Customer Reviews

Sharp TM-20 TelMail E-Mail Organizer

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recently got my TM-20, and I am glad not to have to lug a heavy, bulky laptop around just to read my email on the go. I have my regular email account set up to automatically forward to my pocketmail account. I also have my regular email reader (MS Outlook express) set up to grab mail from pocketmail when I am in the office. This works very well. If i get an email on the road that has an attachment I get the attachment from my regular email reader when i am at the next destination using a desktop PC or my laptop.

Having the pocketmail device on the go at airports and etc. is a great luxury. I strongly encourage anyone who depends on email and who travels even a moderate amount to get a pocketmail device. For about $100 for the TM-20 and $99 for the pocketmail service for a year anyone can afford this.

I have had a TM-20 for some time and it is a very useful tool. If you communicate at alll via email and are ever away from your desktop, or don't have a desktop and wnat to keep intouch with friends using email, the PocketMail organizer is great. No need to find phone jacks, I can use ANY PHONE. Pay phones are everywhere and it even works with my cell phone. It is quick enough that I can send and recieve email in under the one minute billing unit. PocketMail is a great value at about $8.00 a month. I highly recommend these!!

The Sharp TelMail TM-20 is a great gadget for doing what it claims. It gives you a very inexpensive way to send and receive email for only about ten bucks a month. Like the advertising says, you really can use just about ANY phone to check your email. U.S. users shouldn't have any problems using their home or work phones. I highly recommend this product.When I say any phone, I mean just about any phone. Pay phones in restaurants or airports, analog cell phones, cordless phones, the corded phones in your house and so on. There probably will be some exceptions to this rule but I've never encountered one. I don't think it works with digital phones but I could be wrong. And you don't have to buy or learn how to work a modem or any connection cables either.All you do is dial Pocketmail's toll free number, follow the recorded instructions and hold the device up to the mouthpiece and press one button. You can't miss the button either. It's the only one to press and it's big and blue. You'll be a pro at this by the second or third time you dial Pocketmail's number. You'll appreciate how really fast the TM-20 checks for messages too. I've been done in about thirty seconds most of the time.Also, you can build up a list of email addresses very easily. The TM-20's controls are very well marked and easy to learn. Very easy for experienced computer users but not too hard for people who have never used email. The low monthly fee makes this affordable for people who just want to try out email without commiting to a year of Internet access on a computer. The service is month by month so there's no long term commitment. The owner's manual is also very clear and easy to read.The TM-20 Telmail device can only work with the optional Pocketmail service but this isn't a problem really. Other email accounts can usually be set up to forward to your Pocketmail account automatically. The TM-20 runs on 2 AAs (which you can buy just about anywhere) and weighs about six ounces. Don't stick it your pocket though. This is more of a bookbag gadget.The TM-20 even comes with a Word List of frequently used words and phrases so you don't have to keep typing them in over and over. I found this feature to be one of the most useful things about it.Even though students and gadget lovers will probably go for the TM-20, I think it would be a better idea for older people who just want to try out email without all the hassle of a computer. As long as you don't expect to get pictures of the grandkids on it, this is a great way to introduce a non computer surfer to the world of email. Just looking at the large keyboard and yet the overall small size of the device will reassure some older folks. No stylus to fuss with, no commands to learn, the buttons are even color coded too.All in all, a very useful gadget. It does what it claims and doesn't cost very much to use. Cool enough for gadget lovers but also easy to use by computer newcomers. I strongly recommend the TM-20 to anyone who wants to try out email but doesn't want to have to learn a lot about computers to do so. Also, it's very light and can easily be tucked out of sight in a purse or bookbag. No one will know you're now emailing people unless you show it to them!

I love my Pocketmail device. I travel a great deal and I find that it is (a) a lot easier to lug around than my laptop, and (b) with the built-in acoustic coupler, I can use any phone I come across, from a payphone at an airport to my cell phone from my car. With the Pocketmail device I can keep up with my e-mail and with the separate GrabPage service, I can even surf the web using my TM-20! Outstanding value for travelers that need to keep up with their e-mail, but don't need all the rest of the fucntionaility that goes with a laptop.

You can do more than just send and receive email. You can get the weather forecast for your area or any area in the world, check on flight information and even get point to point driving directions. If you can ignore the clunkiness of dialing in to send your request and then dialing in a few minutes later to get your information, there is no better option, or you can have the information sent to an alpha pager if you have one. A laptop usually needs a "jack" and an internet account with a local access number, but this unit will work from any phone, except digital cellular, and the call is a toll free 800 number. It's worth the monthly charge just to be able to get concise driving directions from one address to another - across town or across the county.

When I learned about the Pocketmailer I got one..the storedidnt know anything about it but I bought it anyway and learned...Ihave been responsible for more than 50 other people buying one..people who travel just a little or a lot and especially crusing boaters have discovered this product.Reviewers of more complicated electronics tend to dismiss this handy little item as a toy but those of us who have them swear by them...I use ours during hurricanes when much of our other communication is gone. We dont always need internet access but do need to keep in touch .Our V>I>Olympic rider carries one on the equestrian circuit to keep in touch. Only compliant...promised rebates NEVER given, promises NEVER kept and POOR communication with both Sharp and service provider...good product, bad advertising and BAD product support. END

I have found the TM-20 organizer is a good tool if you plan to use the optional email service. If not I feel that are many better organizers at same price level or lower.

It is so easy to use and you can use it anywhere. The address book and calendar functions are just as good as the organizer features offered by the Palm and Visor, but this is much cheaper and you can do email on it too.

I purchased a Sharp TM20 email device. This little device is really cool, and works with almost every phone in the world. It is a very inexpensive way to set somebody up with email, and is very easy to use. My girl friend, who had no computer experience what so ever, uses it routinely. It is most cost effective for domestic US work, but can be used overseas as well, although at higher cost. I highly recommend it as a computer-free email solution that requires no ISP.

Used the Sharp TM 20 on a recent 9500 mile trip to Alaska, travelling thru British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Alaska, Alberta,Canada, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and home and the only time I ever had a problem was on an occasional payphone, once in Edmonton, Alberta and another time in Skagway, Alaska. Works on any phone other than digital cell, public phones are a breeze, pick up the receiver, dial an 800 number and send/receive at the same time. Not even a coin needed. Didn't have to call home one time in a two and one half month trip- pocketmail did it all!!