Nokia rounds on RIM, brings Exchange ActiveSync Push E-mail to ALL of their (80 million) smartphones

In an apparent reaction to RIM’s smartphone success, Nokia today announced that it is expanding its device range which enables Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to all Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices. 43 Nokia devices will now feature the Mail for Exchange mobile email application, making Nokia’s device range the largest ever to enable the solution. Nokia also announced today that Mail for Exchange will be available out-of-the-box in future releases of Nokia Eseries and Nokia Nseries devices. The software had previously only been available on a small selection of Nokia’s smartphones.

“Nokia is a valued partner and we are pleased they are making it easier for their approximately 80 million S60 3rd Edition customers to realize the benefits of Exchange Server,” said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President, Exchange Server, Microsoft Corp. “This announcement with Nokia further demonstrates the importance consumers and businesses place on accessing Exchange Server data from mobile devices in addition to traditional desktop clients. Nokia’s announcement today will help give its users that access and help make them more productive.”

Nokia owners whose companies use Exchange can set up Mail for Exchange for free on their devices in various ways without paying additional services or subscription fees. Once the application is set up, users utilize their current data plan service to get real-time access to their office email, calendar, contacts, tasks and company directory over a secure connection.

“We take corporate and IT security policies seriously, and a comparison study showed that the device management and security policies for devices such as the Nokia Eseries are robust,” added Mr Vanjoki. “This should give business heads and IT managers greater confidence when choosing between device brands to mobilize their workforce.”

While the Exchange ActiveSync protocol is compatible with many types of devices, Nokia device users will have access to features that are currently not available in other Exchange ActiveSync licensees’ devices such as setting email priorities, alerts for meeting request conflicts, a standalone global address list application to search for a colleague’s contact details quickly, downloading and editing all types of attachments.

Nokia has recently removed the Blackberry Connect client from their latest smartphones. While this move may not appear to more competition for Windows Mobile, it will, with the iPhone, cement Exchange Activesync as the mobile e-mail solution of choice, which will simplify the introduction and use of Windows Mobile smartphones in many companies.

For more detail read Nokia’s press release here.