OP I can understand your situation, I similarly rely on my mobile to retrieve work emails, not that it's essential to my work but it's convenient and useful for me to keep up to speed throughout the day away from the office and to be prepared before i reach the office. I am fortunate in that I can use the n900 to connect to webmail and therefore can get my emails that way. It was one of the first things I checked for, and if it wasn't possible I would have returned my n900 and looked for something else also. I hope your next handset will prove more suitable for you.

If I were part of large corporate security, no wild devices would be allowed. Every laptop HD needs to be crypted, mobile phones with email and corporate information access need to have forced automatic screen locking and possibility to clear device remotely (e.g. MDM client for Symbian). It's not corporates fault if certain devices can't fit to this kind of security policy. If any device can access this kind of information, company size should be close to man and a van category.

I agree with everything you said. I also think the company should then provide the mobile

I don't know what's the policy in your country but here in Finland it's always company that provides the mobile. Probably you can also use your own but if you need mobile in your work then company buys/rents you one.