E-Mail to Go  

There are many different ways to receive e-mail on your handheld deviceThese days you can be connected to your e-mail 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no matter where you areDepending on what type of mobile device you have, there are several options to send and receive e-mail on the go

If you have a Palm or Windows Mobile device, POP3 is the simplest configuration to install since it is supported on both platforms without requiring additional softwareWith POP3, you can have multiple computers set up to receive e-mail from the serverIf you are receiving e-mail on a secondary machine, there is an option to leave messages on the serverBy using this, you can receive the same messages on your primary computer without having to synchronize with the secondary computer

IMAP is the best way to go if your e-mail hosting provider supports it and you have a Palm or Windows Mobile deviceIMAP e-mail can be set up on multiple computers without the synchronization problems that occur with POP3Because IMAP e-mail is stored on the server, you can easily save e-mail history in folders and be able to access it wherever you goFor the Palm OS, Iambic Mail (www.iambic.com) and SnapperMail (www.snappermail.com) support IMAPFor Windows Mobile, Microsoft Pocket Outlook supports IMAP e-mail

If you are trying to use e-mail on a PDA, you may be wondering how you can connect to the internetIf you have a Bluetooth-compatible PDA and cell phone, you can connect your PDA to your cell phone for an internet connection either through your cellular provider's data network Most cellular service providers offer internet access for newer handsets at an additional service costIf you are near a hotspot and your mobile device has WiFi built-in, you can connect via a wireless internet connection

Another method made popular by the Blackberry device involves "pushing" an e-mail message to the phoneIn this scenario, you will use a new e-mail address specifically for your cell phoneWhen this e-mail account receives a new message, the mail server will send a text message notifying you that you have new e-mailYou can then view the message with your e-mail clientWith this service, you would need a corporate office with a mail server that supports Blackberrys or an outside e-mail provider

Using e-mail on your mobile device will likely be slower than on your computerUnlike computers, mobile devices don't have multi-gigabyte hard drivesIt will also be more difficult to view e-mail attachments because of the tiny screen and more modest performanceFor these reasons, it is recommended that you disable graphics for e-mail messages and do not download file attachmentsSome PDA e-mail clients have options available to write e-mails in your own handwriting as opposed to inputting it with handwriting recognition

In addition to retrieving new messages, you can often synchronize your mobile device with the e-mail client on your computer so that you will have certain settings and messages available on your mobile device at all timesConduits for synchronization are available for most major e-mail clients

Most cell phones are now capable of receiving e-mail messages of a few lines called SMS messagesSMS messages are just becoming more standardized between different cellular providersSMS is mainly for quick text chat conversations and is not sufficient to replace mobile e-mail

Although SMS is a different technology from e-mail, most cell phones can receive e-mail messages through a gateway.

About the Author

Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of DesktronixDeryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for DesktronixHe also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small BusinessFor more information on Desktronix, visit www.desktronix.com.