My mobile has email and a mini-browser built in, but I've never even had the first inclination to use them.

Well, I got an offer tonight from Bellsouth: they'll rig me up so that I use *them,* rather than my mobile provider, for access on my phone. Since I don't use *anyone* at present, it's a null offer for me, but I DID wonder:

Does anyone here actually use this? Do you send email via your mobile phone? How can you stand typing things using the standard phone numeric keypad?

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 18, 2001

Answers

My cell phone has a chat feature wherein you can chat with other folks who have the same cell carrier. Why you would spend the time punching in the letters instead of just talking to them is WAY beyond me.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeeD@yahoo.com), December 18, 2001.

Deedah,

You tell me. I'm too blamed impatient, and talk is the only way to go.

Shoot, I get the heeberin' geebies just entering someone's name in my phone book. "Lessee, Bob Talmadge ... hit the 2 key twice (A ... B), then the 6 key three times (M ... N ... O) ... " By the time I get to the last name, I'm ready to abbreviate (and usually do). (Heavily.[g])

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 18, 2001.

RECEIVE is useful. SEND is not. The one trick I like with wireless email is to receive alerts that I got certain emails. Now, I have a trusty old Nokia 5160 that won't do fancy email tricks, so scratch that idea already. (It does receive-only text messaging which is kinda fun, but it does that very undependably.)

Enter my simple numeric pager with Verizon; it has an email address. Email alerts can be directed to the pager via the pobox mail forwarding service, and you can have it attach codes to the pages so you know who it is (usually). You get only the alerts you want to get, based on filters that you specify. Spam begone. I also have pobox set to forward some emails to onebox.com, so that if need be I can call up and it speaks the email to me over the phone. (Might be useless for someone else's situation but works great for mine.)

The cost has worked out well, too. I don't use a lot of cellphone time anyway, so I buy prepaid, which is about 1/3 the cost of a monthly contract. So with that and the webmail forwarding I get the services I want and nothing more. Gawrsh. I sound like a commercial.

Sending wireless emails? Me three! I don't need it either. For urgent stuff I make a voice call.

-- Debbie (dbspence@pobox.com), December 19, 2001.