E-Mail-Appliance Reviews

I have had a TM-20 for some time and it is a very useful tool. If you communicate at alll via email and are ever away from your desktop, or don't have a desktop and wnat to keep intouch with friends using email, the PocketMail organizer is great. No need to find phone jacks, I can use ANY PHONE. Pay phones are everywhere and it even works with my cell phone. It is quick enough that I can send and recieve email in under the one minute billing unit. PocketMail is a great value at about $8.00 a month. I highly recommend these!!

The Sharp TelMail TM-20 is a great gadget for doing what it claims. It gives you a very inexpensive way to send and receive email for only about ten bucks a month. Like the advertising says, you really can use just about ANY phone to check your email. U.S. users shouldn't have any problems using their home or work phones. I highly recommend this product.When I say any phone, I mean just about any phone. Pay phones in restaurants or airports, analog cell phones, cordless phones, the corded phones in your house and so on. There probably will be some exceptions to this rule but I've never encountered one. I don't think it works with digital phones but I could be wrong. And you don't have to buy or learn how to work a modem or any connection cables either.All you do is dial Pocketmail's toll free number, follow the recorded instructions and hold the device up to the mouthpiece and press one button. You can't miss the button either. It's the only one to press and it's big and blue. You'll be a pro at this by the second or third time you dial Pocketmail's number. You'll appreciate how really fast the TM-20 checks for messages too. I've been done in about thirty seconds most of the time.Also, you can build up a list of email addresses very easily. The TM-20's controls are very well marked and easy to learn. Very easy for experienced computer users but not too hard for people who have never used email. The low monthly fee makes this affordable for people who just want to try out email without commiting to a year of Internet access on a computer. The service is month by month so there's no long term commitment. The owner's manual is also very clear and easy to read.The TM-20 Telmail device can only work with the optional Pocketmail service but this isn't a problem really. Other email accounts can usually be set up to forward to your Pocketmail account automatically. The TM-20 runs on 2 AAs (which you can buy just about anywhere) and weighs about six ounces. Don't stick it your pocket though. This is more of a bookbag gadget.The TM-20 even comes with a Word List of frequently used words and phrases so you don't have to keep typing them in over and over. I found this feature to be one of the most useful things about it.Even though students and gadget lovers will probably go for the TM-20, I think it would be a better idea for older people who just want to try out email without all the hassle of a computer. As long as you don't expect to get pictures of the grandkids on it, this is a great way to introduce a non computer surfer to the world of email. Just looking at the large keyboard and yet the overall small size of the device will reassure some older folks. No stylus to fuss with, no commands to learn, the buttons are even color coded too.All in all, a very useful gadget. It does what it claims and doesn't cost very much to use. Cool enough for gadget lovers but also easy to use by computer newcomers. I strongly recommend the TM-20 to anyone who wants to try out email but doesn't want to have to learn a lot about computers to do so. Also, it's very light and can easily be tucked out of sight in a purse or bookbag. No one will know you're now emailing people unless you show it to them!

It is so easy to use and you can use it anywhere. The address book and calendar functions are just as good as the organizer features offered by the Palm and Visor, but this is much cheaper and you can do email on it too.

I loved this camera on my computer that was running Windows 98. But when I tried to install it on my ne Sony Vaio computer and it won't load the software at all...

hello, i have a cybertainment system but my driver needs replacing. the CD-Key is ML7142926D687628 the SN: 10051305 can you download a driver to me or can i buy a replacement?
i really like this system and i rely heavily upon it for my personal emailing. my address is 4011 Lafayette ave, Omaha,NE 68131.

I bought the Cybertainment Video Email system at a
Frys Electronics store in Burbank, the fact that it had
it's own video capture card with not 1 but 3 inputs
on it (2 RCA 1 S Video)was a definite plus, after I got
home 12 minutes after arriving home I was using the
CyberMail A/V features like an old pro.
I would recommend it to any one who is new to the
Computer scene or as a gift for a friend or family member.

My main complaint about the 950 seems trivial, but is actually pretty important. I absolutely refuse to wear this thing on my belt, so I keep it in my handbag. Well, the holster is not rigid enough, so the device turns itself on when I'm not paying attention and eats up batteries like you wouldn't believe. Now it seems like every time I pick it up the battery is dead. The device is almost worthless to me at this point. I wish I'd purchased the 957 instead. At least it is rechargable.

I like to refer to devices that help people to communicate with each other as 'enabling' devices. The Blackberry is one such device and it does a great job at it. It's worth it's weight in gold and then some!

The RIM 957 just works well, period. It does what it's supposed to and does it well. And it doesn't try to do everything. For instance, it's not really a good subsitute for a PDA. It's address book is more useful to store emails and the calendar does not compare to Palm's. I had previously tried the Palm i705 and had a terrible time with it, despite the fact that it includes other non wireless PDA functionality. The Palm service coverage kept dropping out and it was not reliable. The Blackberry on the other hand is wonderfully reliable and proven. It has a better screen than the i705, and has a built-in small QWERTY keyboard that is a joy to use. It's quick to type on and all functions are very user intuitive-a great design.

It's difficult to put a monetary value on something that enables me to be in email contact all the time wherever I am. The unit is like a pager and stays on all the time and I can read and write emails with ease. I also opted for the web browsing option through my service provider and although it can really only browse WML (WAP) websites, the screen holds a lot of text and it is quite useful for both emailing and browsing.

The way the Blackberry service works, is that you forward your home email to your Blackberry email address. Most ISPs support this, and you can even opt to also have the emails left on your ISPs server so that they are also downloaded to your home computer. When you use the Blackberry to send or respond to an email, it is setup so that emails come from your home email address. In this way, people do not even know that I am using a wireless device to send them email!

Now I don't have to be tied to my home or office computer to be in contact. In fact, I find myself not turning on my home computer as much. It's really cool to be able to do email without a computer.

I got mine through Earthlink, ... Granted, the device is a bit expensive but more so is the service. To me it's totally worth it and is still less then my monthly cable TV bill, yet is so much more useful!

I have had a 957 Blackberry for about 5 months, and it has changed the way that I stay connected. No more dialing in to get e-mails, no more Palm mail synchronization woes. With a Blackberry you are connected 24x7 and if you purchase the optional MS Exchange server software you don't ever have to worry about leaving your computer on to forward messages from your desktop.

The small thumb keyboard took a while to get used to, but after a couple of weeks, I can safely say I was able to type messages and notes faster than on my Palm. The small trackwheel is intuitive and easy to use, and the 5MB of RAM have proven to be more than sufficient for several weeks worth of mail, notes, address book, etc.

I also purchased GoAmerica's web service and although it can sometimes take a few seconds to access, it is well integrated with the rest of the functionality of the Blackberry and offers extensive web coverage.

The screen for the 957 is large enough for email and web browsing, and it's also well lit with a back light for "night" reading.

My only complaint is the lack of coverage on non-large metropolitan areas--RIM has little to do with this, but one gets so used to the full time connectivity and reliability of this device that it is frustrating to travel somewhere and find yourself out of reach.

I strongly recommend this product.

I purchased this mailstation for my 80 year old mother to introduce her to e-mail. She immediately loved it (much to my surprise as I never expected her to try it). The only problem is that the mailstation truncates messages that are more than 5 or 6 lines long. For some reason, mail sent to the same e-mail address goes through most of the time, but bounces back at other times. Also, mail sent from a hotmail account to the mailstation will not ever go through. The mailstation is so limited that it becomes frustrating. But, for a child or someone who will not ever want to do more than a simple message, the mailstation is a very economical alternative.

I bought my mother a Mailstation last Mother's day and she absolutely loved it (as was apparent from my inbox). It was easy and quick to set-up and to get started. My mother had little computer knowledge at the time and it was a great way for her to communicate with her friends while learning the basics about e-mail. There were only two downfalls to the Mailstation: #1 The messages it can receive are strictly text-only and can only be so long & #2 Mom loved it so much that I had to buy her a computer for Christmas! I was very satisfied with my purcase of the Mailstation -- it served it's purpose well for the little bit that I had to pay for it.

i got mail people and i like email people it i also like job emails it too a job and i also like email my friends and people i know it

I have used this since Apr 2001. Worked fairly well when I had a local access number. In Sept, they switched to an 866 (toll free) number. I have not been able to get on line since then.

Receive and send emails wherever you go. It's easy to use, small, and the batteries last forever. It is a bargain and a great deal for someone who doesn't want to spend (big dollar amount) on a computer just to do emails. Besides, it's much easier to use than computer.

We bought this machine in November thinking it would be a good way for our parents to have access to email. WRONG.
The problems began as soon as we opened the box and found the manual was missing fifty pages. That should be simple, just call and order a replacement manual. After two months and at least ten hours on the phone, we still do not have the manual and they just told me that it will take at least another month to get one because they have to order it from the warehouse. I don't know what happened to the orders that I have been placing for this since November, but they claim they don't have any available. This is even more frustrating because twice this week I was promised it would be mailed out the next day.
When one calls for technical help assistance, the information is contradictory from day to day. The level of expertise needed is sorely lacking.
So now we have a machine that is not functioning correctly, no manual and frustrated parents. A good idea that has gone very bad.
Some other problems that technical support has been unable to help with -
1. The capacity of an email message - we cannot send more than four or five lines without it being a problem.
2. Unable to send attachments - they advertise that you can send pictures and attachments. That cannot be done.
3. Get message -incorrect address on a regular basis even when responding to a valid email address.
The list goes on.
HOWEVER, PROBABLY THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING IS THAT AFTER WAITING AN AVERAGE OF 1 HOUR FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, THEY HANG UP ON YOU IF YOU BECOME FRUSTRATED, RATHER THAN FINDING WAYS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
So while the idea maybe appealing, the product is not

I actually purchased my mail station at a computer store in Orlando, Fla. I was looking for a laptop and was almost ready to spend more than $1,000 when I virtually stumbled across the Mivo 350 for [less]. That's the good part, the bad part is the salesman knew virtually nothing about this product and said I could actually get internet access in "text" mode on this, which was completely wrong. Also, the photo options on this model are highly overrated. Most photos I've sent to this unit have either too much data to download or can't be converted from html or what have you. ALso customer service on this thing is horrendous with earthlink. It took me several hours to get this set up and the info content I ordered still hasn't been programmed right and I've had this for over a month and I've tried to get it corrected three separate times. I still get weather forecasts in the 20s and 30s and I live in Florida. Now those are the downsides. The real upside is if you're looking for someway to transmit text with no frills, this unit fits the bill. I am a professional freelance journalist and I just used this unit to cover spring training baseball in Florida for the Associated Press and never had a problem. The spell check makes this unit complete as a no-frills word processer. But that's it. You do get some news content, but most of it is old news. It was oversold and questionably billed even on the box as far as it's true offerings, but then again, it saved me hundreds of dollars that I would have wasted on a laptop that I would have used for little more than sending text. And very importantly, I get e-mail in the field from editors as well as sending. SO that's a key issue. Overall, I really like this for my purposes. But the pitch that this is wireless is totally bogus too. So what, you can get e-mail anywhere in your house without being hooked up? Big deal. IF it were truley wireless in the field that would be great but it's not. I do like the fact the battery power is double A (AA) batteries. I use this unit often and virtually solely for my professional responsibilities in field reporting. It delivers as a utilitarian field piece and fits comfortably in my field briefcase/professional satchel. But don't be fooled by the frills, they're not worth it. I should have just shelled out[more money] for the Mivo 150, the base model that sends and gets e-mail only. That's all I needed. But again, if you need access to e-mail and are sending and receiving text only, this is a good tool....

We bought this for my mother-in-law. We set it up for her and then shipped it to her. When she received it we walked her through each step until she sent her first e-mail. It worked very well and she is more than pleased.

My experience with Mailstation started over six months ago. Since then I have had less than two weeks of email service. Just a few of the problems have included a Mailstation arriving with a broken screen, six weeks of phone calls to finally prove the replacement did not, would not and never would work, a month waite for another replacement to find it was in shipping, two weeks later to find no record of replacement, etc, etc. One technique is never being allowed to talk to the same person twice. "I will call you on Monday to verify it is working." "This will definitely fix the problem." "Sorry, you can not talk to a supervisor." "We will send you a refund in one month." "The refund will be posted in two weeks." "We have sent the refund to your credit card company but it will take them two or more months to post the refund." "The problem is with your credit card company. We have sent them the refund." I do not think so.
The Dilbert cartoon is Mailstation.

MailStation was wonderful for the first 1.5 years of service under CIDCO. Bought it for my computer-illiterate 77 year old mother so she could keep in touch with family members now scattered around the world. She is totally averse to computers (it took a few years to even get comfortable tapping numbers into a microwave oven), but she took to the MailStation right off. I was very impressed.

Then, ~8 months ago, CIDCO was bought by Earthlink. It has been astounding how that company has managed to foul it up.

They have changed phone numbers, network numbers and then sent out INCORRECT instructions to customers to reprogram their machines, as if customers of such an appliance have any idea at all what they are talking about. Earthlink, for some reason, thinks MailStation users are hip 20-something folk.

There have been at least 3 major configuration problems due to Earthlink [changing] around ... the system. Each has taken weeks to resolve. My poor mother has actually had to struggle with tech support people who walked her through the reprogramming INCORRECTLY 3 TIMES (after the usual 45 minute holding period). The 4th time, some guy says "oh no, that's not right -- you need a 4 digit number there, not a 6 digit number" after the previous people had said "No, you need this 6 digit number there". And the 4-digit guy was correct, meaning the first 3 people were not.

There have been billing problems (all fouled up), references to web sites where I could supposedly fix things for her that don't even recognize the "mailstation.com" domain, e-mails sent to her not delivered, e-mails delivered multiple times, and incomprehensible notifications that her "account" is full.

This last one is fascinating. Her unit is text only, thus if someone sends her a message with an attachment, the attachment is retained at the server. She has no way of accessing it.

Since Earthlink took over, these attachments are apparently accumulated until her mailbox is "full", whereupon Earthlink sends her a message telling her to delete them. However, she has no mechanism for deleting them, because the box that sits on her desk hasn't the capability. This shows that Earthlink not only doesn't know who their customers are but isn't really clear on the system itself.

So this wonderful gadget she was so pleased with has now turned into a source of anxiety for her; For an "appliance" like this, with the customers it was targeted to, to change things just for the sake of changing things, is totally unacceptable. Stability and reliability are the only important criteria to consider...

Bought this for my daughter in Hawaii. Great way to keep in touch with friends and family, right. Wrong. She can get in maybe 8 sentences in an email if lucky and only to certain people. Friends who have urls other than aol or earthlink are out of luck. Her attempts at customer service have been fruitless, until she told them she was shipping it back to them. Then there was all kinds of help, but too late. Frustrating to her and to us. Now, it comes back to us to try and get our money back on it. Didn't get a rebate either. That's another story.

I AGREE WITH THE WOMAN WHO SAID "POOR DESIGN. WORSE PERFORMANCE" I TOO WOULD LIKE A REFUND ON THE MAILSTATION 250. THIS MACHINE WAS NOTHING BUT A NUISENCE.......COSTS LOTS OF $$$$$$$$ AND SANITY!!!!! WE HAVE THE MACHINE ALL READY TO BE SHIPPED BACK FOR A REFUND!!!! PLEASE GET AHOLD OF ME FOR I CANNOT GET AHOLD OF THE "EASY TO REACH" CUSTOMER SERVICE. THANK YOU --- PLEASE EMAIL WITHIN THE NEXT 7 DAYS! MY ADVICE TO YOU READERS DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID!!!!

Perhaps the best way to review this product is to reproduce in part my letter to custormer service about it:

I was given this address by mailstation customer service.

I am writing to request a refund for the mailstation 250 I purchased for my mother in March of this year, together with all monthly charges to date.

The machine is nothing but trouble. She has never once received an email from a friend of family member because AT NO TIME WAS SHE OFFERED A LOCAL NUMBER WITH A LOCAL SERVER. Further, after several attempts to contact customer service, IT WAS APPARENT THERE IS VERY LITTLE SUPPORT FOR THIS PRODUCT AND WAIT TIMES WERE WILDLY UNREASONABLE. To date, everyone involved has invested many hours attempting to make this grossly defective product work without any help from earthlink.

We give up. We want the money back. We would be delighted to return the machine.

Because the server in her area of Los Altos Hills NEVER was available, she has yet to receive a single email aside from those automatically generated by earthlink; annoying and repetitive statements welcoming her to earthlink. Furthermore, there was no customer service to help her. She was either disconnected or there was no answer from tech support after wait periods exceeding 25 minutes, and in one case, 50 minutes.

My mother is elderly and has struggled many hours enlisting friends and neighbors to teach her to operate the 250 without success. When I visited her this weekend I realized why. The server failed to respond over and over and over, and the machine itself was more complicated to operate than the mail program of a computer, less intuitive, and difficult to view and figure out. NOT what had been advertised; the ideal way for older people to learn to send and receive email.

I wish to speak with someone in person about this. Please call me at the number below.