There was a time when being on the road meant being away from your e-mail unless you wanted to lug around a notebook computer or purchase a PDA.

Now, however, all you need is a wireless phone and a plan that provides wireless Web access and you can catch up on e-mails from friends, family and business clients no matter where you go. With the wide selection RadioShack has to offer, you'll have no trouble finding the ideal phone and plan for your e-mailing needs.

Full e-mail functionality in the palm of your hand

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, people seem to be on the go frequently these days. Fortunately, wireless phones keep us connected to our families, friends and colleagues and give us instant access to all the latest information. There are times, however, when a short message is more expedient than a phone call, especially when you're trying to get in touch with someone whose schedule is as hectic as your own. Having e-mail access on your phone gives you the ability to write when you can't call and vice versa, making it a very desirable feature to have.

If you have a wireless phone and plan that provide access, you can use your e-mail account any time no matter which service you use. Sending and receiving e-mail is easy, and many phones have the same functionality as a home computer for sending attachments, blocking unwanted mail and setting up address books. You can even sync your mail with your home account for added convenience and organization.

While download and data transmission speeds on wireless phones are not currently as fast as they are on desktop or notebook computers, the development and growing use of EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) technology will enable you to send and receive large attachments much more rapidly. If you plan to e-mail frequently from your phone, consider choosing a phone and carrier that utilize EV-DO.

How to send e-mail

In order to send and receive e-mail, you must first have a valid e-mail address. This could be established through an Internet service provider (ISP) or online webmail service such as AOL, Hotmail or Yahoo! or by utilizing e-mail client software. Once your account has been created, you can begin sending e-mails to computers, handheld devices or other wireless phones, provided your phone permits you access to the type of account you wish to use. Wireless carriers charge on either a per-use or monthly basis for this service, but the benefits are well worth the expense if you use e-mail extensively.

In addition to utilizing webmail or client software to send e-mails, some phones and plans also allow you to utilize the text messaging feature to send messages to people's e-mail addresses. Simply type in your message and, rather than sending to a phone number, enter the recipient's e-mail address.

Webmail and e-mail client software

Users of popular webmail services know how convenient they are because of the portability of the address and easy access to e-mail from any computer with an Internet connection. Once you have established an account with a service like Hotmail or Yahoo!, your address remains the same regardless of the service provider you use to access the Internet, meaning that you can check your account no matter where you go as long as you have a device with access to the Internet. Phones with wireless Web access allow you to connect to your e-mail account even when you can't get to a computer.

In addition to Web-based e-mail, your phone or PDA may be able to utilize e-mail client software such as Microsoft Outlook, Netscape Messenger, Eudora, Calypso Mail and more. Client software makes it easy to filter and sort e-mails, maintain folders for different people and topics and establish rules for automatically sending and receiving messages under predetermined conditions, such as sending a personalized out-of-office reply to a particular person. It also allows you to compose and read e-mails even when you can't receive a signal from your wireless carrier, allowing you to get work done when you're on a plane, in a subway tunnel or some other location where you're unable to connect to the wireless Web. Some phones have e-mail client software preloaded while others may allow you to download it from the manufacturer's website for an additional fee.

Creating a message

Generally speaking, creating an e-mail message on a wireless phone is very similar to creating one on your home computer. Access the e-mail mode through the main menu and select "compose" from the options presented. Once you've entered your message, locate the recipient's name in your address book or enter a new one, add addresses to be copied on the message if necessary, give the e-mail a subject heading and send. Some wireless carriers even allow you to add attachments, though bear in mind that you may be charged by the kilobyte and that the message may be too large for the recipient's inbox. If you will need to send attachments from your phone frequently, make sure you select a carrier and plan that permit you to do so in the most economical way possible.

As phones have small, numeric keypads, entering long messages can be a time-consuming process. To make sending e-mails easier, most handheld PDAs (such as the BlackBerry) and even a few wireless phones have a standard keyboard just like the one you use with your computer, which allows you to type more quickly. Consider purchasing a phone with this feature if you'll be sending a lot of e-mails. Even if you don't have a phone with a keyboard, however, its still possible to send e-mails. Most phones allow text to be entered using your phones keypad. Simply hit a key anywhere from one to four times to get the letter you want to enter. For example, tapping the 4 key twice gives you the letter "H". To speed up the process of entering messages, some phones have predictive text technology that anticipates the word you are typing and offers suggestions on screen that you can select. For more information on this, please consult RadioShacks guides to Text Messaging and Basics of Wireless Phones.

Sending messages

As with entering a message, the process of sending a message from a wireless phone is similar to the way you would do it on your home computer. If you know the address of the recipient, simply type it in or enter it using your address book. If you are sending the message to another wireless user, all you'll need to know is the person's phone number and carrier. Each phone has a unique e-mail address predicated on the phone's number and the wireless carrier providing service to it. The chart below displays a few examples of how to determine a phone's e-mail address. Simply plug in the phone number of the person you're trying to reach instead of 1234567890.

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