REVIEW: Mobile e-mail for the rest of us

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn’t in the mobile content industry. If you wish to submit your application or service for review, please contact us at rcrwebhelp@crain.com.
Service: Verizon Wireless’ Mobile E-mail application
Running On: Samsung SCH-u740
Yay: Easy to install and set-up, it’s a BlackBerry alternative for the rest of us
Nay: Inconsistent updates, can’t view attachments
We Say: Verizon Wireless’ mobile e-mail service is a nice option for consumers looking for push e-mail notifications without having to resort to business-oriented devices.
One look around any business environment shows that mobile e-mail is a killer app for the on-the-go worker. Research In Motion revolutionized the market with its now-ubiquitous BlackBerry device and service, while a large and growing number of fast-followers have entered the market with a variety of similar services designed to run on business-centric devices.
But what about the average wireless user? You know, the ones not interested in carrying around brick-like phones or unwilling to pay $20 or more per month for push e-mail services. Sure, text messaging works for quick notes, but what if you want to send more than 160 characters, or you only have access to someone’s e-mail address?
Enter Verizon Wireless’ Mobile E-mail application, which the carrier launched earlier this month. The application, which is powered by OZ, gives users easier access to their POP3- or IMAP-based e-mail accounts. The service costs $5 per month, with usage deducted from customers’ airtime buckets, or is free with one of the carrier’s America’s Choice Premium calling plans that begin at $80 per month. Customers can register up to 10 e-mail accounts through the service, which supports most popular e-mail clients including Yahoo Mail, AIM Mail and Windows Live Hotmail.
Signing up my Yahoo account was very straightforward; I only had to enter my username and password.
Unlike BlackBerry-type services that actually push the e-mail to the device, the Verizon Wireless offering sends a message to the handset telling the user they have a new e-mail message in their inbox. The user then clicks a soft key on the device that takes them to an easy-to-read rendering of their e-mail inbox. Customers can also access their e-mail inbox by launching the application in the Get It Now folder.
The service uses Verizon Wireless’ data network to access the inbox, and it did take a few seconds for the application to log into the e-mail account.
The service worked well with most notifications sent to the handset within a minute or so, though occasionally it would take up to 30 minutes. This would not be such an issue if the application was free, but since some customers will be paying $5 per month for the service, I would expect a more consistent notification process.
Sending or forwarding e-mails takes only a few seconds, while deleting e-mails was equally quick.
Although it doesn’t directly affect the application, special mention is due for the Samsung SCH-u740, which includes a dual-flipping screen and a full-though somewhat cramped-keyboard that made entering text a breeze.
Overall, the service worked well, and would seem to be a good investment for consumers who like to keep on top of their e-mails while away from their computer, or who are not interested in lugging around an enterprise device.