HowTo: configure your mobile phone for email
Many new mobile phones enable you to connect to other devices (such as computers) using a variety of technologies, such as Bluetooth, USB, WiFi and even the mobile phone network (no, really!). One of the latest technologies that seems to be becoming a standard feature is email. Given that a mobile phone is (was?) principally designed to speak into or send 160 characters of text, you might wonder why you’d need email. Well, with all the features of the newer camera phones, email makes much more sense than it used to:
- Not everyone has a mobile phone that can receive a picture message
- Emailing your picture enables you to send it to virtually anyone across the world, regardless of the device being used to receive it
- Uploading and downloading email is generally cheaper on newer packet-based networks such as GPRS that charge per byte, not per second
- It’s always useful being able to access your email no matter where you are in the world
However, to set your phone up for email access requires a few steps that aren’t immediately obvious. This HowTo will guide you through the process, helping you to configure your phone to access an existing email account.
Table of Contents
1. Before you begin
2. Automatic Configuration
2.1 Network Configurators
2.2 Handset Configurators
3. Manual configuration
3.1 Configuring your mail server settings
3.2 The values you should use for your network
4. Summary
1). Before you begin
Before you begin, you will need:
- A mobile phone that definitely can send and receive email (check your instructions or on the manufacturer’s web site)
- A subscription with your network provider that supports data transfer (if you can use WAP or connect to the Internet, your subscription supports data transfer. If not, you still may have an appropriate subscription, but you haven’t set it up yet. Check with your network operator – their web site should provide appropriate instructions for setting up your phone for data services)
- A valid email account
If you have all of these things, you can begin setting up your phone. If you need to setup data services with your operator, call their customer service number.
Note that the following HowTo describes the email settings you should use to setup email on your mobile phone using GPRS. It doesn’t tell you exactly how to enter the settings, as this differs with every handset out there., and it doesn’t tell you how to configure your phone for email via dial-up WAP services. For information on what menu to use to enter your settings, read your handset’s manual, or check the manufacturer’s web site.
