palmOne's Treo 600 is the most popular smartphone in the United States. This chapter excerpt explains how to get he most out of one of the Treo's most popular features, e-mail.
Click here to read a PDF version of the chapter with images.
Chapter sections include:
- Select the right e-mail software for your needs
- Set up your Treo to send and receive e-mail
- Use Treo Mail
- Customize your e-mail
We decided to create a separate chapter just on Treo 600
e-mail because there are enough options and choices for setting up and using
e-mail that the topic can get confusing quickly. This chapter identifies the
three general types of e-mail accounts, discusses your software options, and
guides you through the steps to get each up and running-or rather, get you up
and e-mailing.
E-Mail-The Killer Wireless
Application for Your Treo
E-mail has revolutionized the way we communicate, and in many cases
e-mail has even altered the way we do business. Extending e-mail into the
wireless realm has enabled us to be connected no matter where we are. Of
course, not everyone thinks that this is a good thing, but for many of us it
offers freedom from the constraints of the office environment while still
allowing us to be involved and in touch. The Treo 600 lets you send and receive
e-mail in many different ways, and perform tasks usually relegated to the
desktop, such as managing contacts and viewing attachments. Regardless of how
many other applications you use on your Treo, or how often you play games or
listen to MP3s, you will likely use e-mail almost as much as you use your Treo phone.
Get Connected
Your wireless service provider, the company you are paying to use
your Treo as a phone, classifies e-mail as data. Not all mobile phone contracts
include data service by default. If you know that your contract includes data
service, then great! If you are not sure, you may want to take a look at your
contract to find out, or give the company a call. In order for your Treo to
send and receive e-mail, you must have data service included with your Treo
phone plan. This topic is covered in more detail in Chapter 5.
Understand Your E-Mail Options
Several different technologies and configurations allow you to send
and receive e-mail on your Treo, so it's important that you understand the
available options and what their differences are before you get started. If you
already have an e-mail account, or many e-mail accounts, your options are
relatively straightforward because you don't have to consider all of the
available options. The four major types of e-mail accounts you can use with your
Treo are POP3, corporate (Exchange and Lotus Domino), IMAP, and web-based
e-mail. Each type is described in more detail later in this chapter.
Understand E-Mail Account Types
The type of e-mail account you have determines the type of software
you will need to run, as well as how to configure your Treo to send and receive
e-mail. Generally, e-mail accounts fall into one of four categories:
- Corporate e-mail such as MS Exchange/Outlook or
Lotus Domino If you have an e-mail account through your employer,
chances are it's one of these, but this isn't always the case.
- POP3(Post Office Protocol 3)>b> e-mail such as
Eudora, Outlook Express, and Entourage If your Internet service
provider (such as EarthLink, AT&T WorldNet, BellSouth, Shaw, Telus,
Comcast, O2, Orange, SBC, or Verizon) hosts your e-mail account, then it is
likely a POP3 account.
- IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) This
is a method of accessing electronic mail or bulletin board messages that are
kept on a mail server. IMAP permits a "client" e-mail program on your Treo (or
PC) to access remote e-mail message stores as if they were local. For example,
e-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated from a home desktop
computer, a workstation at the office, or a notebook computer while traveling,
without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between these
computers. Many of the corporate e-mail account types support IMAP e-mail. Some
IMAP e-mail software options are listed later in this chapter in the section
"IMAP E-Mail Application Options for Your Treo 600."
- Web-based e-mail such as Hotmail, Yahoo!, Netscape,
Lycos, and Excite You typically use these types of e-mail accounts by
going to a web page and logging in to your account to send and view e-mail.
Yahoo! can be either POP3 or web-based e-mail depending on
your account type. Yahoo! offers free web-based e-mail, so if you didn't pay
anything to get your Yahoo! e-mail account, then it is a web-based account.
But, if you paid to upgrade to Yahoo! Premium, you may use your account with
POP3 software on your Treo.
Find Out Your E-Mail Account Type
You need to find out what type of e-mail account you have (POP3,
corporate- Exchange or Domino-or web-based e-mail) in order to choose the
correct Treo software and configure it properly so you can use e-mail.
Ask for Help
Asking for help is a lot like asking for directions. Nevertheless,
asking the proper people the right questions can save you a lot of time and
frustration. The fastest way to find out information about your e-mail account
is to call up the Support desk of the organization that provides your e-mail.
Usually, just introducing yourself, explaining why you're calling, and asking
whether your e-mail account is a POP3 account will start you down the right path.
If, on the other hand, the company you work for provides your e-mail, great! Go
bug the e-mail or systems administrator; you may even be able to persuade her
to set up your Treo for you-something well worth the price of a soy latte if
you find that a little bribery is necessary.
Use Online Support Resources
If you're more of a figure-it-out-yourself type of person, many
service providers have excellent online knowledge bases that can supply you
with all the information you need. So, if you know the company that provides
your e-mail, go to their web site and find the Support section. PalmOne also
has an excellent Support and FAQ section at www.palmone.com.
Don't Already Have an E-Mail Account?
If you don't already have an existing e-mail account, your options
are a little simpler because you don't have to worry about corporate e-mail
solutions like Exchange or Lotus Domino. With corporate e-mail out of the
picture, your remaining options are POP3 and web-based e-mail.
Set Up a New POP3 E-Mail Account
POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) is a common e-mail standard that is
widely supported, so it is relatively easy to find a service provider that
offers POP3 e-mail accounts.
If You Have a Home Internet Connection
If you already have an Internet service provider that
provides your home with Internet access, the company supplying your connection
can likely set you up with a POP3 e-mail account. In fact, the cost is often
included in your Internet fees. Contact the company to find out how to get set
up, and then get the POP3 set-up information covered later in this chapter in
the section "Set Up a POP3 Account."
If You Don't Have a Home Internet Connection
If you do not have a home Internet connection, there are
organizations that provide free POP3 e-mail accounts. As with most things, you
get what you pay for, so if you choose to use a free provider, don't expect
high reliability or top-notch service. Examples include www.HotPOP.com and
www.gmx.co.uk, but a quick Internet search will produce several others. The
most reliable POP3 option is to purchase e-mail service from a web-hosting
company. The cost of POP3 service is reasonable ($20 per year in North America)
and will vary between providers, so shop around and make sure you find a
provider that is both reasonably priced and that will provide quality customer service
when you need it. E-mail is transported on the Internet, so the physical
location of the company hosting your POP3 account is relatively unimportant.
Having said this though, service may be slower if your e-mail server is located
on a different continent.
About the Authors
Derek Ball is President and CEO of Sonic Mobility,
a company focused on delivering solutions for handheld wireless devices such as the Treo 600. Derek has published ten other books on technology topics and has traveled the world speaking at conferences and seminars on emerging technology.
Dayton Foster is VP of R & D for Sonic Mobility, Inc. Dayton has extensive experience with all aspects of mobile devices including the Treo 600.
Click here to purchase How to Do Everything with Your Treo from McGraw-Hill/Osborne.
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