[zevinzion]

I am currently using a Nokia E71 and am strongly considering switching over to a BB 9700. While the overall e mail experience on the BB will be better on many levels, I am concerned that since I will likely not have access to a BES, that I won't be able to access any of my e mail (Outlook) subfolders.

So, two questions:

1) Is there a way to access / sync the subfolders without BES?

2) Is there some third party software / service option that exists to have all the BES features, even if my company does not have BES?

I appreciate any help / suggestions that are provided.

Thanks.

[mark-d]

AFAIK there is no way to browse email and subfolders without BES.

There are alternatives like funambol and astra sync however I think if you want true folder sync then BES is your option.

Funambol will wirelessly sync your calender and tasks as I've used this in the past but I haven't tried their email push so can't vouch for whether or not that will do what you require.

[zevinzion]

Thanks for the response. So, does that mean that unless one works for some big company with BES, there is no way to enjoy the full benefits of the BB experience?

[jbeachy]

BIS 3.0, just implemented by RIM last night, appears to have much improved functionality for folder synchronization with a GMail plugin (I'm not not a gmail user). But I'm not sure about inBox subfolders though.
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You don't have to work for a big company to have BES - there's now BES Express for smaller installations, and there are hosted BES solutions with pricing around $10USD per month.
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But you're right, BES is absolutely integrated with the desktop client in every respect, not just subfolders with sent and receeved mail, but Notes, Tasks, Contacts, and Calendar as well.
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[stuaw11]

You can get hosted BES for $10, but then you need the BES plan. So youre paying $55/month just for data which is insane to get proper email functionality.

BESX isnt an option for most individual users as you need to be running a server 24/7 to get your mail. Also, any interruption of service (or power) at your home would cause you to get no email.

[zevinzion]

Stu, just so I understand, an individual can get BES for $10 a month (in addition to having the regular BB data plan)? How does that work exactly?

Also, I am not understanding the issue you raised with BESX. With all of the connectivity options on the Bold 9700, how would one ever lose service - short of their being 24+ hours of no electricity and thus not being able to charge either the phone or computer?

The only issue I see can see arising, but this would affect everyone equally, is that if either the BESX or company server were down, there would be no e mail.

[bricenm]

I use astrasync as my company doesn't have BES and will not get BESX. Astrasync works great and I use it to sync my inbox, contacts and calendar. However, it is not BES in respect to full folder sync like mark-d mentioned above. However, astrasync is better than nothing for my needs. Also, astrasync has a cost in the form of a yearly subscription of $49. Here's the website with the full features list: astrasync.com.

[zevinzion]

Thanks bricenm.

At this point, if my company decides not to go the BESX route, I'll either go with Astrasync or Notifysync. (Unless there's some $10 a month individual user BES route, which stuaw seemed to imply above).

Astrasync has the more attractive price (it costs about half of Notifysync,) but in terms of mirroring the BES experience, Notifysync seems to come the closest, from what I have researched so far.

[stuaw11]

Stu, just so I understand, an individual can get BES for $10 a month (in addition to having the regular BB data plan)? How does that work exactly?

Also, I am not understanding the issue you raised with BESX. With all of the connectivity options on the Bold 9700, how would one ever lose service - short of their being 24+ hours of no electricity and thus not being able to charge either the phone or computer?

The only issue I see can see arising, but this would affect everyone equally, is that if either the BESX or company server were down, there would be no e mail.

Sorry I want very clear.

Hosted BES- right now if youd get BIS service its $30/month. If you got BES service its $45/month for the carrier. Most hosted BES solutions are $10/month give or take, so youre talking a total of about $55 just for data per month vs the normal $30 for any other smartphone. To use hosted BES you have to be on the BES carrier plan which is $45/month and then pay for the hosted service on top.


BESX- is software to install on an activesync server meant for small business solutions. What I meant was you could buy a cheap server PC and install it yourself in your home for your own use, but the limitations are your home internet uptime and power grid. If the power goes out during a storm (the PC wouldnt work nor the router) or sometimes there are home ISP outages, then the server PC would be down and hence no email on your BB. There are some limitations to BESX doing it youself including cost of a server PC. Small limitations and outages yes, but if email is important to you then getting a service to do it can be a more reliable option.


It depends what you want to do. Either will get you the full email experience, but at a much higher cost then your Nokia, or getting another smartphone platform like iphone, android, webOS, etc which will natively give you full folders and contact/calendar sync like your Nokia does for the normal $30/month. Its up to you if you want to take on additional cost to get that same function. Personally, I couldnt imagine coughing up almost double the $ per month for data to get the same functionality as other platforms out of the box on the basic $30 data plan.

[zevinzion]

Stuaw, thanks for the response.

By default, when one purchases a BB, they must purchase the BIS data plan, correct?

If I understand you correctly, should they have access to a BES server, one would need a BES data plan which costs $10 more?

If one were to have access to their to BESX through their company, could they still make use of the BIS data plan?

I do agree with you on the point that if one doesn't have access to a BESX server through their company that setting up one's own server can have it's own risks and challenges involved.

If my company doesn't go the BESX route, I'll likely go with Notifysync, even though that isn't very cheap, it seems to give one the closest thing to a BES experience without needing to set up one's own server network in their home.

[Motorcycle Mama]

1. Most (but not all) carriers require a BIS plan.
2. Typically, a BES plan with the carrier is $15 more than a BIS plan. If you are not with a company that has it's own Exchange server, you would likely need to go with a Hosted BES solution which would be another $10 on top of the other charges.