Email on the road
November 16, 1999
© 1999, Douglas E. Welch
If you are reading this column, email has probably already become
an important part of your business and professional life. In the same way we like to pick up the messages from our voice
mail or answering machine while we are on the road, we are wanting,
more and more, to have the same access to our email. Thankfully,
there are many different solutions available today and even more
on the horizon.
Home away from home
The most complete solution to accessing your email on the road
(and, unfortunately, also the most expensive) is to have your
own laptop to take on your travels. As long as you have a national
ISP (Internet Service Provider) and the local dial-up numbers
you can access your email as easily as if you where at home. Sure,
you may have to deal with hotel telephones, but you will be using
the same email software you use at home or in your office.
Buddy can you spare a screen?
Of course, even if you can afford your own laptop, carrying it
around on vacation can seem a bit too much like work. But sometimes
you just want to check in with friends and family. In this case,
as long as you have access to a friend's computer you can still
get your email. It might take a little more work, but it works
very well for a "quick and dirty" email fix.
One way to access your email is through a web-based email system.
There are literally hundreds of these systems available, usually
in coordination with search engine web signs. Some are better
than others, but most allow for basic email functionality.
The feature you need most is the ability to pull the email stored
in your standard Internet email box into the web-based email program.
Most systems provide this with differing results. Microsoft's HotMail service allows you to set up to 10 Internet mailboxes that can
be accessed. Clicking on the "POP Mail" button allows Hotmail
to read the mail from your mailbox into the Hotmail Inbox. In
order for Hotmail, and other web-based email programs to do this,
though, you will need to provide them your email user name, password
and the name of your mail server. Keep this info handy when you
are traveling so that you can set up whatever system you might
need to use.
One important feature not provided by Hotmail is the ability to
set a "Reply-To" address on your messages. If you decide to reply
to a message you have pulled into Hotmail, your reply will be
sent with your Hotmail account name as the "Reply-To" address.
This means that if your friend replies to your reply, the message
will end up in Hotmail, not your standard email box. You could
end up missing the reply if you don't check your Hotmail regularly.
Other services, such as OneBox and Ureach allow you to set this "Reply-To" address so the message appears
to come from your usual mailbox. Both of these services also provide
voice mail and incoming FAX and Ureach even has a service that
reads your email to you over the phone using a synthesized voice.
With a service like this you don't need a computer at all.
One last service, MailStart goes one step beyond these other services. Instead of requiring
you to set up a separate mailbox and pull your mail into it, you
access your existing Internet email box directly. This means you
can reply and be assured that the message will look like it is
coming from your standard mailbox. You can also delete unwanted
messages from your mailbox; a feature not provided by other web-based
mail services.
AOL members need not apply
While the services above work with any standard Internet POP (Post
Office Protocol) mail server (which nearly all ISPs use), America
Online is another story. AOL members must use the AOL software
in order to access their email. This means you will need to carry
an AOL CD-ROM with you, just in case your friends don't have AOL
on their computer. If the AOL software is installed, you can log
in as "guest" and access your email.
AOL is working on a web-based solution, AOL Mail, but my experience with it has been less than stellar. AOL Mail
requires that you download a web browser plug-in in order to function.
In some cases, you might not want to install new software on a
friend's computer and if you are using a public access terminal,
like those in some coffee houses, you won't be able to install
it at all. Hopefully, these limitations will be ironed out and
give AOL users the same options as the rest of us.
These are only a few services for accessing your mail on the road.
Keep your eyes open for new solutions as they occur. You might
find that getting your email on the road will soon be as easy
as reading it at home.
Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant
in Van Nuys, California. He also writes Career Opportunities, a weekly column on high-tech careers and A Gardener's Notebook. You can find more of Douglas' writing on his web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/
He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com
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