This is my own personal opinion (and I am not an expert in this area).  This
is not an official PocketScience response and therefore should be regarded
only as an "opinion".

PocketMail actually does work on some GSM digital cell phones.  The reason
that it most often does NOT work on other digital cell phones is
"double-compression".  PocketMail is sent in a compressed format.  When a
digital cell phone compresses the already compressed signal, it often loses
data causing a transmission failure.  Engineers are already working on a
solution.

- Brian

Well, I only had a chance to try one pay phone today: this one a GTE pay phone
at a Cracker Barrel restuarant in Dumfries, VA. I experienced the dreaded "can
send, but can't receive" problem with it. This pay phone was a very modern one,
with provisions for accepting credit cards. It even had a volume control, but
interestingly enough turning the volume up actually made the problem worse.

So, for the trip so far, it's pay phones II and Road Warrior I!

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

OK, we all know how great the telmail is, so let's focus for a moment on
its weaknesses, because we know this is how we're going to make them better!

a) no battery life indicator.  i pucker up every time i send/receive without
a recent backup (which is a lot when i'm on the road, away from my backup
machine)

b) no lithium battery for hot battery backup.  if there is hot batteery backup,
then i don't know about it.  haven't had to change batteries yet, though.

c) cheesy windows data entry and no hot sync provided w/ device.

d) 4k limit is a bummer.    i'd like the option to override the limit via some
email header.  this is useful for mailbot responses that currently need to be
segmented into < 4k messages.



one accessory that would be nice is some sort of velcro strap to hold the
device to a handset for those long downloads.

boy i'm really having a hard time finding problems.  ;-)  i like that.

i'm interested as to why the pocketmail service does not work over digital
cell phones?  don't analog phones eventually get converted to digital on
some network backbone?  Do you envision a future version of pocketmail
working on digital cell phones?

Just wondering.  Thanks.

- Paul

While we're on the topic of supported phones, i'd like to add that I've
successfully sent and received email on two cellular phones, a nokia 2160
(analog mode) and a philips isis (analog only.)  Both of them perform
relatively consistently as long as the signal is strong.  Weak signals usually
result in failure.

I gotta say that sending and receiving email from the back of a car on the
way back from lake tahoe is more than i expected when i got my telmail!

pretty cool.

-paul

I don't own a JVC HC-E100, so this Tip of the Day is specific to the Sharp TM-20
TelMail.

Today's Tip

1/2/99 - Today's tip is about a function I perform a lot: copying data from an
E-mail message so that it can be pasted into a Memo for future reference.

Since there is no EDIT function available in the MENU when you are reading
E-mail in your INBOX, there is no obvious way to be able to copy anything from a
Message. But there is a sneaky way to do it: select the FORWARD function from
the MENU.

The FORWARD function will put you into COMPOSE with a complete copy of the
original Message. You will now be able to select any desired portion of the
Message and COPY it. Then press the CANCEL key (the curved arrow key in the
upper left-hand corner of the keyboard) to get out of COMPOSE. Answer Yes to the
"Do you really want to throw away all of these changes?" question; you're just
confirming that you want to throw away the FORWARD message. You really don't
want this message, you just wanted to be able to COPY from it!

Now just enter the Memo application and PASTE the data into a NEW Memo, or use
the EDIT function in the MENU and PASTE the data into an existing Memo.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

P.S. To receive copies of previous Tips of the Day, send me E-mail.

Yesterday I used an ancient Western Electric telephone (made before the AT&T
divestiture) and a motel telephone in Woodbridge, VA to send and receive E-mail
without a hitch. Today I'm going to see if I can try some more pay phones.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
E-mail:mconnick@...
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
------------------------------

We're now in Dumfries, VA and I'm sucessfully using my step-daughter's Sony
SPP-A400 cordless phone to communicate with PocketMail.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

Today (12/31) I managed to pick up about 15 E-mail messages without a hitch
using a pay phone at a gas station in Dahlgren, VA. So it looks like not ALL pay
phones are that finicky.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

This tip should work for both the JVC HC-E100 and the Sharp TM-20 TelMail.

Today's Tip

1/1/99 - Since today is a holiday, and you may have been up late last night
celebrating, we'll have a simple Tip of the Day. Today you'll get a chance to
learn a little bit about how PocketMail was created, and get a chance to
practice yesterday's Tip of the Day: using your PocketMail device to access Web
pages. What I'd like you to do is to use Paul Nakada's Mailbot to retrieve the
following Web page:

http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?EET19981228S0015

Then read what is retrieved for you; I think you'll find it interesting.

Finally I'd like to wish you and your family a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

------------------------------
Michael ConnickPocket
Mail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

> From: Brian Korek <korek@...>

> Personally I'm excited to be
> developing another PocketMail device
> right now.

So what would that be?  ;-)

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

Well, I was finally able to receive E-mail on my brother-in-law's cordless
phone. I just moved the phone out of the kitchen and into the living room! I can
only suppose that there is some kind of bad RF interference in his kitchen.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

This tip should work for both the JVC HC-E100 and the Sharp TM-20 TelMail.

Today's Tip

12/31/98 - You can use your PocketMail device to access Web pages! You can do 
this by using a Mailbot service provided by Sharp TM-20 owner Paul Nakada.

A Mailbot is simply an E-mail robot, ie, a program that automatically performs
work for you in response to commands you send to it via E-mail. In this case,
Paul's Mailbot will fetch the text portion of a Web page for you. If the page
consists of more than 4000 characters, Paul's Mailbot program will break it up
into multiple messages so that you will be able to see the whole Web page on
your PocketMail device.

In order for the Mailbot to fetch a Web page and E-mail the results back to you,
you need to compose a message to it giving commands in a very precise format. If
you mess up the format, Paul's Mailbot will just E-mail some kind of error
message back to you.

So let's go: first you'll need to COMPOSE a message to "mailbot@...".
That's the E-mail address of Paul's Mailbot. You don't need to type anything in
the Subject line, but the Message needs to contain the following lines, EXACTLY
as shown:

pm-request: geturl
pm-reply-to: YOURID@...

url: http://www.gravityhome.com/pnakada/pocketmail/news.html

You'll need to change YOURID to your own PocketMail account id. You can also
change what's after the "url: " to the URL of whatever Web page you wish to
retrieve. In the above example you'll retrieve Paul Nakada's PocketMail News
page.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

P.S. To receive copies of previous Tips of the Day, send me E-mail.

Finicky About Phones?

An interesting thing happened when I sent yesterday's "Road Trip" message from a
pay phone in Price, MD: I was able to send E-mail, but not receive it. So my
E-mail message went out, but when my Sharp TM-20 tried to start receivng E-mail,
it wasn't able to do so, and I heard the nice PocketMail lady tell me to call
again or try another phone. I tried 3 times with the same result each time.

"Oh well", I thought, "we'll be at my brother-in-law's house in an hour and I'll
pick up my E-mail then." So, shortly after we arrived at his home in Prince
Frederick, MD, I showed him my Sharp and asked if I could use his phone. He
handed me a Uniden ExtendAPhone cordless telephone and I showed him how my TM-20
worked.

Alas, exactly the same thing happened as with the pay phone! I could send
E-mail, but when the Sharp tried to receive messages it very quickly failed. He
gave me another cordless phone, and ths same thing happened! I finally tried the
non-cordless phone in his son's room, and was able to receive messages.

Anyone know why I'd be able to send but not recieve E-mail? I even pressed down
the microphone over the earpiece to make sure a good seal was achieved.

Well, today it's on to Virgina with more opportunities to test out my TM-20
under actual "road trip" conditions. More reports to follow!

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

Michael & others on the list,

It's great to see a PocketMail mailing list!  I hope all of you travellers
have wonderful trips.  Personally I'm excited to be developing another
PocketMail device right now.

My name is Brian Korek and I'm one of the Handheld Device Engineers at
PocketScience.  I wrote a lot of the software in the JVC HC-E100 and
consulted with Sharp on the TM-20.  We here at PocketScience are always
striving to improve our products and services, so I look forward to reading
the mail on this list.

- Brian

My wife and I are off on a short vacation to visit family. We're heading south
from our New Jersey home to Maryland and Virginia. I'm bringing my Sharp TM-20
along with me to help keep up with the 30 to 40 E-mail messages I typically get
in a day. I'll be keeping my eye on this mailing list for responding to any
questions that may come up, as well as continuing to post my Tip of the Day
messages. It will be interesting to see how the Sharp performs during the road
trip.

By the way, this message was sent from a pay phone in Price, Maryland.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

I don't own a JVC HC-E100, so this Tip of the Day is specific to the Sharp TM-20
TelMail. Future tips will hopefully address both PocketMail devices.

Today's Tip

12/30/98 - To reply to a message with "quotes" from the original message, first
select the Message you wish to reply to while the INBOX is in index mode. Next
press COPY. Then select REPLY from the Menu, and PASTE into the newly composed
reply message. You will end up with a complete copy of the original message. You
can then decide which parts of the original message you want to quote and can
delete the rest.

IMPORTANT NOTE: when you do this type of PASTE, it always ends up creating a
"REPLY ALL" style message, ie, a message that may contain multiple "To:" lines.
If you just want to reply to the author of the original message, you will need
to REMOVE any extra "To:" lines created by the PASTE operation before sending
the message.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

P.S. To receive copies of previous Tips of the Day, send me E-mail.

I don't own a JVC HC-E100, so this Tip of the Day is specific to the Sharp TM-20
TelMail. Future tips will hopefully address both PocketMail devices.

Today's Tip

12/29/98 - You can enter an appointment in the Schedule application that has no
times associated with it. This allows you to create a to-do with a due date,
which is a very valuable tool for personal time management.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
PocketMail Mailing List Moderator
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

>I am the Director of Marketing and Communications for PocketScience Inc.,
>responsible for the PR and advertising for the company and the PocketMail
>product line. Look for some edgy PocketMail ads in major airports in January
>and February and in Newsweek, Hemispheres, Home Office Computing, Wired as
>well as a slew of other magazines in March. I will post some PDF files for
>the ads in the next few days if the group prefers. They'll crack you up. Let
>me know.

I would be intered in seeing these PDF files being posted.

>My interest in the mailing list is to keep abreast of how people use the
>device, what benefits it brings to their lives and what limitations the
>device/service poses. Immediate feedback like this will help us in product
>development, advertising etc. and will help set some realistic expectations
>for new buyers of the device.
>
The main reason I purchased my TelMail TM20 and the Pocket Mail service was
to allow me to communicate with family and friends during my upcoming 6
month Appalachian Trail hike.
John
^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^
John F. O'Mahoney
E=mail: johno@...
John O's Ultralight Backpacking Page:
http://www.monmouth.com/~johno/index.html
^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^
                 AT Thru-Hike 99
either this way > or this way < or both ways > <
^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^
To contact me during my AT Thru-Hike
starting March 1, 1999 you can send e-mail to athiker99@...
^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^

> From: David Westendorf <westendorf@...>
>
> Look for some edgy PocketMail ads in
> major airports in January and
> February and in Newsweek,
> Hemispheres, Home Office Computing,
> Wired as well as a slew of other
> magazines in March. I will post some
> PDF files for the ads in the next few
> days if the group prefers. They'll
> crack you up. Let me know.

I, for one, would love to see them!

> My interest in the mailing list is to
> keep abreast of how people use the
> device, what benefits it brings to
> their lives and what limitations the
> device/service poses. Immediate
> feedback like this will help us in
> product development, advertising etc.
> and will help set some realistic
> expectations for new buyers of the
> device.

In my case, PocketMail has actually exceeded my initial expectations for it. I
work for a consulting firm and was tired of constantly searching for RJ-11
analog phone jacks at client sites and when traveling. In purchasing my Sharp
TM-20, I was initially looking just for a device that would solve that problem.

What I got was that and a whole lot more. I ended up with a unit that's become
my primary personal E-mail system. It's just so convenient to get "instant-on"
access to E-mail wherever a phone is available. For example, right now I'm
composing this message not on my PC, but in the comfort of my recliner watching
Monday Night Football and using my TM-20. When I've finished with it, I'll just
reach down and grab my cordless phone and send it off to the mailing list. What
could be more simple or convenient?

I am having one problem with PocketMail, though. It doesn't seem to work with my
Motorola TELE T-A-C 250 cellular phone, even though I have analog cellular
service through Bell Atlantic Mobile.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

I am the Director of Marketing and Communications for PocketScience Inc.,
responsible for the PR and advertising for the company and the PocketMail
product line. Look for some edgy PocketMail ads in major airports in January
and February and in Newsweek, Hemispheres, Home Office Computing, Wired as
well as a slew of other magazines in March. I will post some PDF files for
the ads in the next few days if the group prefers. They'll crack you up. Let
me know.

My interest in the mailing list is to keep abreast of how people use the
device, what benefits it brings to their lives and what limitations the
device/service poses. Immediate feedback like this will help us in product
development, advertising etc. and will help set some realistic expectations
for new buyers of the device.

		 -----Original Message-----
		 From: pocketmail-owner@onelist.com
[mailto:pocketmail-owner@onelist.com]
		 Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 1998 3:19 PM
		 To: westendorf@...
		 Subject: [pocketmail] Welcome to
pocketmail@onelist.com

		 Hello and welcome to the PocketMail mailing list! Please
take a moment to review

		 this message.

		 This mailing list is devoted to friendly discussions about
the PocketMail E-mail

		 service and devices that utilize it. This list is in no way
affiliated with
		 PocketScience, Inc. Please feel free to post your questions
and experiences in
		 this area to:

		 pocketmail@onelist.com

		 I'd really appreciate it if you could post a brief
introduction of yourself to
		 the mailing list. If you could also tell us about any what
kind of PocketMail
		 device you are using and what your primary use for it is,
that would be even
		 better!

		 The only rules in effect at this time are to please keep
your posts relevant to
		 the subject of PocketMail, and to please be courteous and
tolerant of other
		 members.

		 This mailing list supports several E-mail-based commands:

		 pocketmail-subscribe@onelist.com - subscribe to the list.
		 pocketmail-unsubscribe@onelist.com - unsubscribe from the
list.
		 pocketmail-digest@onelist.com - switch your subscription to
digest mode.
		 pocketmail-normal@onelist.com - switch your subscription to
normal mode.

		 Thanks,
		 Michael Connick
		 PocketMail List Moderator

		 E-mail: mconnick@...

John,

That carrying case for your TelMail you showed me last night: where did you get
it and how much did it cost?

------------------------------
Michael Connick
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

The following information was fetched off the Pygmy Computer Web site:

PocketLynx Product Information

PLYNX PocketLynx

Synchronize your TM-20 at work or home.
[$79.99 - PLYNX:PocketLynx;Program diskette,  plus User Guide and Data
Conversion Instructions. For Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0.]



DESCRIPTION
  PocketLynx is powerful PC link software that connects a Sharp TM-20 Organizer
to any PC running Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT 4.0. PocketLynx connects
with the TM-20 using the special link cable included with the TM-20 unit.

PocketLynx allows you to:

Backup/restore data

Transfer files between your PC and Organizer

Synchronize data on the TM-20 and PC

Create/Edit/View/Print TM-20 data on your PC

Import address lists from other software

Import/Export information from/to standard PC file formats (CSV, SDF, TXT).



MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS PC running Microsoft Windows 95, Winodws 98 or
Windows NT 4.0 At least 2MB of free space on your PC's hard disk
  Sharp TM-20 TelMail E-Mail Organizer.
  PC link cable (included with TM-20)



HOW TO ORDER
  To order from within the U.S. or Canada, CALL 1-800-447-9469. To order from
other countries, call (305)253-1212, Extension 300. Our representatives are
available Monday through Thursday from 9:00a.m. through 8:00p.m. Eastern Time,
and Friday from 9:00a.m. through 6:00p.m. Eastern Time.

You can also reach us by fax at 1-305-255-1876.

Posted at 1:26 p.m. PST Saturday, December 26, 1998

  E-mail device fits into your pocket

I am an e-mail addict.

  I can't explain why: Most of the electronic mail I get isn't really important,
consisting mainly of news releases I don't want and lame jokes passed around by
friends.

  But I get the shakes if I go much more than 24 hours without checking for new
messages.

  Yet I also don't want to carry a bulky laptop computer just so I can get an
e-mail fix when I'm away from home or office. What to do?

  One alternative is an interesting new service called PocketMail from a start-up
company in Santa Clara named PocketScience Inc.

  You buy a nine-ounce hand-held device with a tiny display screen and keyboard
for either $99 or $149, depending on storage space, then pay $9.95 a month for
PocketMail Services.

  PocketMail devices have a small microphone and receiver built into their
backsides. You hold the back of the device against the handset of almost any
telephone -- taking care to line up the microphone with the handset's earpiece
and the speaker with the handset's mouthpiece -- then dial a toll-free number.
When connected, you push a button and within a minute or two get a download of
new messages and dispatch any outgoing messages you've written.

  This works with almost any phone in any environment. I got a connection to
PocketMail with my tiny cellular phone and at a grubby gas-station pay phone on
the side of a busy boulevard.

  Not that PocketMail is e-mail nirvana. The dim monochrome screen on PocketMail
devices shows only eight lines of 40 characters each, making it difficult to
read long messages, and the service won't deliver more than 4,000 characters per
message. Nor can you view attachments other than plain text.

  But PocketMail is good enough to provide welcome relief from e-mail withdrawal
pains.

  For more information on PocketMail, call PocketScience at (800) 390-5036 or go
[33]www.pocketmail.com.

  There are two PocketMail d

evices on the market:

   The $99 HC-E100 from JVC ((800) 526-5308,
[34]www.jvc-america.com/pocketmail/pocketmail.html) offers 128 kilobytes (K) of
memory, enough to hold about 32 messages at the full 4,000 characters.

   The $149 TelMail from Sharp ((800) 237-4277,
[35]www.sharp-usa.com/products/telmail) provides 384 K, three times as much. The
unit is just a tad slimmer and lighter than the JVC, and provides a few basic
organizer functions, such as tracking appointments.

  Otherwise, the two models are largely identical: Each weighs about nine ounces,
measures about 6 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches by an inch thick, and runs for about
a month on two AA batteries. Both fold open on a hinge to reveal the small
screen and a shrunken keyboard with rubber keys.

  Neither device, by the way, is widely available in stores yet, so you might
have to order by mail or on the Web.

  Here's how it works:

  After you buy a PocketMail device from either JVC or Sharp, you call
PocketScience to sign up for service. You get to pick an e-mail address for the
device, such as [36]janesmith@.... By going to PocketMail's Web site,
you can set up your account to collect copies of incoming messages from your
other e-mail addresses.

  You also chose the return address on your outgoing messages, so recipients can
see your regular e-mail address instead of the PocketMail address.

  Outgoing messages are written offline and are stored until you connect.

  Because PocketMail gives you a toll-free number for access, you can use the
service anywhere -- a pay phone, a friend's house, a hotel room -- without
running up additional charges or having the hassle of entering a long-distance
calling-card number. And usage is unlimited, so you can check for messages as
often as required to prevent e-mail anxiety.

  You can also send faxes; PocketMail will convert outgoing messages into faxes
and deliver them for a fee of 25 cents within the United States and $1
internationally.

  PocketMail pulls off some neat technical tricks for filtering out background
noise. As I mentioned, I had no problem connecting from a pay phone next to
several lanes of loud traffic. The device also worked on my office phone -- a
digital system that won't support a normal computer modem.

  And PocketMail works with most mobile phones. For a wireless connection,
PocketMail requires an analog signal. That covers older cellular phones; most
newer digital cellular phones can also work with PocketMail by switching them to
analog mode. Some of the new PCS digital systems -- including Pacific Bell in
the Bay Area -- don't have the analog option, however, and therefore can't
accommodate PocketMail.

  Downloading a big group of lengthy messages can get time-consuming, taking two
or three minutes. That might not seem like much, but it's long enough to get
restless while awkwardly jamming together a PocketMail device and a telephone
handset.

  For the impatient, there are options to limit the size of incoming messages
down to as little as 500 bytes, or even to receive just the message ``header''
giving the sender's name and the subject line. You can then flag any important
messages, sign on again, a

nd get the full text, as long as it doesn't exceed 4,000 characters.

  PocketMail even provides a few simple ``filters'' for blocking junk e-mail.

  Overall, I found PocketMail easy to use, reliable and useful within its limited
range -- I found myself reverting to my computer to read and write long
messages. I also regard the JVC and Sharp devices as providing good value for
the money.

  My only concern is paying yet another monthly fee; my wife and I between us
already shell out for three home phone lines, three Internet accounts and two
mobile phones. I'd encourage PocketScience to offer a ``light'' service plan for
perhaps $4.95 a month, providing, say, 10 sessions with additional sessions at
50 cents each. That would help sell PocketMail to recovering e-mail addicts like
me who might only use the device once or twice a week.


  Write Mike Langberg at 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190; call
(408) 920-5084; fax (408) 920-5917; or e-mail to [37]mike@... .


  [38][39]

©1997 - 1998 Mercury Center. The information you receive online from
Mercury Center is protected by the copyright laws of the United States.

I have a Sharp TM-20.  I'll be hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to
Maine in 1999.  Using pocketmail will allow me to better communicate with family
and friends.  I'll also be posting my journal using pocketmail during this
journey.
Thats all from me for now.
John

I just wanted to post a quick message to the first subscribers to the PocketMail
Mailing List welcoming you all. I hope you end up finding this mailing list
useful and enjoyable.

How about posting a message letting us all know what kind of PocketMail device
you are using, Sharp or JVC, and what your primary use for it is?

I own a Sharp TelMail and use it as my primary E-mail system for my personal
E-mail, consisting of about 20 to 30 messages a day. In fact, I've got all my
personal E-mail being forwarded to my PocketMail account. I no longer have to go
through the hassle of booting up my home PC, starting up Outlook Express, and
dialing out over my modem just to receive and send E-mail. It's so much easier
to just stay in my recliner, reach down and dial the PocketMail 800 number on my
home phone, and use my TelMail unit to handle all my E-mail.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

This is a test message to see if I can post to the mailing list from my
pocketmail.com address.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
E-mail:mconnick@...
------------------------------

This is just to test that I can post to the mailing list from my monmouth.com
address.

------------------------------
Michael Connick
E-mail: mconnick@...
------------------------------