"E-Mail Only" System Handy & Cheap

"E-Mail Only" System Handy & Cheap COMPUTERS Computers 25-3-15 Roscoe and Emma Lane, Blythedale, Missouri, have six children and more than a dozen grandchildren, all living a long distance call away. They decided they could save a lot of money and stay in touch more easily if they could use e-mail, especially since all of their kids are on-line. "We do have a computer but we didn't want to pay for the internet just to send e-mail," says Roscoe, a retired farmer and rural letter carrier. "Also, we like to travel a lot and we can't take our computer with us." They decided to look into "e-mail only" systems which do not require a hefty monthly contract. All you need is a keyboard-like device that hooks to a phone line. The Mail Station system they bought required an initial setup fee of $50 and purchase of the e-mail device for around $100. The monthly service fee is $9.95. The Lanes chose Mail Station for a couple reasons. One was the size of the device's keyboard, which is longer than on other systems. "I couldn't type on the smaller ones. My fingers are just too big," says Roscoe. Another reason was that the device hooks up to a number of printers, so they can print their e-mail to read it. When the couple travels, they generally go in their travel trailer. They can hook their Mail Station into phone lines provided at campsites and retrieve their email. "The machine dials in and retrieves mail by itself, so we don't even have to remember the number," Emma says. Many discount stores and electronics retailers handle the Mail Station, and other competing "e-mail only" devices. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mail Station, Cidco, Inc., 220 Cochrane Circle, Morgan Hill, CA 95037 (ph 408 779-1162; E-mail: feedback@cidco.com; Web site: www.mymailstation.com/products/index.html)

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