., and is supported by Cingular’s data help desk, resulting in a highly reliable enterprise-grade solution.
Popular Devices
The Cingular 8100 series and 2125 are cost-effective converged high-speed, global communications devices that appeal to a broad range of wireless users, from individual consumers to larger companies. In addition to their Windows Mobile 5.0 capabilities, they feature the best in connectivity, productivity, and mobility with EDGE, Bluetooth®, quad-band international roaming, and integrated Wi-Fi on the Cingular 8100 Series Pocket PCs. Cingular’s EDGE network is available in 13,000 cities and towns and along nearly 40,000 miles of major highways.
Both devices also provide a rich multimedia experience to enjoy music and video featuring an integrated multimedia suite with Windows Media® Player 10 Mobile, stereo headset jack, and 1.3 megapixel camera. The devices support multiple audio formats including MP3, AMR, AAC, WAV and Windows Media Audio (WMA), as well as MPEG-4 video streaming. A mini-SD expansion card slot allows the user to add memory for storing music, games, photos and video.
Pricing and Availability
Microsoft Direct Push Technology will be available through Cingular’s B2B sales organization starting on June 19. For the Cingular 8100 Series Pocket PC, the Cingular Microsoft Direct Push Technology data plan is $44.99 with a qualifying voice plan for unlimited Internet and e-mail access. For the Cingular 2125 Smartphone, the data plan is $29.99 with a qualifying voice plan for unlimited Internet and e-mail access. Both plans include access to specialized tier 1 and 2 support.
Cingular customers that already have deployed Cingular 8100 Series or Cingular 2125 devices can download the MSFP software update for free from www.cingular.com/microsoft starting on June 19.