[pct-l] Pocketmail

[Trekker4 at aol.com]

A Pocketmail (Pmail) weighs 8 oz with 2 lithium  (don't get any other kind) 
AA batteries; I have no idea what a Blackberry  weighs. Pmail requires a 
subscription to the service: $120/12 mo, $75/6 mo,  $45/3 mo - last time I checked. 
I just get a 3 or 6 mo for my  summer section hiking. It costs $100 with an 
initial 3 mo subscription: _http://www.pocketmail.com/us/_ 
(http://www.pocketmail.com/us/) . I  just checked; THE SUBSCRIPTION RATES HAVE GONE UP! 
    It works on land line or GSM cell phones; it does  not work on CDMA cell 
phones - again, last time I checked. There is also no  Inet, or any other 
fancy stuff; it is strictly an email device; and it  works on a built-in, 
old-fashioned acoustic modem over 2  toll-free numbers. When you get to a land line, 
or if you carry a  GSM cell, you can send whatever emails you have ready. Some 
pay phones,  privately owned ones, won't work on the first number, but have 
always  worked on the 2nd number. 
    It works with online journaling, but I don't do  that; it allows you to 
get emails from your normal addresses, but I don't do  that either. You will 
have a separate email address, such as _stumblinghiker at pocketmail.com_ 
(mailto:stumblinghiker at pocketmail.com) ,  and you will stumble using it while walking 
down the trail, as I frequently  do - use it, not stumble. I have dropped it a 
few times, even threw it  15 feet once when my trailing boot toe caught a rock 
and threw me down; it keeps  on ticking, for over 2,000 miles now. I carry it 
in my sun shirt pocket, even  through it's a bit heavy for that, and I do put 
it in a cigar zip bag when it  rains. I have a tab sewn onto my shirt pocket 
to keep it there, for stream  crossings or very rough places.   
    It has alarm clock, calculator, memo, folders,  tools, and pc link 
functions; it can also defrag its own memory.  I've never come close to using even 
25% of the memory, and I  write fiction on it; so far I haven't had much luck 
transferring stuff  to my pc, editing it and transferring it back. 
    I'd never keep a written journal, but I write a  daily report to friends 
and family, write a daily report to PCTA and  maintainers on trail conditions, 
and keep other notes: daily mileage, camera  battery usage, gls and qts usage 
of my Steripen batteries, rating  ProBar or other food bar flavors, etc.
 
Bob  "Trekker"
Big Bend Desert Denizen
Naturalized Citizen - Republic of  Texas

Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See, if  it 
wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' 
-- Harry Browne

"If you think  health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs 
when its free."  
-- P. J. ORourke



In a message dated 2/1/2009 4:55:48 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
kellycohoe at comcast.net writes:

I know  this has probably come up before, but what advice do people have for  
journaling and communicating with loved ones?  Is pocketmail a good  deal?  I 
have never even seen one so I have no idea.  Do I upgrade  to a 
blackberry/iphone device.  Utilize a good old fashioned  notebook?

Your thoughts would be  appreciated.

Kelly
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