The MailStation sends and receives data through a standard telephone line but does not monopolize the line--it dials in at set times that you can program and automatically hangs up when you want to use the phone. It also disconnects upon the retrieval of e-mail or when the sending of e-mail is completed. The average length of time to send or receive e-mail is approximately 30 seconds, keeping telephone charges low.

The MailStation is designed to work with its own e-mail service (MyMailstation.com). Service costs $9.95 per month, and local dial-up phone numbers are available throughout the United States. While you cannot access e-mail from another Internet service provider (ISP), you can forward e-mail from other ISPs to your MyMailStation account.

You can store up to 400 typical e-mail messages in the MailStation's memory, which holds up to the equivalent of 100 pages of text. E-mail messages are limited to 8 KB, which is approximately 66 lines per message. Keep in mind that if you reply to an e-mail, the original message, including the headers and routing information, is considered part of the 66 lines of allowable space. The MailStation does not allow you to read attachments or view photos attached to e-mail, but you can view photos and attachments from your PC via a Web mail account at no additional cost.

You can also use the MailStation as a calculator or calendar and clean up text with the 20,000-word spellchecker. There is also room for about 1,000 contacts in the address book. The MailStation also automatically downloads selected content from Cidco.

You can hook the MailStation up to a parallel-port compatible printer (such as the HP 648C or HP Apollo P2250) to print your e-mail or Web content.

Then, ~8 months ago, CIDCO was bought by Earthlink. It has been astounding how that company has managed to foul it up.

They have changed phone numbers, network numbers and then sent out INCORRECT instructions to customers to reprogram their machines, as if customers of such an appliance have any idea at all what they are talking about. Earthlink, for some reason, thinks MailStation users are hip 20-something folk.

There have been at least 3 major configuration problems due to Earthlink [changing] around ... the system. Each has taken weeks to resolve. My poor mother has actually had to struggle with tech support people who walked her through the reprogramming INCORRECTLY 3 TIMES (after the usual 45 minute holding period). The 4th time, some guy says "oh no, that's not right -- you need a 4 digit number there, not a 6 digit number" after the previous people had said "No, you need this 6 digit number there". And the 4-digit guy was correct, meaning the first 3 people were not.

There have been billing problems (all fouled up), references to web sites where I could supposedly fix things for her that don't even recognize the "mailstation.com" domain, e-mails sent to her not delivered, e-mails delivered multiple times, and incomprehensible notifications that her "account" is full.

This last one is fascinating. Her unit is text only, thus if someone sends her a message with an attachment, the attachment is retained at the server. She has no way of accessing it.

Since Earthlink took over, these attachments are apparently accumulated until her mailbox is "full", whereupon Earthlink sends her a message telling her to delete them. However, she has no mechanism for deleting them, because the box that sits on her desk hasn't the capability. This shows that Earthlink not only doesn't know who their customers are but isn't really clear on the system itself.

So this wonderful gadget she was so pleased with has now turned into a source of anxiety for her; For an "appliance" like this, with the customers it was targeted to, to change things just for the sake of changing things, is totally unacceptable. Stability and reliability are the only important criteria to consider...