The email client on the Samsung Jet is a fine piece of work. It supports SSL/TLS connections, attachments, archiving by folders, and forwarding of mails. It allows you to block incoming mails either by address or subject. You can also print an email via Bluetooth.
With the built-in documents viewer, you can read (but not edit) any PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint attachments that are sent to you as email attachments.
Yet, it has limitations. It has a maximum download limit of 5mb per mail, so any emails larger than that don’t get retrieved. But aren’t we just nitpicking? 5mb sounds like much for most users.
The mail client can be configured to retrieve mails at intervals of 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, or daily. We wish much smaller intervals like 5 and 10 minutes are available. You cannot set specific hours of the day when mails should be checked as obtains on some more advanced email clients.
In our First Impressions of the device, we mentioned that there is a generic problem that Samsung devices have with Gmail IMAP connections. While POP3 works fine with Gmail, IMAP is just more elegant for us.
We were still sulking over this Gmail IMAP issue (you see, we really like this phone, but we use Gmail IMAP extensively!), when we tried out the included Exchange ActiveSync application.
Exchange ActiveSync Settings Menu
Exchange ActiveSync is a data synchronization service that enables mobile users to access their e-mail, calendar, and contacts and retain access to this information while they are offline. Fortunately, Google Sync uses the Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol.
We set it up and within minutes, we were synchronising not only our mail, but also contacts and calendar. The really, really, really nice thing here is that Exchange ActiveSync has a PUSH option (which, of course, we enabled immediately), and our emails were pushed to the Jet real-time, Blackberry style.
Exchange ActiveSync Inbox setup with a Gmail account
The Exchange ActiveSync application also has a widget that can be put up on the homescreen of the Jet so you can have easy access to your mails.
The Exchange ActiveSync homescreen widget
Well, we have stopped sulking. For our most critical email services, we can actually ignore the email client totally and use Exchange ActiveSync instead. This makes up for any shortcomings in the retrieval intervals of the standard email client.
For example, at our sister company, Alireta, we developed our reputation as a respected Nigerian web host by staying online all the time (at least one staff is always online at any time), so that we get real-time support and server notifications. Any handset – smartphone or not – that helps us do that better gets a pat on the back from us.
The Samsung S8003 Jet is looking more and more like a complete worktool, needing very little help from third party applications. While we are certain that it is not literally “smarter then smartphone”, as Samsung touts it, this gadget has narrowed down the gap so much that we are agreed that this gets the job done for us. We’ve been smartphone users for ages, so coming from us, that is saying something.
Update 4th February 2010
There is an annoying issue with the Jet’s implementation of IMAP in the built-in mail client. Ideally, on IMAP, if a mail arrives on phone and is read, the status of that particular mail on the server is automatically changed to “Read” as well.On the Jet, this does not work that way. Any mails read on the phone stay unread on the server, and you have to manually mark them “Read” when you access your mails via webmail.
We ask: what is the point of IMAP then? This is annoying, seeing that it results in duplicate actions and is essentially a waste of time for a busy person.
Coming soon: Did you know that in addition to the great 5 megapixel camera, the Jet has a really useful image editor, and (yes) video editor? No; we are not kidding.
The Samsung Jet is also your media studio. Don’t go away!
This post was written by
Mister Mobility – who has written 926 posts on Mobility blog.
Founder, Mobility blog, serial lifestyle entrepreneur, speaker, & writer. Charming, passionate, tenacious & non-conformist. Will dance! Follow him on Twitter @Mister_Mobility.
Related posts:
January 19th, 2010 at 9:03 pm Browsing with
What are the advantages of active sync over the regular email client…i use nokia devices and the email client on both my E71, 6220 classic and N70, offer me most of what i need the folder structure, syncing of nw contacts, notes, calendar and sms over syncml, which is sort of adequate for me, but somehow each time i hear of the activesync i tend to feel like i’m missing out here,
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
January 19th, 2010 at 9:18 pm Browsing with
nice review
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
January 19th, 2010 at 9:22 pm Browsing with
martinkem,
Exchange ActiveSync provides true PUSH email, and so is an alternative to Blackberry services, but it is available for a wide range of mobile devices. But beyond just email, it syncs your contacts, calendar and tasks as well. You do not have to use a separate SyncML service.
Some Nokia smartphones support Exchange as an installable application called Mail for Exchange. You can get more details from the Nokia Europe – Nokia Mail for Exchange page.
Note, of course, that whatever email service you use must support Exchange ActiveSync. This includes Gmail and some corporate mail servers.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
January 19th, 2010 at 9:49 pm Browsing with
Thanks, archie.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
January 20th, 2010 at 1:07 pm Browsing with
Thanks, i’ve have installed i have installed the activesync app already but i’m a little hesistant on using it, it tells me that i would lose the ability to use my regular syncml service, mobical in nw case. And i also worry about compatiblity issues with future buys… Nice review
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
January 21st, 2010 at 10:39 am Browsing with
This is a dumb question bt i tink i need to ask it now. Whats the difference between a smartphone and a feature phone like this samsung jet.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
August 18th, 2010 at 9:41 am Browsing with
when i use exchange active sync i can rad mail very good but i cant download any attachment why
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm Browsing with
Can’t believe you’re so enthusiastic about the Exchange coupling of the Samsung Jet. My girlfriend is using a Samsung Jet in combination with Exchange and compared to my Windows Mobile it’s a complete nightmare. No option to install root certificate authority certificates, no option for a simple notification sound when there’s a new e-mail, push mail doesn’t work well, the screen of the phone lights up every few seconds when it checks for new e-mail causing battery lifetime to be at most one day and so on. From my experience I can totally dis recommend a Samsung Jet if you’re planning on using it with Exchange.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0