Love it or loath it, if you are a Windows CE user then there is a good chance that during your daily routine you will encounter Microsoft ActiveSync. ActiveSync has been with us now since August 1999, well over five and a half years.
At the time of it's original release it was heralded as a major advancement over the, cluttered, clumsy and frequently long winded Windows CE Services era Windows CE synchronisation.

Now at version 3.8, and having seen some major, even astonishing changes in the PDA technology of the age. ActiveSync has remained a fairly consistent part of the Windows CE world. Finally though, things are about to be shaken up.

As the impending release of Windows Mobile 'Magneto' draws ever closer, the ActiveSync 4.0 development group are finishing up the work on the new client.
Very little is currently known about version 4.0, however we can be certain on several key points. 4.0 will provide full synchronisation support for Windows CE 5.0 generation devices, including the Magneto release - expected to be known by the name Windows Mobile 2005. ActiveSync 4.0 will also be the founding stone for support under Microsoft Windows Longhorn, and the pending Microsoft Office 2006.
One key fact that we do know, thanks to Tim Sneath, a developer on the Microsoft .net Framework is that 4.0 has been predominantly rewritten to address many of the main complaints that us users had with the 3.x client. Could Tim's knowledge on ActiveSync reflect that ActiveSync 4 has bollowed recent trends and been programmed using Managed code?
We will find out soon enough!

View: ActiveSync 4.0 Information