Microsoft Hotmail gets Exchange ActiveSync on Monday

Microsoft will offer Exchange Activesync for Hotmail users from Monday. This allows e-mail messages, calendars and contacts to be synchronized, including with suitable smartphones.

Hotmail has provided support for pop3 for some time, but there was no support for Exchange ActiveSync yet. Earlier this year it was announced that that functionality would be available, and from Monday that functionality will be offered to all users, such as say a Microsoft employee told Cnet.

Exchange ActiveSync allows users to synchronize their email messages, calendars, and contacts. There is also support for push functionality, which means that e-mail messages without polling be downloaded to a phone.

Many modern phones support Exchange; Windows Mobile phones can use the official ActiveSync application, as well as Symbian, the iPhone, and recent versions of Android. On Symbian phones, an extra application be installed.

Hotmail users have been able to synchronize their e-mail for some time, including with pop3. Support for the newer imap protocol is not yet available.