April 2000

BY MARC ROBINS

I do, however, have a confession to make. Although I was an early adopter of Sprint PCS service (I still have my clunky though trusty Samsung SCH-1000 phone to prove it), I have been relatively slow on the uptake of new, wireless data services. I have been enjoying them from a distance peering over the shoulders of colleagues and friends as they send e-mail from their shiny new Palm VIIs or peek onto the Internet with their cell phones. Every now and then Id feel a twinge of envy.

LETTING GO OF THE PAST
So why wasnt I taking the dive myself? My rationale was, I really didnt want to dump my Palm Professional in favor of the latest model just to add e-mail capability. My Palm Professional had served me quite well and it wasnt broken. My laptop did the job just fine for me when I was on road. And besides, the service fees Palm.net charges would have surely broken my bank, based on the sheer volume of e-mail I send and receive.

I really wasnt keen on switching cell phones to gain data-readiness, because I never really thought the tiny displays and keypad as keyboard were up to the task, especially for e-mail. Moreover, what about the extra batteries, leather clip case, and car adapter? Id need to trash those and splurge on a whole new set. And last, believe it or not, the sound quality and signal pulling strength of my SCH-1000 outperforms every fancy new handset Ive tried. I get signal in places no one else can.

BRAVE NEW WORLDS
Recently, however, the combination of Christmas and CES conspired to plunge me headlong into the brave new world of wireless data (not that I was kicking and screaming, mind you!). I was bestowed with a new Sprint Touchpoint phone with an integrated mini-browser for Christmas, and was treated by a sympathetic Gadgetman (our very own Evan Koblentz) to a PocketMail Backflip fresh from CES.

This device is a new Palm hardware/software add-on from PocketScience that turns my lowly Palm Professional into a fairly beefy e-mail and fax machine (you can compose and send faxes, but not receive them) for about $99.00. You slip a Palm onto the Backflips connector, much the same way you set it into the cradle for a HotSync, and push until the Palm snaps in place. On the back of the unit is no kidding an extremely well-designed acoustic coupler. The microphone (receiver end) flips out and moves on a little runner, letting you obtain the optimum position for the receiver for different types of either wired or wireless handsets. The software is a robust little e-mail/fax program that smartly lets you access the e-mail addresses and fax numbers stored in the Palms address book.

THE METHOD BEHIND THE WIRELESS MADNESS
In practice, you first dial an 800 number to access the PocketMail service (basically an ISP specializing in mobile e-mail and fax transport and storage) on your cell phone, pay phone, hotel phone basically any phone. You line up the coupler with the phones transmitter and receiver holes and press a screen button on the Palm display or a rubber button on the back of the unit to start the negotiation with the PocketMail server. And voil! Youre sending and receiving e-mail and faxes.

After a few weeks of mobile e-mailing, I have to admit that Ive become a big PocketMail fan. At a flat rate of $9.95/month for unlimited e-mail and faxes, the PocketMail service is an amazing bargain. Granted, this solution isnt for everyone. If you need a persistent connection, you need to look elsewhere. But if you want the flexibility to use any available phone (very handy when you have no signal on your wireless handset), and you want to breathe new life into your trusty old Palm, Id take a good look at this solution.

Coming down the pike, Id expect the PocketMail service to be upgraded with a variety of information services, such as news, stock quotes, and more. At present, attachments arent supported but there are plans to allow the forwarding of attachments to fax machines.

Next up, my experience with Sprint PCSs Wireless Web. Is it all that its cracked up to be? Well see