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Smartphone Thoughts

ARTICLE - Microsoft TechNet: Windows Vista Mobile Device Center Step by Step Guide

Kris Kumar - Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:30 am
Post subject: Microsoft TechNet: Windows Vista Mobile Device Center Step b

"Windows Mobile Device Center is the new name for ActiveSync in Microsoft® Windows Vista™, and provides overall device management features for your Windows Mobile-based devices in Windows Vista, including smartphones and pocket PCs. All of the features previously available in ActiveSync are available in Windows Vista, including synchronization and setting up your partnership. However, most of the user interface has changed in an effort to enhance your ability to easily and intuitively find device-related tasks and improve the overall usability of those tasks. Please note that only a portion of Windows Mobile Device Center is included in this release of Windows Vista. This primarily includes core device connectivity components, which allows the operating system to recognize that a Windows Mobile-based device has connected and load the appropriate device drivers loaded and services. Included with this is our Windows Mobile Device Center base application that enables some basic functionality, including the ability to browse the contents of your device, use desktop passthrough to sync with Microsoft Exchange, and change some general computer and connection settings."

Folks, we now know for sure that users of Windows Vista will not need ActiveSync to perform mobile device synchronization; Windows Vista will come with Windows Mobile Device Center that will enable all the ActiveSync tasks. Recently I had written the article "Inside Windows Vista: Windows Mobile Device Center and Sync Center," which demonstrated the new features for mobile device support in Windows Vista. In the article I had mentioned that I was unable to carry out some of the most significant tasks like synchronizing the Outlook data, and thanks to this Microsoft TechNet article, we now know that the Windows Vista February CTP is not feature complete. Wink

dfdaiker - Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:13 am
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Does anybody know if they are bringing back the catagory based syncing they took out for ActiveSync 4.x?

Jason Dunn - Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:22 am
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What? ActiveSync will NOT be needed? That's the opposite of everything I was told - I thought that the Mobile Device Center was just a candy-coated shell in Vista, and that ActiveSync would still need to be installed.

(reads article)

Hmm. Ok, so ActiveSync has been renamed and will come with EVERY copy of Vista out of the box? Yeeee-haw! I've been asking for that for YEARS - nice to see they finally took my advice. Laughing

Mike Temporale - Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:42 am
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dfdaiker wrote:

Does anybody know if they are bringing back the catagory based syncing they took out for ActiveSync 4.x?

Don't count on it. Wink

It's just a new front end for AS. So chances are pretty good there won't be any of the lost features showing up again.

Edgar - Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:47 am
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Quote:

Please note that only a portion of Windows Mobile Device Center is included in this release of Windows Vista.

YAY! They still have time to give it a patented MS "bustification". They can still take out parts as well!

Part of me says "oh great more bloated software to add to my disk" - the other part says, well it usually takes MS five releases to get something right, maybe this will work. Also, much easier for them to incrementally update the software via Windows Auto Update when its built in. I have the MS Pocketpc downloads page on my weekly tickler file, just hoping for updates to my favorite program(s). Razz

-Edgar

Foxbat121 - Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:28 am
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dfdaiker wrote:

Does anybody know if they are bringing back the catagory based syncing they took out for ActiveSync 4.x?

I'm not sure it is ActiveSync 4.x problem or WM 5 problem. I use the same PC to sync both my SMT5600 WM2003SE and Cingular 8125 WM5 phones. I can still pick categories when SMT5600 is connected. It is disabled when 8125 is connected.

Mike Temporale - Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:44 am
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Foxbat121 wrote:

dfdaiker wrote:

Does anybody know if they are bringing back the catagory based syncing they took out for ActiveSync 4.x?

ActiveSync will detect the OS of the connecting device. If it's pre-WinMo5 then ActiveSync will use the older 3.x code base. If it's WinMo5 or newer, then it will use the new 4.x code base.

Categories was removed in AS4.1 - I think. Sad

Foxbat121 - Thu Mar 09, 2006 10:48 am
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I don't know what's reason MS removed category capability in WM5/AS 4.1. And what's the reason behind treating WM5 devices as a network cards so that people with 3rd party firewalls get constantly screwed.

On the plus side, you can now sync files in WM5/AS 4.1.

Kris Kumar - Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:29 pm
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I am hoping that we will get the updates and fixes more quickly, it will be part of the Windows Updates. Wink

Or maybe it is not a good idea. Rolling Eyes

Kris Kumar - Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:36 pm
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Foxbat121 wrote:

And what's the reason behind treating WM5 devices as a network cards so that people with 3rd party firewalls get constantly screwed.

It definitely adds some fun to our otherwise boring lives. Laughing

I still remember the day I first installed the latest AS and WM5.0, my laptop's wireless/network configuration application went crazy, and the best part I thought it was my laptop's network card/software going crazy, never suspected the AS.

dfdaiker - Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:16 am
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Mike Temporale wrote:

Foxbat121 wrote:

dfdaiker wrote:

Does anybody know if they are bringing back the catagory based syncing they took out for ActiveSync 4.x?

Did they explain why they removed it?

Mike Temporale - Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:35 am
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dfdaiker wrote:

Mike Temporale wrote:

Categories was removed in AS4.1 - I think. Sad

Did they explain why they removed it?

I'm sure they have a good reason. I don't know what it would be, but it's not like they just go around removing features or something. Wink

Kris Kumar - Sun Apr 02, 2006 4:15 pm
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Anyone tried the latest Beta build 5342?

The performance seems to have improved. More drivers, now it recognizes my audio card. More gadgets for the Sidebar.

But with this release I have not been able to get the Windows Mobile Device Center to work. Sad

It installs the driver and says everything is fine, but the Windows Mobile Device Center settings screen says "waiting for device to connect". Sad