Computer Repair & Support
Mobile Computing: SmartPhone and PDA Support
Blackberry, iPhone, Palm; Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G. Each day, it seems, a new mobile device is announced, with more features and services than the last. These devices can be great tools, but before you purchase a new smartphone or PDA for UMD business use, please be aware of the following:
- Not every device will work with UMD's email and/or calendar clients. Enterprise systems (UMD email, umCal) are designed for computers running on our Ethernet network. The carrier plan you have, your network access (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G), your cell signal strength on campus, and the configuration features available on your device will all affect your success at getting these applications to work reliably and consistently.
- ITSS support and service for these devices is limited. Due to the sheer volume of models, carriers, and services, ITSS support is limited to basic configuration assistance for email and calendar access. Additional set up or troubleshooting assistance is available as a billable service.
The two most common requests for assistance we receive are setting up access to UMD email and syncing calendars. Following is the basic information you will need to configure access to these services on your mobile device. We encourage you to try these directions on your device before calling for assistance.
Email Access
There are two ways to access your UMD email on these devices: UMD WebMail, and through your device's email client.
- UMD WebMail
- If you have a web browser, access your email through UMD WebMail This is the simplest method as it requires no configuration on your device.
- Your device's email client
- Clients vary from device to device, and can be quite complicated. However, to be able to access your UMD email, you must be able to customize the IMAP/SMTP or POP protocols in the device.
- The volume of devices being developed is too extensive to give case by case instructions applicable to UMD. Each device can be different with different language in the menus. However, the following basic configuration guidelines should allow you to set up most devices for UMD email access (check your owner's manual for more information):
Description UMD setting Mail type IMAP Incoming Mail Server imap.d.umn.edu Outgoing Mail Server smtp.d.umn.edu Encryption SSL Root (main) folder ~/Mail/ - The volume of devices being developed is too extensive to give case by case instructions applicable to UMD. Each device can be different with different language in the menus. However, the following basic configuration guidelines should allow you to set up most devices for UMD email access (check your owner's manual for more information):
Calendar Access
There are two ways to access your UMD calender on your mobile device: access the online version of umCal, or sync your umCal with your device's calendar.
- umCal
- If you have a web browser, access your calendar through the online umCal. This is the simplest method as it requires no configuration on your device.
- Sync umCal to your device
- Calendar clients vary from device to device. SyncML is a protocol for synchronizing devices and applications over the Internet. Currently, SyncML is supported for umCal for these platforms:
-
- PalmOS
- Windows Mobile
- Blackberry
- iPhone
- Please note that you must purchase the paid version to obtain technical support from the vendor (Nexthaus).
- Syncing more than two devices and/or calendars: Customers often want to sync more than two devices (for example, syncing your mobile device to your laptop and your home computer) or multiple calendars (for example, syncing umCal to Outlook and your mobile device). While this is possible, in our experience it inevitably causes multiple appointments, crashed clients or other problems. This is not recommended or supported by ITSS.
Troubleshooting
If you need further assistance, here are a few things to try:
- Check your owner's manual - most have detailed instructions on setting up email.
- Contact your phone company or manufacturer, as they will have details on your voice and/or data plan.
If the problems persist, call the ITSS Help Desk to set up an appointment for assistance. ITSS staff can assist with basic set up questions. Time spent on more involved setup or troubleshooting problems is billable at our regular hourly rate.
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