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 MailStation Review Comments
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| Author | Topic: MailStation Review Comments |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 11-22-1999 10:33 PM
   
Post your comments here on the MailStation Review. Just click the POST REPLY buttons on this page. |
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rsc Junior Member Posts: 5 |
posted 11-28-1999 11:57 AM
I just bought my Mom a MailBug e-mail appliance (details at www.mailbug.com). It's very easy to use, but doesn't have any icons, just text. On the plus side, it can be used with existing email accounts, it does have a 'backlight' for the display, and there are (supposedly, at least) dialup numbers throughout the US and Canada. Also, it uses a AC adapter for power instead of batteries, which is fine in my opinion, since you need to plug it into a phone line to use it anyway, and where there are phone lines there are usually AC outlets (then again, if you were thinking of carrying the thing around and writing e-mail in 'disconnected' mode, this wouldn't work). The MailBug also has an address book, and a call/caller-id log. There is also a 'online services' feature that is supposed to give you on-line news/weather/stock quotes/etc, but the server isn't set up yet. Overall, I think the MailBug is a good e-mail 'appliance' and I recommend it for everyone's parents/grandparents who are computer illiterate but still want to communicate with their techie grandkids.  |
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rsc Junior Member Posts: 5 |
posted 11-28-1999 12:02 PM
Oh, and the price is the same: $149 for the device, $9.95/mo, or 99.95/yr for service. Click on this link for more info: www.mailbug.com |
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sj Member Posts: 13 |
posted 11-28-1999 06:57 PM
Thanks for reviewing mailstation. I've been trying to decide between this and the options w/pocketmail. Pocketmail uses a small organizer (one is made by Sharp) that you hold up to the receiver of a phone to send/receive email after calling an 800#. I'm leaning towards Pocketmail since it doesn't require being plugged into a phone line it's totally mobile, but the keyboard is so small it's best for the shortest of messages. The pocketmail site is also advertising an add-on for Palm devices that should be out sometime next year. |
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cswingle@wbtv.net unregistered |
posted 07-11-2000 08:35 PM
MailStation I purchased the MailStation for my mother. I have Webtv. Problem: In trying to repy to an E-mail received such as from cswingle@webtv.net (Bud Swingle) it doesn't work because of the name (Bud Swingle) after the E-mail address. This is not a problem for other than the MailStation. MailStation message say it is an invalid address. |
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Cat unregistered |
posted 07-24-2000 04:47 PM
I just bought a MailStation for my mother also. It is easy to use for us computer people, but still somewhat overwhelming for the "older generation". I wrote notes to retrieve and send emails, so my mom should catch on pretty quick once she starts playing around with it. I was disappointed that Yahoo wasn't available quite yet. They should have had the problems all worked out before they offered the product for sale to the general public. I can't get the mailstation to send mail email to .net or .gov. or net-biz.com, but had success with aol.com and yahoo.com. All in all I would recommend this product because it keeps the people that don't want a computer in touch with the rest of the family and it keeps their phone bills down (a definet plus when all the kids are long distance calls). |
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Cisco Junior Member Posts: 1 |
posted 08-28-2000 06:27 PM
Julie: I've had my MailStation unit for a couple of months and am quite satisfied with it. For me it provides an easy & quick way to stay in touch with a number of people by way of short e-mail notes on a daily basis. The MailStation is definitely not for anybody who needs to send or receive any attachments, but otherwise I recommend it highly. Also, it's great to travel with -- just put it in a briefcase, along with the list of access nos. provided, and go....ENJOY! [This message has been edited by Cisco (edited 09-11-2000).] |
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MRSmith Junior Member Posts: 1 |
posted 09-07-2000 03:08 PM
The author of the review mentioned ability to setup and read Mindspring e-mail from the MyMailstation. Could the author, or someone else, post how you do that ? |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 09-07-2000 03:15 PM
Unfortunately, it seems that they have updated the Mailstations to not allow users to change the POP3/SMTP settings. It is all now hard coded. So, if you have a newer unit, you're out of luck. If you have an older unit, you can get to your settings thru the USER icon if I remember correctly. |
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Lyn Junior Member Posts: 1 |
posted 12-03-2000 06:43 PM
My mother just got a mailstation. Now she wants a printer for it. The printers listed on the Cidco site are quite old or quite expensive. My question is will any HP (610CL or 842C) work with a mailstation? How about Lexmarks? I really don't want to pay twice as much for a printer (that will only be printing black e-mails) as she did for the mailstation. Help! |
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Marilyn King unregistered |
posted 09-05-2001 10:20 AM
I purchased a MailStation in April 2001 for my 82 year-old grandmother. It is required that you also activate the email service for at least a year, which I did at that time. After about two and one-half months of use, the screen just went blank. I took it to Radio Shack for repair. I was told it would take approx. two weeks and someone would call. After three weeks with no word, I called and was told the unit was in the store. For about a week after getting it back home, I tried to send and receive emails. The server was always "busy or unavailable." I tried all the local access numbers. I called the 800 support number but found it was only good for 30 days after purchase, then you must call a toll long distance number and be on hold forever. I emailed support@mycidco and support@mymailstation on my own personal computer. This did absolutely no good. Finally, I called the long distance number again and was given a toll free number for the access number. Same problem with this. I have written, called and everything else and my grandmother still cannot send or receive any emails. I called the customer service line at Cidco this morning to cancel the service and get a refund. Cidco cancelled the service but would not give me a refund. I was told I had signed a contract that I agreed not to be refunded after 30 days. I would certainly not recommend any Cidco products to anyone because of the lack of customer service and technical support. I would recommend WebTV or just getting a PC. Thanks. |
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davek127 unregistered |
posted 02-17-2002 12:33 AM
I agree. Don't buy this machine. I bought one for my wife who doesn't like using computers. I set it up today--no problems with the number coded into the machine for 7-day trial use. But when I registered with Earthlink they gave me a national toll free number to call. I tried 15 times today and the service was always busy or not available. I was not able to send one email message. When I called to ask for an alternative number I was told there wasn't any, that I should keep trying it and "I would love it". The representative didn't seem to understand that the machine is useless if Earthlink can't handle the demand. She kept saying "give it another chance." Sorry, I'm taking this thing back tomorrow. I'd rather teach my wife how to use the PC.
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Susan unregistered |
posted 05-09-2002 09:45 AM
quote: Did you ever find a printer -- my father just purchased a Mailstation and he too is having trouble locating a compatible printer. |
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viv unregistered |
posted 05-28-2002 08:06 AM
My mother has the MailStation and frequently gets truncated messages even though the message is not long. Anyone know why? |
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Daniel Marrs unregistered |
posted 06-26-2002 02:50 PM
quote: By all means DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE> Earthlink does not offer support other than college kids reading from a notebook, I could not ever link into Earthlink system, but mailstations temporary service worked fine. You would think earthlink would figure out they have a problem, no they could not figure it out. Support people were rude, nasty and generally did not care that I paid for a service which I could not use after 7 day trial period. I switched to mailbug. Again Please do not buy from Earthlink mailstation.com. You will be sorry you did. |
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RichP unregistered |
posted 08-06-2002 02:47 PM
Office Max is selling the Mail-station for $49.95. But I bought it during a promotion that included a $50 rebate!!! Yep, FREE!!!! I set it up for friends who are scared of a computer and can use it to communicate with their daughter who is leaving for Africa tomorrow. The unit was super-simple to set up and they're VERY happy with it. There's no local number, here but we were provided with an 800 number. Go for it!!!!!!! Rich |
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JK unregistered |
posted 08-26-2002 10:11 PM
quote: > If the email has attachments or is too long to fit into the mailstation, you can retreive it from www.mailstation.com using your userid and password. |
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havenone unregistered |
posted 11-21-2002 06:01 PM
Susan, I rec'd an email from cidco saying the HP648C would work with MailStation. After buying, I read www.complaints.com/december2001/complaintoftheday.december22.2.htm which said a similar buyer bought the HP648C and it DOES NOT work with MailStation unless a computer is hooked to it. I'm looking too. Jim |
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Linda unregistered |
posted 12-03-2002 06:56 PM
I bought my 85 year old mother in-law the 350 mailstation. It has been working great except for one problem. We haven't been able to get it to work with the power adapter. It works fine on batteries. Has anyone else had this problem? I have written and called support. They want to wipe the machine clean. I hate the thought of putting over 50 e-mail addresses back in. I also don't see what good it would do to. Just thought I'd post and see if anyone else has had this problem. |
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Johanna unregistered |
posted 12-26-2002 10:55 PM
quote: Any messages that are sent to your mother that are in HTML format (rich text) and not "plain text" format will be truncated. Anyone who sends a picture or attached file will cause a truncated message. From time to time you will need to "optimize" and you will need to call the 800 text help line to have them dump the truncated messages stored on the server. (Whenever a message is truncated, it stores a copy on the server.) The 30 day rule about tech help no longer applies now that Earthlink owns the Mail Station. I bought the Mail Statio for my mom and she loves it. |
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JohnF unregistered |
posted 01-15-2003 11:43 AM
After a week, my mother-in-law reports the MailStation no longer sends or receives mail. I worked with her over the phone long enough to understand that the MailStation memory is somehow confused. Even though there are only a few short messages saved on the machine, the machine indicates there are 179 new messages, 195 messages total. Each attempt to "get mail" or "send all" is aborted before making a telephone call; the error message says memory is nearly full. Has anyone done a system reset on one of these? Will she lose all of the address book? Telephone support people don't seem to have many smarts or answers. |
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kevin62 unregistered |
posted 02-06-2003 07:23 PM
quote: I have a mailstation and i know for sure a lexmark 1020 inkjet won't work with them that's what i tried with it. i'm still looking for the right one. |
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booje unregistered |
posted 03-07-2003 10:50 AM
Hello, I bought a Mailstation for grandma and ran into some problems. I constantly received the error message "the server is busy or unavailable". You can reset the machine by hitting the reset button but this doesn't fully reset the machine back to the factory settings. To do so, you must hold down the "func" (function key) and the "d" and then hit the reset button in the back. You will then need to call tech support at 1-866-874-2071. They will send you a "clip" email which will reset the machine to its proper settings. Make sure the machine is set to dial the 800 number and that the tech sends it to the email address that comes with the original settings (the long several digit number) and not to the account you want set up. Also tell the tech to enter a local number for you into the database so that when you machine is reset it will already have the correct local number to dial into. |
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JohnF unregistered |
posted 03-20-2003 10:34 AM
The Mailstation device continues to misbehave. The displayed message count doesn't match the number of messages in the machine. It fails to download all of the messages from the server, even when those messages are in plain text. The only reset procedure wipe out the entire machine, including the address book. Poor design with no attention to standard protocol(POP) rules. Mailstation reset, procedure: |
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cgillesp@swva.net unregistered |
posted 03-26-2003 03:33 PM
Your Grandmother's MailStation probably did NOT have a problem at all. My 85 year old father has has had a MailStation more than a year and loves it and the contacts he's able to maintain. However, about 2 months into it, he called me, distressed that his screen was completely dark! Even though he was calling long distance, he had his screen lit up again in less than a minute. I had read the manual "from one end to the other" before I gave it to him, and knew there is a little control button down on the side of the machine (on the right end). It makes the screen darker/lighter. He had accidentally touched it, turning all the light off. He has since been the trouble-shooter for one of his brothers who had the same problem and was ready to give up on HIS machine. |
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phills unregistered |
posted 04-07-2003 10:40 AM
My children have a Mailstation, given to them by their grandfather. It has generally worked as advertised. When we set up the Mailstation, we were careful to use their toll-free access number, since all the "local" access numbers in our area are toll calls. But recently EarthLink used their remote control software to reprogram our device, setting it to use one of the toll access numbers. They sent an e-mail saying they had "improved" our configuration and phone number, and that the service would continue as before. My kids read this email and thought nothing of it. I found out when I got a phone bill with over a hundred toll calls on it! I made a couple of phone calls and several emails, and was told that EarthLink is never responsible for any toll charges. Even though they made the change (without my permission) it was my responsibility to ensure that phone number was the right one. I have set the phone number back to the toll-free number, but who knows how long it will be before they switch it again. At least my kids have gotten a valuable lesson in trusting what they are told by a company like EarthLink. I used to use EarthLink for my ISP, but switched after I got fed up with their "customer support." Looks like it might be time to give up the Mailstation as well... |
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jacobm111 unregistered |
posted 08-11-2003 07:14 AM
John- Do you know how to remove Earthlink's info from it? -Jacob
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fredowl87 unregistered |
posted 10-31-2003 02:26 PM
Does anyone know about mods for the mailstation? A way to physically modify the hardware in order to put games on it or anything else? it seems like it has potential, since the machine itself is free at officemax. |
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TXTAZZR unregistered |
posted 11-10-2003 01:18 PM
I am looking into purchasing a Mail Station for my mom. (Actually one from US Message) Can anyone tell me what the amount of lines are that she can send and receive? Also, what about SPAM mail? Is there a feature to prevent this from happening? Thanks for any info you can provide, |
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cheyenneintx unregistered |
posted 12-26-2003 04:13 AM
I bought the mailstation for my mom <g> a year ago and it's been great. She emails me every day. However, she never deletes the messages so a couple of times over the past year the memory filled and my sister had to help her delete it. I recommend it. |
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cheyenneintx unregistered |
posted 12-26-2003 04:14 AM
I didn't answer your question. My Mom has sent me lengthy emails before. And no spam. |
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TNT unregistered |
posted 01-12-2004 02:26 PM
quote: A few months ago, OfficeMax had the MailStation 150 on sale for $30 with a $30 rebate, making the cost zero. I used it when I was without a computer during a move ( a poor man's laptop). I write a lot and what I wanted it for was to save my writing in an electronic format. This week OfficeMax has the considerably nicer MailStation 350 (wireless, other features) on sale for... $30 with a $30 rebate. I was planning to discontinue the MailStation since I have my computer up and running at my new place, but now the poor man's laptop idea seems even better. Anyhow, to knock down the price of their best unit to free seems like Earthlink is really making a push to get this thing into homes. That, or they've got a ton units before folding this service. |
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perchbug unregistered |
posted 01-12-2004 05:40 PM
bought another for mom ( upgrading her old one ) but still cannot access her account via our computer to clean up her messages. the mail.mymailstation.com does'nt or is not there. |
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jdillon282@msn.com unregistered |
posted 02-08-2004 06:00 AM
quote: |
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hummerrc unregistered |
posted 02-18-2004 06:40 AM
quote: Have not had any luck getting in touch with mailstation, tried several e-mail addresses, but to no avail Any one no how to get into their site? |
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cruiter@mailstation.,com unregistered |
posted 03-22-2005 04:43 PM
quote: i like my mail station i use the time i dont know why they make them anymore i think they should |
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elizabethcb unregistered |
posted 04-26-2005 07:36 PM
just wondering if anyone has had success finding a printer that is compatible with the mailstation 100. my sister (who is disabled) relies very heavily on this device to communicate with family and friends around the country and for memory reasons, needs to be able to print out many of the messages she sends/receives. she was using an apollo 2200 or 2250 i believe, but it just died. any other suggestions before we attempt to replace it with another apollo (IF we can find one)? thanks- |
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lbrown unregistered |
posted 06-08-2005 03:25 PM
My father-in-law has a mailstation and he has an HP 660c that works with it. You may be able to find one on eBay. |
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Sammie unregistered |
posted 06-14-2005 07:56 AM
My mailstation will not receive messages. I have tried for days to call the toll free number at the Earthlink place and get a message the number is not a working number. I don't know where else to try. Could you help me. We did try the "Function+D" idea and it did not work. Thank you |
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