[Luke_Y]

Hi all, The wife and I are thinking of getting BlackBerrys and I have a few questions.

We are on AT&T and are looking at the BB Curve 8310.

We both want to have live access (push?) to our work e-mail, ISP e-mail, and web e-mail.

Her employer uses Exchange, and while I don�t think that they run BES, she uses Outlook from home on her laptop IMAP maybe (not web mail). She had no problems setting this up so I expect that she won�t run into any problems with the BIS on the BB.

My employer uses Exchange, they don�t run BES, and when I am off site out of the network I have to use our Exchange WebMail portal for mail access.
I asked one of the IT guys in passing "If I get a Blackberry will I be able to get my work e-mail?" He said probably, but if you get a MOTO Q or BlackJack it's a snap. You can then have your Outlook cal, contacts, and everything without physical syncing to the desktop...

I don't need the cal, contacts, etc. (it would be nice, but I don�t NEED it) but I would need live e-mail. I could live with physical syncing to get the extras or just not having them at all.

So I don't know much about the backend under the hood stuff on the e-mail systems, and he didn't know much about BlackBerry. If I have Exchange Web Mail access to my employers e-mail, will BIS get me live (push) mail on a BB?

[anon(153966)]

If she is using IMAP, she might have access to POP3, too. So, she could access her work email on her BlackBerry via that, POP3. She just has to walk through the 'Setup Internet Email' wizard on her device (might have to ask the I.T department for a few details, like server name, etc, etc)...

As for you, you could have a copy of your work email forwarded to a GMail account (and change the properties to look at if you're replying from your work email address)...

[ralarosa]

You can set up BES to access your OWA account. It won't be immediate push, but BIS polls the account every 15 minutes. If there is activity, it polls again a minute or two later, etc., until it stops. Then is begins the 15 minute polling over.

[pgregory]

BIS works with either POP or IMAP. Its just not immediate push like if you were hooked into the corporate BES server. We use groupwise here, and I use IMAP to get my email and I'm not on our BES server.

[dlnmorrow]

YES
You are able to use the webmail portal for exchange on your BB.
I have my work email set to come to my BB and I am on BIS.

Once you log into the BIS, select add email account, enter your work email address and the password, it will come back to tell you that it cant configure it, but you're given an option to manually input the settings> Work email> select : I can access my email account using a Web browser (Outlook� Web Access)
and its pretty self explanatory from there!

[Luke_Y]

If she is using IMAP, she might have access to POP3, too. So, she could access her work email on her BlackBerry via that, POP3. She just has to walk through the 'Setup Internet Email' wizard on her device (might have to ask the I.T department for a few details, like server name, etc, etc)...

As for you, you could have a copy of your work email forwarded to a GMail account (and change the properties to look at if you're replying from your work email address)...

OK, so hers should be basically the same settings she used to set up Outlook at home... mail server, domain, password, etc.

I was thinking that with mine there wouldn't be any need to forward due to having Outlook web access.

You can set up BES to access your OWA account. It won't be immediate push, but BIS polls the account every 15 minutes. If there is activity, it polls again a minute or two later, etc., until it stops. Then is begins the 15 minute polling over.

I assume that in your first reference you mean BIS not BES. I suppose I can live with the delay if there is no way around it. Is that delay present with ISP mail and internet mail s well?

YES
You are able to use the webmail portal for exchange on your BB.
I have my work email set to come to my BB and I am on BIS.

Once you log into the BIS, select add email account, enter your work email address and the password, it will come back to tell you that it cant configure it, but you're given an option to manually input the settings> Work email> select : I can access my email account using a Web browser (Outlook� Web Access)
and its pretty self explanatory from there!

Thanks for the detailed instructions, glad to know it's possible.

[eyemabug]

For your wife it will be easy, from your post I can determine that it has OWA so all you have to do when you go to the Email Settings is enter the email address and password and the BlackBerry will determine the rest and configure it automatically.

As for you, you just need to add a few details.. First you enter your email address and password, if it doesn't configure outomatically it will require more settings, you just need to add your username and mail server address..

Of course you have the option to forward your emails to your BB so emails will be just fine.
Good luck and let us know of the outcome..

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Luke_Y]

OK, found out a bit more about the wife’s work system.

They use Exchange server 2007. Off site Outlook users need to VPN to get their e-mail. Off site Entourage (Mac) users don’t need to VPN but don't have full folder, cal access. Or, anyone can use Outlook Web Mail portal.

She uses Entourage at home on her MacBook so that’s why she doesn’t need to VPN.

So I guess we would just try her e-mail address and password on the BIS setup, and if it doesn’t configure automatically then use the mail server, domain, password settings that they provide for Entourage setup?

Would one way be preferred or allow faster delivery than the other?

Still looking into finding out a bit more about my works system.

[Luke_Y]

Talked to another IT guy at my office. He confirmed no BES at my work. But said I could get my e-mail on BB, a few people here use them. He said it just hooks in through Outlook Web Access. He didn't elaborate, but told me if I get a BB and have trouble setting it up to swing by and he'd sort it.

Then, he like the other recommended a Q or BlackJack, for the live full Outlook access faster 3g (AT&T) data etc. I played with his Q for a few minutes and I just didn�t find it as intuitive as the BlackBerrys and instantly missed the little trackball.

I can see where at our organization where they don�t run BES, if you need full Outlook access you basically have to use a WM device. But I think I can get by with just e-mail, and do a physical sync now and then for the contacts/cal. I just think I will like the BB hardware/OS better.

As far as the wife, I think she would prefer to sync with her personal calendar anyway. So it looks like it will be BlackBerry for us.