Using PocketMail for e-mail
PocketMail Composer: E-mail Solution For The Road
by Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
PocketMail is one of the methods RVers can use for e-mail contact with friends, family, and employers. Some RVing friends are using PocketMail as their exclusive e-mail provider and find it works well.
What is PocketMail?
PocketMail is a device that runs on two AA batteries and can send and receive e-mail from most any phone in
the U.S. and Canada, including pay phones. After writing your e-mails, you dial a toll-free number, place the device up against the receiver, then press the Send button. It sends your e-mails, retrieves any new ones, and indicates when the session is over. With PocketMail service, you can check your e-mail unlimited times for one monthly fee.
PocketMail offers convenience. There are no cords to deal with. You can send e-mail anywhere you can find a pay phone and don’t have to wait until you locate a jack or stop at a Kinkos or public library. The small size (8½ x 3¼ x ¾ inches) allows you to easily carry the device in a pocket or purse. You can read or write e-mails whenever or wherever you have a few minutes.
Bill, my late husband, and I used a PocketMail Composer device while on a two-week trip to Alaska and Canada a few years ago. We traveled in a rental RV without our own computer. Our schedule did not permit stopping at libraries or cyber cafes to check e-mail so I was thrilled to be able to maintain e-mail contact as we traveled.
The Composer
The PocketMail Composer is a small device with dimensions of 6.38"x3.15"x0.94." It allows a 6,000 character maximum per message. An address lookup function allows you to easily add an address to your e-mail.
The keyboard is small. It took a few sessions to learn to hold the device steady and compensate for its small size. However if you have a computer, you can use PC Link to synchronize your desktop or laptop computer with the Composer. That way you can write e-mails using a standard keyboard, then download them to the Composer for transmission. You can similarly upload any received messages. This makes for faster, easier typing and works quite well. (I don't do text messaging on my cell phone!)
You can consolidate all your e-mail accounts with PocketMail, receiving e-mails from AOL, POP3 and IMAP accounts. It can show the other account as your Reply To address. One RVing friend generally has a landline when parked in one place while working, then forwards her AOL account to PocketMail while traveling.
The device can also be used as a personal organizer. It has a scheduler with alarm, memo, to-do, and address book. With the provided Companion Link software, these can be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook and other personal information systems on your computer.
A surprising feature is the ability to send faxes. This is a nice option for workampers since some employers prefer a fax. The fax I sent arrived quickly. A small charge applies.
PocketMail does not replace a computer. It is strictly an e-mail device. Due to size limitations, you cannot receive attachments like photos. E-mails with attachments or that exceed the character limit can be viewed at the PocketMail website for 30 days. If you periodically stop at public library Internet computers to look things up on the Web or have occasional access to a computer with Internet, you can then check your PocketMail account.
Read the manual
While most of the Composer functions are intuitive if you have computer experience, I recommend taking the time to read the manual. There were several shortcuts that were timesaving and easier had I known about them.
The first few days of our trip, I received e-mail from only a few family and friends. Then I forwarded my main e-mail account to PocketMail. Since I use the Internet for business and regularly receive 50-75 e-mails each day, transmission times were long, usually lasting 15 minutes each session. Had I known about the Preview Message function, I could have saved download time. When activated, this feature downloads only the title and first 80 words of each message, allowing you to delete it if desired before downloading the whole message. You can also set filters to weed out SPAM and unwanted e-mail.
Switching to PocketMail
If you are currently using a computer and begin using PocketMail, either as your e-mail provider or to consolidate your e-mail while traveling, three steps will shorten your download times.
- Turn the Message Preview function on. It will activate when your download time will exceed a preset amount (1-9 minutes).
- Unsubscribe from most electronic newsletters and discussion forums. You can usually go to the Web site when you have Internet access and read the issues or items of interest.
- Educate family and friends. Attachments are out. Forwarded e-mail that comes as an attachment can be copied and pasted into a new e-mail. Request that people not send jokes, and if they do, delete the headers (lists of To/From and recipients) that are above the actual message. The jokes I received on PocketMail from one friend were cut off by the time I scrolled through all the headers; the message size had been exceeded.
If the volume of your e-mails will be large, this is not the best option, but it does work for some RVers.
I was impressed with how easily the Composer was to use. It took no time at all to get proficient. I loved the convenience of being able to check my e-mail daily at no extra charge, even in Canada.
A comparison chart at the Web Site shows the many advantages of using PocketMail over Blackberry-type devices. Monthly service is less, message size is greater, three months is the minimum contract and you can use it worldwide at no extra charge. You can also turn a Palm PDA into a PocketMail device with an addon. The device is reasonably priced at $99 with one-year’s service plan at $179. (Monthly plans are $14.92 to $19.67/month.)Check the Web site for introductory offers.
For additional information visit the PocketMail Web site.
Note: While fewer RVers use PocketMail now, it can still be a solution for getting e-mail for some. I found it especially helpful while traveling through Canada.