10/09/2008 by Gavin.

EDIT: Now fixed.  outage lasted 24 hours though!

Since yesterday my iPhone connection to my Exchange Server hosted by 1&1 has been down, I can’t authenticate and it keeps asking for password.

Strangely, everything else works, my PCs and Window Mobile Device.  It is a problem with 1&1, who responded to my email for support within 5 mins.  Don’t you hate it when Tech lets you down!:

Dear Gavin Miller, (Customer ID: xxxxxx)

Thank you for contacting us.

We apologize for this inconvenience that we have caused you. 

As of the moment we do have an issue with our exchange server hosting your exchange account that is why you cannot access your exchange account in your mobile phone.  However, our admins are already aware of this issue and they are currently running a fix on it.  For now, we do not have a specific time frame on when will this be fixed.

Your patience is highly appreciated on this matter.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

–

Sincerely,

Technical Support

1&1 Internet Limited

Posted in 1&1, Exchange, email, MS Exchange | Print | 3 Comments »

14/08/2008 by Gavin.

Fake MSNBC news alerts push spam - The INQUIRER

I’ve been getting a load of these, fortunately filtered into my junk email.  I can see these catching out the less tech savvy.  PITA!

Payload seems to be trojan injection via visiting the links.

Posted in Spam, email | Print | No Comments »

04/08/2008 by Gavin.

Since getting my iPhone recently I’ve become more conscious of the deluge of junk email I get to my various accounts.

To manage my email better, and inspired by the iPhone 2.0 software’s compatibility with Microsoft Exchange, I set up an Exchange account via my provider 1&1.   This involves forwarding email from my other accounts - work, Yahoo Mail and Gmail.  Now, the Yahoo and Google email filters work fairly well but I’m finding that since forwarding I get around 100 spam emails overnight and the same or more during the day.  I’m guessing the forwarding option misses these filters.

The iPhone does not have any filtering/rule options so I end up dealing with all these mails in my inbox.  Another shortcoming is the inability to select multiple emails to delete (in this respect I prefer Pocket Outlook).  You have to do the whole swipe finger and press delete for every mail.

So, what I’ve done is take an old low power laptop, put it in my office, and leave it running Outlook connected to my exchange account. Outlook 2007 has an excellent, regularly updated spam filter, and combined with a few email rules I’ve killed 99% of the spam, so very happy.  Because of the way Exchange works, as soon as the mail is pushed to the laptop it runs the rules and diverts any spam so when I go to check my email on my iPhone, Windows mobile device or tablet PC the mail is already deleted or in the spam folder.

Now, this isn’t a solution for everyone.  You need to go to the expense of an Exchange account (I pay £30 per quarter), another copy of Outlook (luckily I had a spare licence from my M700), and also have a spare PC.  I’m also aware of the environmental impact of leaving a PC running which is why I chose an old Centrino laptop.  I’m also thinking of using the laptop for a security system to help justify leaving it running!

I’m pleased with the Exchange account overall, especially having changes to Calendar or Contacts immediately updated on all connected devices.

Posted in email, MS Exchange | Print | 1 Comment »