// Pocket Picks //

As useful as SMS text messages are, email’s even handier. There are no word limits and people can reach you even if they don’t have your mobile phone number, for example. Additionally, it’s an easy way of making it look like you’re at your desk at work, when instead you’re checking your inbox from the sunny outdoors…

Only trouble is, email’s not set up by default on your mobile like text messaging is, and it takes a bit of fiddling to get it up and running. But fiddling is what we like here at Pocket Picks, so follow the few easy steps below to expand your messaging options:

Step 1
On most handsets, email’s managed from the Messages section of your phone’s operating system. So head over there and look for Email or Settings from the menu. You’ll need to set up an email account and, in most cases, you can use the same email account that you use everyday. Go to the Email Accounts section and then Settings; look for the prompt to create a new account.
 
 
 
 
 
Step 2
Fill out the details that are asked for, such as your account name (which can be whatever you want, but it makes sense to use the name of your email provider, to avoid confusion) and your name. You’ll now need to start entering more technical information that’ll enable your phone to access and upload and download your emails.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Step 3
You can get these details from your email provider; if you go to the website of your email provider and log-in, you can usually find them in the settings or options menu. You’ll need the SMTP server address, SMTP port, SMTP user ID and password, and the same details for the POP3 server. Enter them into your phone in the appropriate dialogue boxes and save them.
 
 
 
 

Step 4
It’s worth taking a look at any advanced settings or configuration options available as they can save you time and money. One worth considering is whether you download the entire email when you check your inbox or just the header. The latter option enables you to see what an email is about without paying the data fees for the contents of an email that you might not be interested in.
 
 
 
 

Step 5
You should also consider whether you want your mobile phone to check for email automatically on a regular basis, such as every five minutes, and whether you want to leave a copy of the email on your server. It’s best to leave the auto-check option off to avoid tying up your phone – you can check email when you want to via your email inbox’s Send & Receive command – but leaving a copy of the email on the server is an option you can take or leave. Turn that option on and you’ll be able to download the same emails to your PC later.
 
 
Step 6
To get your emails, open your Email inbox and look for your handset’s Send & Receive command. Select it and your phone will open a data connection and find your email server according to the details you gave it earlier. The process can take a minute or so if you’re on a 2 or 2.5G network; 3G users will find that it takes far less time. Emails will be downloaded to your inbox – to view the entire email, select it and the contents will be downloaded, too!