Handheld devices that integrate with e-mail systems have been gaining in popularity. In an effort to assist members of UTSA's faculty and staff with the selection of such devices, the Office of Information Technology is providing the following information.

UTSA's current e-mail environment is set up to support BlackBerry devices ONLY. The TREO line of devices cannot be integrated into the UTSA environment at this time. UTSA has BlackBerry server software in Production that provides the integration between handheld devices and the UTSA e-mail system.

The main problem with Treos and other non-Blackberry devices is that each device requires a different setup in order to integrate with the e-mail system -- either additional servers and licensing or specialized software for the desktop computer, or the need to open up network settings. There are also security issues with the desktop method of integration that is utilized by the TREO and other devices, so that method is strongly discouraged. The new Blackberry 7100, which is fully supported by OIT, is very similar in functionality to the Treo 650.

Therefore, faculty and staff requiring handheld devices need to utilize a Blackberry device if integration with the UTSA e-mail system is desired.