IM, Users, Device
ContentWatch Security Appliance Offers Filtering, Anti-malware
To make it easier to get started, ContentWatch provides several ready-made policies, ranging from denying all access to monitor-only. In most businesses, a good place to start is with Moderate settings, which block certain Web content categories, allow IM and prevent users from bypassing the device through proxying. [...] I synchronised the CP 300's user directory with my LDAP server and started to build policies under the Manage tab. I put users in groups, created rules for time of day, content category and traffic shaping, and then assigned those rules under the Policy Manager. [...] Ports are clearly labelled and located on the front of the unit. The device includes a hardware bypass so that network traffic continues to pass through it even if it fails. A helpful and informative wizard walked me through initial configuration, although I was disappointed that there was no way to configure SMTP authentication when configuring e-mail alerts. [...]
Palm Pre: Exceptional Design
With a freshly restored phone, free from any running applications in the background and not checking any e-mail accounts, I was able to squeeze 5 hours and 41 minutes of talk time out of the device - well above expectations. But with a slightly used device, checking two e-mail accounts (one IMAP and one Exchange Active Sync) at default intervals, the numbers were strikingly bad - only 2 hours and 54 minutes. [...] Second, I discovered that in some cases, the low battery warning encompassed the entire screen and locked in place, keeping me from using the device even after the battery had fully recharged. The only way I found to clear the error was to remove the battery from the device - an action that will likely send shivers down the spine of longtime PalmOS users. [...] Palm sent over a list of steps users could take to conserve battery usage. Among the tips listed, Palm recommended keeping the device out of direct sunlight (it does run uncomfortably warm under ordinary circumstances), changing default e-mail receive periods, lowering default screen brightness and avoiding excessive use of IM services. [...]
Unison: Free Unified Communications Software
Unfortunately, Unison does not do much to take UC mobile at this time. The Server features are designed to work with the Unison Desktop only, and there are no clients for mobile devices at this time. I found that mobile users could access their e-mail via IMAP, but this will not open up the IM, calendar, contacts or voice features that make Unison appealing. [...] The Unison Desktop delivers IM chat to other Unison users via a pane within the Desktop called the Unison Messenger. Users can also configure Unison Messenger to communicate with a few external IM networks as well. To access MSN or ICQ networks, users can input their credentials for those networks as a gateway, or users can interact directly with GoogleTalk via XMPP (although administrators will need to open a TCP port on the firewall for this to work). [...] Unison has also added a barrier to IMAP adoption. During my tests, I discovered that a user's IMAP password differs from the password used to log in to the Unison Desktop. To obtain the IMAP password, administrators actually have to log in to the MySQL database, then run a small script to extract a user's IMAP password. [...]
Product reviews of the latest cloud computing technology solutions for IT
Iomega's StorCenter ix2-200 Network Storage, with improved iSCSI support, will serve small offices, departments and power users well as a network storage device. [...]
Google Apps Connector for Blackberry: Best Of Both Worlds?
Contact synchronisation occurs bi-directionally. Updates made on-device replicate immediately to the cloud and can include all contact details plus any configured contact photos attached to an entry. In addition to the users' own contact lists, administrators can create a Global Address List for a list of contacts common to everyone in the email domain. [...] Users will likely find they still may need the Gmail Mobile App on their device for some functionality. For instance, the Blackberry device maintains only a few days of emails (depending on configuration). Gmail and Google Apps users may be well accustomed to being able to search quickly through gigabytes and months of collected communications. [...] Calendar integration with Gmail services is a little less robust, offering only one-way synchronisation from the Web calendar to the device. Therefore, while users can input calendar entries on their devices, these updates will not synchronize back to Google Calendar. [...]
iPhone OS 3.1 Review: Something For Gamers And Business Users
Immediately after its live event in San Francisco, Apple released iPhone OS 3.1 with the updated iTunes 9. While the latest revision of the iPhone OS offers only a few new features (and has been criticised for a weak anti-phishing feature ), frequent App Store users and those using the iPhone device with Microsoft Exchange Server will definitely appreciate the update. [...] For heavy App Store users, the most welcome new feature in Version 3.1 is the ability to adjust application placement on the iPhone home screen panels from within iTunes. Previously, users had to organise applications on the device itself, an onerous time-waster, particularly after performing a restore on the device. [...] With the device tethered to a PC running iTunes 9, I was able to select applications from my inventory and drag the icons onto the representation of the intended target screen. This customisation is done per device, so users with multiple iPhones or iPod Touches won't be forced to have the same application layout on every device that syncs to that their iTunes instance. [...]
Palm Pre: Exceptional Design
When first setting up the device, the Pre requires that users create a Palm Profile. This account serves as a repository for a configured Pre's settings (such as configured Wi-Fi networks), applications and accounts (e-mail, calendar and contacts). This information is automatically replicated up to Palm's servers, allowing users to quickly restore a device if it was wiped for some reason. [...] The Pre's Web browser is also quite usable for a mobile device. Opening the browser pulls the user into the bookmarks, which are presented not as a list but a grid of six icons. Users can add their own bookmarks (which are not replicated to the Palm Profile), and they will be added to what could easily turn into a very long panel. [...] Also, users can log into their profile via the Web to remotely erase a device that has been lost or stolen. [...]
Unison: Free Unified Communications Software
While Unison technically provides presence capabilities that allow Unison users to see when other users are available, busy or on the phone, I found this feature to be a bolted-on afterthought. Instead of incorporating presence views into the corporate or personal directories, presence may only be viewed in the Unison Messenger IM client pane and each Unison user must individually add contacts to their own Unison Messenger roster. [...] Unison Server and Desktop unified communications software offers a good, basic UC experience, but lacks too many features to be useful to enterprises with advanced UC needs. The Unison software doesn't have extensibility to mobile device or applications, doesn't offer collaboration between users and has limited conferencing abilities. [...] To add a contact to a Unison Messenger, users must request permission from the contact to take such action. Extrapolated out, this means that as it currently stands, to set up presence among everyone within a company requires every user to manually add every user to their own roster and request permission from that contact&mdash. [...]
Review: Apple IOS 4 Is A Worthy Upgrade
The automatic spell-checking in iOS 4 will come in handy for many users, and if you're like me, you'll benefit from the added support for Bluetooth keyboards on the iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod Touch. These models also allow users to lock the device orientation in portrait, and to customise the wallpaper on home screens and the lock screen with images of one's choice. [...] Security has received attention in this release as well. it's now possible to encrypt all the data on the device, although if you're anything like me, running the complete erase-and-restore cycle that's required to do so may be nerve-wracking. Location services in this release can now be turned on or off for individual applications, and users can see a list of apps that have requested one's location in the last 24-hour period. [...] But between them, iOS 4 and iTunes still lack features that I've taken for granted on other devices, such as the ability to maintain multiple backups of a device and Bluetooth access to files on the device. These are things I've been able to do on my now-ancient Sony Ericsson p910 from the first time I used it in 2005. [...]
Full Review: Blackberry Storm 2 9550
As with every other on-screen keyboard implementation, users' mileage will likely vary when it comes to typing speed and accuracy. In my short time with the device, I did not find my typing particularly fast or accurate, although I've been improving gradually. [...] In portrait mode, the device defaults to a SureType keypad (organized like the keyboard on a Blackberry Pearl), but the user can easily change it to QWERTY here, as well. [...] The Storm 2 comes with the same processor as the Storm 9530, but the increase in memory and updated software make the new device seem faster than its processor, with response to orientation changes notably improved. [...]
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