If you have a standard email account like me, (not web based – hotmail style) then what do you do if you’re away from home, want to check your email and send one too?
Well there are actually some internet-based options, which let you manage your standard email account via the web, when you cannot access your mail in the usual fashion via Outlook or any other mail package.
The web facility I recommend in these circumstances is mail2web; available at the URL you might guess which is www.mail2web.com
The front page loads very quickly, it is uncluttered with just two banner ad’s using the top inch of the screen.
To check your email you have to enter your email address and password. The password could be one that you assigned when you joined your particular ISP, or it may be a totally random offering, such as mine on NTLworld, which is jumble of letters and numbers. It’s a good idea now you know this facility exists to make a note of your password if you don’t know it, so next time you’re away you can use this wonderful tool!
The site works in conjunction with the email address and password you provide to guess it’s way into your ISP’s mail server. For me it works without fail, and if I’m away from home any new mail sitting on the NTL server is visible to me within seconds.
An advanced login facility exists if the site cannot fathom a valid route to your provider. This route requires your ISP’s servers name or IP address, your user ID, (first part of your email before the @ sign) and password.
As I log in successfully on the standard log in I cannot comment on the success of entering via the advanced route!
The standard login route is not secure, I should point out at this stage, but rest assured for you paranoid types, a secure login route is available, for instance if you are accessing from an internet café.
Once you’ve accessed your account online, you will see any new mail still on the server, so that is essentially any new mail received since you last opened your email package at home.
If you have any junk mail or unwanted super-large video attachments, which are invariably, received then you can delete them here and now, to save a job later!
You can read your mail online obviously, and you can also use mail2web to send any replies or write new mail.
When finished managing your mail online then you can log out via the button provided. It recommends that you clear the cache and close all running windows to fully protect your privacy. This is nothing to worry about; it just ensures no one else can use your email account to send spam or abuse.
The mail2 portfolio also enables you to manage your email if you have a PDA (personal digital organiser) or WAP enabled mobile. The story is much the same but the sites are available at www.mail2pda.com and www.mail2wap.com respectively.
I cannot say how these work, as I do not use my Psion to collect my mail, nor do I have a WAP phone (I’m waiting for cheap GPRS or even 3G!) though I suspect the performance is good, as of the web site.
On a side point, the company running 'mail2' also offer a facility to read newsgroups (USENET) without using a newsgroup reader or news facility of an email package. Check www.news2web.com for that one.
A very useful tool when away from home. If you thought you didn’t have webmail you do now!
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BT now offer web-based e-mail on all their standard accounts (when it is behaving itself and can be accessed of course) which frustratingly seems to be about 3 days out of 7.
Sue
mbmb11 17.10.2001 14:35
It sounds great - but also make you realise that nothing is super secure!!
Mel x
Guccilady 14.10.2001 23:54
Very interesting, something else I'd never heard of. thanks, Angie
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