Answering Machine Retrieves E-mail Messages

People get voice mail on answering machines. Why not e-mail? So reasoned Landel Telecom, a startup firm that just announced its first product, a Mailbug for people who don't want to fire up a PC just to send or pick up e-mail messages.

The MailBug weighs in at about two pounds and takes up somewhat less counter space than a stack of normal typing paper. It is designed to sit on the counter next to an answering machine. It picks up e-mail at regular intervals and flashes a light if there are new messages.

Katie Roper of Landel said, "It just uses normal phone wire. Think of your answering machine -- it's always on, constantly checking to see if you have messages waiting. You just plug it in and walk away. When you come home from work, glance at your message center and see you have voice mail and e-mail. We all use it and the only problem is, you find yourself answering e-mail all the time."

MailBug's keyboard has full-sized keys, though the number keys are smaller than normal to keep the size down. The device uses a backlit, eight-line LCD screen to display messages. It can use any existing phone line to send and receive messages.

Said Roper, "Even if your kid is on the phone talking, you can work offline without being connected. It will intelligently monitor the line and when the line is available, it signs on to send and receive your e-mail."

MailBug uses ATM-like "soft keys" -- keys with messages next to them describing what will happen if you press the key -- to support common e-mail functions like reply, reply all, cc (carbon copy), bcc (blind carbon copy), forward, save and delete. It holds about 100 messages, depending on message lengths, and has an e-mail address book and personal telephone directory for frequently-used numbers. The directory includes an auto-dialer to place voice calls. A built-in Caller ID function lets users see the name and number of the 97 most recent callers, together with the time and date of those calls. Messages can be password-protected.

Landel has bought wholesale Internet access through several US national providers, so there is local telephone dial-up access from most major US cities, the firm says.

MailBug is available now from the firm's Internet site at http://www.landel.com. MailBug sells for about $199.95, plus a monthly service charge of $9.95 to cover the e-mail account. The firm says its first 900 customers will get the first three months of e-mail service for free.

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