Matthew Miller at ZDNet examined how well some of the popular smartphone platforms handled Exchange ActiveSync and found that Windows Mobile has the best support, being built by Microsoft, but the other platforms weren’t too far behind. Miller looked at the iPhone, Android, the Pre with webOS, and Symbian S60 based on these requirements:

-Global Address Lookup (GAL) support

-Search the server for email

-Create private appointments

-Create meetings where server contacts can be added

-Respond and reply to meeting requests

Read on to find out more.

iPhone: Supports all but private appointment creation and was voted runner up by Miller just right after Windows Mobile.

Symbian S60: Missing are server search and meeting creation with contacts.

Android: With Touchdown application, server search and private appointments missing.

webOS: No support for private appointments and no meeting creation with attendees. However, the Pre running webOS by Palm does support multiple Exchange accounts, which is a first for any device.

So there you have it, Windows Mobile still has the best support for Exchange ActiveSync, but Microsoft doesn’t have a commanding lead anymore in that department as other device makers and third party developers are coming strong. The iPhone trails by a small margin and webOS’s support for multiple Exchange accounts may be a deal-maker for some to buy the Palm Pre instead of a Windows Phone.

(via: ZDNet