AXIGEN - The Easy and Effective Way to Mobile Email
2.1 How Push email works over IMAP IDLE:
Traditional mobile mail clients may poll for new mail at frequent intervals, with or without downloading the mail to the client, thus providing a similar user experience as push e-mail.
IMAP in fact allows many notifications to be sent at any time, but not full message data. The IDLE command is often used to signal the ability of a client to process notifications sent outside of a command running, which effectively provides a user experience identical to push.
AXIGEN supports the IDLE command however, in order to use it for push email behavior, the mobile device itself has to also be compliant with IMAP IDLE (most high and mid-end devices offers this support).
IMAP IDLE activation comes with two major benefits on the user side:
Usually the IMAP IDLE is activated in the device if the “Automatic Retrieval” method is activated and configured for a “Retrieval Interval” less than 30 minutes.
2.2 How to optimize retrieval through IMAP or IMAP (Idle):
When using IMAP connections, the mobile device can be configured to synchronize any mailbox folder (by subscribing to the desired ones) including “other users’ folders”, “public folders”, “sent”, “calendar” or “contacts” folders, etc (make sure the device subscribes to such folders over IMAP).
However, the more folders are subscribed the longer the synchronization process takes. The synchronization process is also dependant on the number of items (emails) specified to be synchronized. Therefore, it is recommended to subscribe to the minimum number of folders needed and to set the “retrieval amount” to the minimum number of recent items (handset default is usually 30 emails per folder).
2.3 How to see PIM Folders and Items over IMAP:
Using the AXIGEN mailbox over IMAP you will be able to retrieve all emails and you can also see your PIM records, as inline VCard or iCal items into PIM type emails that can be found in the specific folders (Calendar, Contacts, etc). Every time you synchronize with the server, the new items are retrieved into your handset and can be accessed for reading.
From there you can copy the details and add them to the default handset Address Book or Calendar manually but you will not be able to perform groupware actions on them. The groupware actions can be performed only through the standard AXIGEN Webmail interface or the Outlook email PC client (by using AXIGEN Outlook connector). Sharing abilities are also available through the AXIGEN Mobile Webmail interface.
2.4 How to use your mobile device PC suite software to synchronize PIM Items natively:
Most email enabled handsets comes with the PC suite software that allows synchronization of PIM items with the PC or Laptop applications in a native manner (e.g. Outlook) or by import/export from or into CSV file format. By installing AXIGEN Outlook Connector on your PC you may synchronize regularly your PIM Items from the AXIGEN server mailbox, with the PIM Items from your mobile device by initiating a cable or Bluetooth data connection with the Outlook PC client.
2.5 Security recommendations:
IMPORTANT: for a user-friendly mobile email experience, the AntiSpam and AntiVirus filtering has to be performed on the server side by using stand-alone gateway filtering products or by integrating the AXIGEN Server with one of the compliant AntiSpam and AntiVirus products (see list here).
In order to obtain a secure server set up the connectivity to the IMAP service should be available only through SSL/TLS protocol (make sure the device supports secure connection). Also the AXIGEN IMAP proxy service should be used in order to isolate behind the DMZ the AXIGEN mail server back-end from the AXIGEN front-end IMAP proxy server that will be open to the Internet.
Microsoft ActiveSync is a protocol that allows ActiveSync enabled terminals to synchronize email messages, calendar entries and contacts over the air.
The AXIGEN messaging solution will support ActiveSync in a way similar to Microsoft Exchange Server and will feature similar capabilities. ActiveSync is currently supported by the following terminals:
The Direct Push feature provides instant notifications and delivery of new messages. Users will get the latest information anywhere and anytime. Using push email technology, new email, meeting invitations, and event changes are immediately pushed over-the-air to the mobile device without having to wait for a manual or scheduled sync.
This concludes our whitepaper on AXIGEN Mail Server’s mobile email and collaboration features ensuring full access to one’s inbox from mobile devices, at any time, anywhere.
Traditional mobile mail clients may poll for new mail at frequent intervals, with or without downloading the mail to the client, thus providing a similar user experience as push e-mail.
IMAP in fact allows many notifications to be sent at any time, but not full message data. The IDLE command is often used to signal the ability of a client to process notifications sent outside of a command running, which effectively provides a user experience identical to push.
AXIGEN supports the IDLE command however, in order to use it for push email behavior, the mobile device itself has to also be compliant with IMAP IDLE (most high and mid-end devices offers this support).
IMAP IDLE activation comes with two major benefits on the user side:
- Inbox emails are notified instantly to the handset (as they come)
- The connection is kept alive so the retrieval time is significantly lower on each email read/write start-up session.
Usually the IMAP IDLE is activated in the device if the “Automatic Retrieval” method is activated and configured for a “Retrieval Interval” less than 30 minutes.
2.2 How to optimize retrieval through IMAP or IMAP (Idle):
When using IMAP connections, the mobile device can be configured to synchronize any mailbox folder (by subscribing to the desired ones) including “other users’ folders”, “public folders”, “sent”, “calendar” or “contacts” folders, etc (make sure the device subscribes to such folders over IMAP).
However, the more folders are subscribed the longer the synchronization process takes. The synchronization process is also dependant on the number of items (emails) specified to be synchronized. Therefore, it is recommended to subscribe to the minimum number of folders needed and to set the “retrieval amount” to the minimum number of recent items (handset default is usually 30 emails per folder).
2.3 How to see PIM Folders and Items over IMAP:
Using the AXIGEN mailbox over IMAP you will be able to retrieve all emails and you can also see your PIM records, as inline VCard or iCal items into PIM type emails that can be found in the specific folders (Calendar, Contacts, etc). Every time you synchronize with the server, the new items are retrieved into your handset and can be accessed for reading.
From there you can copy the details and add them to the default handset Address Book or Calendar manually but you will not be able to perform groupware actions on them. The groupware actions can be performed only through the standard AXIGEN Webmail interface or the Outlook email PC client (by using AXIGEN Outlook connector). Sharing abilities are also available through the AXIGEN Mobile Webmail interface.
2.4 How to use your mobile device PC suite software to synchronize PIM Items natively:
Most email enabled handsets comes with the PC suite software that allows synchronization of PIM items with the PC or Laptop applications in a native manner (e.g. Outlook) or by import/export from or into CSV file format. By installing AXIGEN Outlook Connector on your PC you may synchronize regularly your PIM Items from the AXIGEN server mailbox, with the PIM Items from your mobile device by initiating a cable or Bluetooth data connection with the Outlook PC client.
2.5 Security recommendations:
IMPORTANT: for a user-friendly mobile email experience, the AntiSpam and AntiVirus filtering has to be performed on the server side by using stand-alone gateway filtering products or by integrating the AXIGEN Server with one of the compliant AntiSpam and AntiVirus products (see list here).
In order to obtain a secure server set up the connectivity to the IMAP service should be available only through SSL/TLS protocol (make sure the device supports secure connection). Also the AXIGEN IMAP proxy service should be used in order to isolate behind the DMZ the AXIGEN mail server back-end from the AXIGEN front-end IMAP proxy server that will be open to the Internet.
3. Axigen push email and PIM synchronization mobile connector over ActiveSync
(currently ongoing development and scheduled to be launched in Q1 of 2009)Microsoft ActiveSync is a protocol that allows ActiveSync enabled terminals to synchronize email messages, calendar entries and contacts over the air.
The AXIGEN messaging solution will support ActiveSync in a way similar to Microsoft Exchange Server and will feature similar capabilities. ActiveSync is currently supported by the following terminals:
- Apple iPhone devices Microsoft Windows Mobile devices (through Pocket Outlook)
- Nokia SymbianOS devices (through “Nokia Mail for Exchange” software add-on)
- Other SymbianOS devices (through “Dataviz RoadSync” software client)
- Palm Treo and Centro
The Direct Push feature provides instant notifications and delivery of new messages. Users will get the latest information anywhere and anytime. Using push email technology, new email, meeting invitations, and event changes are immediately pushed over-the-air to the mobile device without having to wait for a manual or scheduled sync.
This concludes our whitepaper on AXIGEN Mail Server’s mobile email and collaboration features ensuring full access to one’s inbox from mobile devices, at any time, anywhere.