But this isn't an article about the Pocket PC. It's about how Small Business Server 2003 allows access remotely. A primary feature of Pocket PC is Pocket Outlook. Normally a Pocket PC user can use ActiveSync, a utility that comes with the Pocket PC, to synchronize their data, in particular Outlook, with their desktop data and Outlook. ActiveSync must be running on the desktop and the user must be logged on for this to work. But how do you sync when you're not logged in or are across town or across the country? Enter SBS 2003. Actually Exchange 2003, an integral part of SBS 2003. Microsoft added its Mobile Information Server to Exchange when it developed Exchange 2003. The server version of ActiveSync is a service, which allows my Pocket PC to sync up my Outlook data without my workstation even being turned on! So, I can sit here on my couch and down load and send e-mail while my wife is using our desktop PC.

I can also use server ActiveSync while I'm away from the office. I've found a number of WiFi hotspots across town where I can connect to the Internet. Everyone knows Starbucks has WiFi hotspots but there are a number of other places that offer this service as well. Some are free while others require a subscription fee. Guess which ones I tend to use. Once connected I can sync up my Pocket PC Outlook with my SBS 2003 server across the Internet. I can even download and view attachments if I like. I can even access my server or workstation desktops using the Pocket PC Terminal Services client.

But, I'm not always near a hotspot. I may be driving in my car or in the boonies. How can I access my Outlook then? Enter OMA (Outlook Mobile Access), another feature of Mobile Internet Server added to Exchange 2003 and therefore SBS 2003. OMA is kind of like OWA, (Outlook Web Access) that we've had since Exchange 5, Lite. OMA provides very simple, menu based web access to your Exchange mail box. My cell phone is sophisticated enough to render at least simple web pages. Actually it does a pretty good job of it. My service plan allows me unlimited web access. So, anytime I want/need to access my e-mail, I can do so with my cell phone! I can access not only my Inbox but also my Outlook Contacts, Calendar and Tasks. Of course I can send and reply to e-mail, update my Contacts and Calendar, and complete my Tasks. Of course my messages tend to be pretty short. Typing on a phone keypad with your thumb can be tiring. I can also access OMA from my Pocket PC. It looks pretty good and is easy to use. Most of the time I use ActiveSync but sometimes, like before I figured out how to sync remotely, I like to use it on the PPC.

Another option is a Microsoft based SmartPhone. Last month Michael Espinoza's Comm Corner described several SmartPhones. SmartPhones combine a cell phone with a Pocket PC. Microsoft is emphasizing the SmartPhone as a way to access SBS 2003. With it you can use either ActiveSync or OMA. I don't have a SmartPhone but I understand it makes OMA look really great. The drawback to a SmartPhone is that your connection is a cell phone speed. WiFi access is typically much faster and reliable.

A third option is Bluetooth, which allows compatible devices to communicate over short distances. There are a number of cell phones that include Bluetooth. If your Pocket PC has Bluetooth, it can connect to your cell phone and use it as a modem to 'dial-up' the Internet and connect to your SBS 2003 server with your PPC from anywhere you have cell access. If you don't have Bluetooth, you might be able to purchase a cable that will connect you PPC to your cell phone. Not as slick as Bluetooth but a lot cheaper.

Now, with my Pocket PC and a WiFi connection or my cell phone and OMA, I can stay in touch via e-mail from just about anywhere, including driving down the Interstate. That's a good thing, right? ...Right?!?