New options put wireless e-mail within reach

A. While every major wireless company sells handheld computers, they typically cost a hefty $500 or $600, and setting them up for wireless e-mail can be complex and expensive.

There are, however, a growing number of affordable, simpler options for those with BlackBerry envy. Even an ordinary cell phone can be used to connect with e-mail from a personal Web domain or a mainstream Web service such as Yahoo!, AOL and Hotmail.

Most people you see reading messages and thumb-typing responses on a handheld computer are connecting with a work e-mail account rather than a personal e-mail account, and it can take some high-priced technology to connect those devices with an employer’s computer network.

BlackBerry and other high-end services can cost several thousand dollars to start, plus monthly wireless fees of up to $50 per user. Wireless carriers also offer an Internet-based version of BlackBerry service, but users still need to pay $45 or $50 per month for unlimited wireless Internet usage or perhaps $30 for a monthly allotment of data.

As an alternative to these elaborate setups, wireless carriers offer an assortment of affordable mobile e-mail options geared toward cell phones, rather than pricey handheld computers.

These services attempt to mimic the BlackBerry experience — instant access and updates to e-mail, calendar and contact information — though with limited degrees of success. Most can’t display e-mail attachments like a handheld computer, and not all phones from these providers are compatible with all of their e-mail services.

Among the newest of these offerings is the Yahoo! Mail for Mobile service offered by Sprint Corp. Users pay $2.99 a month for the service along with a Sprint wireless Internet connection costing up to $15 a month for unlimited usage. Because Yahoo is a partner, users can choose to avoid the extra fee Yahoo and other e-mail portals charge to access messages without visiting the Web site.

The Yahoo-Sprint service tries hard to approximate some of the BlackBerry experience, “pushing” messages to the device whenever a new one arrives, and displaying them in manner similar to a desktop application such as Microsoft Outlook. The service also provides access to one’s Yahoo address book and allows some synchronization between actions on the phone and Yahoo’s server. By contrast, many services “pull” new messages from the Internet at intervals of about 15 minutes, and synchronization can be more limited.

Most cellular carriers also provide their own private label brand of e-mail service for individuals.

Sprint Business Connection Personal Edition is free with the $15 unlimited wireless data plan or $10 a month plus data usage. Cingular Xpress Mail Personal Edition is free with a $20 unlimited data plan or $4.99 a month with lower-priced Internet usage plans.

Both services provide access for up to three separate e-mail addresses, including two Web-based and one internal work accounts. The Sprint service is compatible with a half dozen Java-based cell phones and various handheld computers. Cingular’s works with only one Windows-based cell phone in addition to the higher-end devices, but compatibility with more phones is expected by October.

Importantly, most services like these and even the Internet-based version of BlackBerry generally require users who are connecting with a work e-mail account to leave their desktop computers on around the clock.

Nextel Communications Inc. recently introduced a real-time e-mail service for cell phones, Nextel Mobile Email Enhanced. It comes bundled with wireless Internet and messaging plans ranging from $15 to $30 per month. The service is compatible with both work and Web-based e-mail accounts, providing access to contact and calendar information as well.

Verizon Wireless offers some third-party e-mail applications that can be downloaded to Java-based cell phones, including customized software from AOL and Hotmail. These services range in price from $2.25 to $8 per month, not including airtime charges deducted from a subscriber’s wireless calling plan.