FAQ eMessage - Southwestern Bell Internet

eMessage Specifications

NOTICE: eMessage is no longer offered by any SBC company or affiliate. Existing eMessage customers however, will continue being supported.

For connection problems or e-mail settings please contact SBC at 1-866-sbc-dial.

For more information on hardware replacement or warranty, please visit Earthlink's website at http://www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/ or call 1-866-874-2071

Notice: eMessage^SM Dialup Number Changes

How do I pay for eMessage^SM?
How do I contact someone at technical support?
What is E-mail?
How do people send me E-mail?
How does eMessage^SM work?
Can I go on the Internet with eMessage^SM?
What are E-mail attachments?
How many messages can I send in a month?/Will I be charged extra if I send too many messages
How do I find other people's E-mail addresses?
How much memory does eMessage have?
Do I need a separate line for eMessage^SM?
Can I use eMessage^SM at my office?
Is eMessage^SM compatible with my answering machine?
How many users will eMessage^SM support?
Does eMessage^SM have an address book?
Will I get "Spam" E-mail with eMessage^SM?
How frequently does eMessage^SM check mail?
Can I send E-mail to anyone using eMessage^SM?
Can I use a printer with eMessage^SM?
What do I need to know about using batteries with my eMessage^SM unit?
If my batteries die in my eMessage^SM, will I lose my E-mails and address book?
Is it possible to connect eMessage^SM to any phone line to get my E-mail?
How do I change the E-mail access number on my eMessage^SM unit?
Can I use eMessage^SM to check mail from my other Internet Service Providers?
Do I have to be connected to a phone line and/or power line at all times to use eMessage^SM?
Will eMessage^SM work with my other E-mail accounts like AOL, etc?
Can I change my E-mail address to another name?
Will the E-mail service monthly charge go up after a period of time?
Can I use another E-mail service provider besides the one you are offering?
Do I have to plug this into the T.V. set to see my messages?
Does eMessage^SM come with a warranty?
Where can I go for additional questions?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question Response

1. How do I pay for eMessage^SM? Your eMessage^SM service can be billed to your SouthWestern Bell bill.

2. How do I contact someone at technical support?

Back to top
NOTICE: eMessage is no longer offered by any SBC company or affiliate. Existing eMessage customers however, will continue being supported.

For connection problems or e-mail settings please contact SBC at 1-866-sbc-dial.

For more information on hardware replacement or warranty, please visit Earthlink's website at http://www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/ or call 1-866-874-2071

3. What is E-mail?

Back to top E-mail is a way to send typed letters, announcements, or messages electronically. E-mail is a lot like postal mail in many ways, but offers some important and powerful advantages over paper mail. E-mail is instantaneous, with messages you send arriving at their destination in minutes typically. And it's an inexpensive way to stay in touch since you only pay $9.95 per month for the service, which allows you to send an unlimited number of messages to anywhere in the world. E-mail also allows you to send the same messages to many people all at once, making your communications more efficient.

4. How do people send me E-mail?

Back to top You can give your E-mail address to anybody who has E-mail so they can send you messages. You can see your E-mail address by pressing the following keys from the Main Menu: Extras>Users>Your Account>Edit. You will see your E-mail address listed on the third line. Your E-mail address will also be located on your welcome letter.

5. How does eMessage^SM work?

Back to top eMessage^SM looks like a small laptop computer. It has a keyboard that you use to type your messages that will show on the display screen built into the keyboard. Once you have composed any E-mails you want to send you simply select "Send Now" to connect to your account. The terminal will send your messages immediately.
If you wish to receive new messages simply press the "Get E-mail" button, and eMessage^SM will dial into and download all of your new E-mail messages. Or you can just let eMessage^SM dial in automatically. The device comes configured to automatically check your E-mail box once a day. You can change it to anywhere from never to six times a day.
When you have new E-mails, a green indicator light will flash letting you know. All you have to do is open your "in-box" and read.

6. Can I go on the Internet with eMessage^SM?
Back to top
Your E-mail travels via the Internet. However, it won't be possible to visit web sites since eMessage^SM is not a web browser or Internet browser.

7. What are E-mail attachments?

Back to top
Attachments are computer files like word processor files or pictures, which are contained within an E-mail message. By attaching a computer document to an E-mail message, people can send the document through the Internet with (attached to) an E-mail message.

The eMessage^SM device cannot receive or send attachments. If someone sends and attachment to you, the attachment will be stripped off the message and the original E-mail will be sent.

8. How many messages can I send in a month?
Will I be charged extra if I send too many messages?
Back to top
No, that's the beauty of E-mail: you can send as many messages as you want, to as many people as you want, anyplace in the world!

9. How do I find other people's E-mail addresses?

Back to top Now that you have E-mail, you can start by asking other friends and family members if they have E-mail. If they do, get their E-mail address and enter it in your eMessage^SM Address Book so you will always remember it. (Refer to your User's Manual for how to do this.)You can also collect the E-mail addresses of people who send you mail by pressing the "Add Author" key when reading a message. This will add the address of a message sender to your eMessage^SM address book. Also look for E-mail addresses on business cards, letterhead, newspapers, magazines, and many other places

10. How much memory does eMessage^SM have?
Back to top
The eMessage^SM can store over 100 8.5" x 11" typewritten pages, or over 250 typical E-mail messages. If your memory fills up you will be told to delete some messages before you will be able to download any new ones.

11. Do I need a separate line for eMessage^SM?
Back to top
No. eMessage^SM intelligently shares a phone line with other devices or your regular telephone. It senses when the line is in use and calls to retrieve new mail only when no one is using the phone. Message reading and composition is done off- line, so eMessage^SM is using your phone line only a few minutes each day. However, you will not be able to use your phone when eMessage^SM is using the line.

12. Can I use eMessage^SM at my office?

Back to top eMessage^SM requires a standard analog telephone line, as does any computer modem or fax machine. Some office telephone systems have non-standard telephone line interfaces. Check with your telecom manager or facilities coordinator. One solution if your telephone system does not support a standard telephone device is to have eMessage^SM share the telephone line with your fax machine. Since eMessage^SM is only online for a few minutes each day; it should have a minimal affect on fax users. eMessage^SM will also work with Pacific Bell ADSL lines, but will not work with ISDN lines.

13. Is eMessage^SM compatible with my answering machine?

Back to top eMessage^SM will share a telephone line with any telephone equipment. eMessage^SM never "answers" the phone, but only places outgoing calls, and only when the line is not in use. There is never a conflict with other devices on the same line. To share a telephone jack with an answering machine, connect the eMessage^SM in series with your phone and answering machine. Refer to the diagram in your User's Manual for more details.

14. How many users will eMessage^SM support?
Back to top
eMessage^SM is currently designed to be a personal message device, and thus supports only a single mailbox.

15. Does eMessage^SM have an address book?
Back to top
Yes, eMessage^SM allows you to store up to 1000 contacts. You can also create E-mail groups. The address book is accessible from Caller ID so that you can add selected caller details to the address book. It is also accessible from E-mail. For your convenience when writing an E-mail message, you can look up and select the recipients E-mail address in the address book.

16. Will I get "Spam" E-mail with eMessage^SM?
Back to top
We do not sell your E-mail address to anyone and we do attempt to prevent abusers from sending unsolicited commercial E-mail ("Spam"). Unfortunately, no E-mail service is completely "Spam-proof". For more information on Spam see our Spam FAQ

17. How frequently does eMessage^SM check mail?
Back to top
eMessage^SM will come configured to check for new E-mails once a day. You can change this setting to anywhere from zero to six times a day. You can also manually check your E-mail account by pressing the "Get E-mail" button at any time.

18. Can I send E-Mail to anyone using eMessage^SM?
Back to top
Yes! eMessage^SM is fully compliant with all Internet standards. You can send or receive E-mail from anyone on the Internet.

19. Can I use a printer with eMessage^SM?

Back to top Yes! eMessage^SM comes with a printer connection (called a "port") located on the back of the unit. You will need to purchase a Parallel Printer Connection cable. This cable is called an RS-422 cable. Once you've attached the RS-422 cable to your unit and to the printer, your device will have the ability to print. The following list gives examples of compatible printers:

Hewlett Packard models

DeskJet 420C

DeskJet 500Q

DeskJet 670C

DeskJet 695C

DeskJet 890C

DeskJet 880C

LaserJet 4 Plus

LaserJet 4L

LaserJet 400

Epson models

MJ-800K

Stylus Color 800

Stylus Photo

560

Canon models

BJC 210

BJC 4310SP

20. What do I need to know about using batteries with my eMessage^SM unit?
Back to top
eMessage^SM comes equipped with 3 AA Alkaline batteries. Once they are installed, (follow the instructions in your Users Manual) you can operate the device without it being plugged into to an electrical outlet. Be sure to remove the batteries from the unit if you don't plan on using it for months at a time. The batteries could leak and damage the device.

21. If my batteries die in my eMessage^SM, will I lose my E-mails and address book?
Back to top
No, but you will need to replace your batteries promptly or plug in eMessage^SM to use it again.

22. Can I connect eMessage to any phone line to get my E-mail?

Back to top Yes, you can connect eMessage^SM to any standard residential (analog) phone line to send and receive E-mail. If you travel outside of your local calling area, you will need to adjust the phone number eMessage^SM uses to call in to get E-mail. For a list of access numbers by city, refer to your User's Guide and your Welcome E-mail. You can also use roaming numbers if you ever travel out of California. It does cost $.04/ minute to use these out of state roaming numbers paid to the Global Service Provider. You may want to turn off the automatic dialing feature until you return to your local dialing area. Check your user manual for how to do this. Should these numbers change, we will send you an E-mail update. If there is no roaming number in the area you travel to, there may be long distance or local toll charges associated with the call. The customer would incur all these charges. Dial-up Numbers

23. How do I change the E-mail access number on my eMessage^SM unit?

Back to top Once you have found a local eMessage^SM number, change the dial-up number by pressing the following keys from the Main Menu:
Extras>Users>Your Account>Edit.
Enter the new phone number into the "Dial-Up No." field. Remember to change the number back to your local number when you return home.

24. Can I use eMessage^SM to check mail from my other Internet Service Providers?
Back to top
Yes, once you have established an eMessage^SM E-mail account, you can have mail from your other Internet access accounts forwarded or copied to your eMessage^SM account.

25. Do I have to be connected to a phone line and/or power line at all times to use the eMessage^SM?
Back to top
Absolutely not. You can completely disconnect eMessage^SM from your telephone line and power adapter and carry it with you in your home or wherever you go. Since eMessage^SM is battery powered, you can use it to read messages or compose new ones at all times.

26. Will the eMessage^SM work with my other E-mail accounts like AOL, etc?
Back to top
Unfortunately no, that functionality has not been built into the unit.

27. Can I change my E-mail address to another name?
Back to top
Your E-mail address is unique to your account and cannot be changed.

28. Will the E-mail service monthly charge go up after a period of time?
Back to top
There are no plans at this moment to change the monthly fee. In the event that a price change is considered, you will be given notice.

29. Can I use another E-mail service provider besides the one you are offering?
Back to top
eMessage^SM was designed to work with the E-mail service Pacific Bell Internet provides. Fortunately, that has resulted in a very good rate for the monthly service charge and we pass those savings along to you.

30. Do I have to plug this into the T.V. set to see my messages?
Back to top
No, the terminal comes with an easy to read display built right into the keyboard. The entire unit is smaller and lighter (2.2 lbs.) than most laptop computers.

31. Does eMessage^SM come with a warranty?

Back to top
Yes, the eMessage^SM device has a one-year warranty covering defects in the product. If your eMessage^SM unit is defective in material or workmanship and you return it within one year from the date of purchase, it can be repaired or replaced. Please call 1-866-874-2071 if you have any questions about the eMessage^SM device.

32. Where can I go for additional questions?
Back to top
If you have additional questions on the unit that were not addressed here, you can call 1-866-874-2071 or refer to support website http://www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/.

Question	Response
1. How do I pay for eMessage^SM?	Your eMessage^SM service can be billed to your SouthWestern Bell bill.
2. How do I contact someone at technical support? Back to top	NOTICE: eMessage is no longer offered by any SBC company or affiliate. Existing eMessage customers however, will continue being supported. For connection problems or e-mail settings please contact SBC at 1-866-sbc-dial. For more information on hardware replacement or warranty, please visit Earthlink's website at http://www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/ or call 1-866-874-2071
3. What is E-mail? Back to top	E-mail is a way to send typed letters, announcements, or messages electronically. E-mail is a lot like postal mail in many ways, but offers some important and powerful advantages over paper mail. E-mail is instantaneous, with messages you send arriving at their destination in minutes typically. And it's an inexpensive way to stay in touch since you only pay $9.95 per month for the service, which allows you to send an unlimited number of messages to anywhere in the world. E-mail also allows you to send the same messages to many people all at once, making your communications more efficient.
4. How do people send me E-mail? Back to top	You can give your E-mail address to anybody who has E-mail so they can send you messages. You can see your E-mail address by pressing the following keys from the Main Menu: Extras>Users>Your Account>Edit. You will see your E-mail address listed on the third line. Your E-mail address will also be located on your welcome letter.
5. How does eMessage^SM work? Back to top	eMessage^SM looks like a small laptop computer. It has a keyboard that you use to type your messages that will show on the display screen built into the keyboard. Once you have composed any E-mails you want to send you simply select "Send Now" to connect to your account. The terminal will send your messages immediately. If you wish to receive new messages simply press the "Get E-mail" button, and eMessage^SM will dial into and download all of your new E-mail messages. Or you can just let eMessage^SM dial in automatically. The device comes configured to automatically check your E-mail box once a day. You can change it to anywhere from never to six times a day. When you have new E-mails, a green indicator light will flash letting you know. All you have to do is open your "in-box" and read.
6. Can I go on the Internet with eMessage^SM? Back to top	Your E-mail travels via the Internet. However, it won't be possible to visit web sites since eMessage^SM is not a web browser or Internet browser.
7. What are E-mail attachments? Back to top	Attachments are computer files like word processor files or pictures, which are contained within an E-mail message. By attaching a computer document to an E-mail message, people can send the document through the Internet with (attached to) an E-mail message. The eMessage^SM device cannot receive or send attachments. If someone sends and attachment to you, the attachment will be stripped off the message and the original E-mail will be sent.
8. How many messages can I send in a month? Will I be charged extra if I send too many messages? Back to top	No, that's the beauty of E-mail: you can send as many messages as you want, to as many people as you want, anyplace in the world!
9. How do I find other people's E-mail addresses? Back to top	Now that you have E-mail, you can start by asking other friends and family members if they have E-mail. If they do, get their E-mail address and enter it in your eMessage^SM Address Book so you will always remember it. (Refer to your User's Manual for how to do this.)You can also collect the E-mail addresses of people who send you mail by pressing the "Add Author" key when reading a message. This will add the address of a message sender to your eMessage^SM address book. Also look for E-mail addresses on business cards, letterhead, newspapers, magazines, and many other places
10. How much memory does eMessage^SM have? Back to top	The eMessage^SM can store over 100 8.5" x 11" typewritten pages, or over 250 typical E-mail messages. If your memory fills up you will be told to delete some messages before you will be able to download any new ones.
11. Do I need a separate line for eMessage^SM? Back to top	No. eMessage^SM intelligently shares a phone line with other devices or your regular telephone. It senses when the line is in use and calls to retrieve new mail only when no one is using the phone. Message reading and composition is done off- line, so eMessage^SM is using your phone line only a few minutes each day. However, you will not be able to use your phone when eMessage^SM is using the line.
12. Can I use eMessage^SM at my office? Back to top	eMessage^SM requires a standard analog telephone line, as does any computer modem or fax machine. Some office telephone systems have non-standard telephone line interfaces. Check with your telecom manager or facilities coordinator. One solution if your telephone system does not support a standard telephone device is to have eMessage^SM share the telephone line with your fax machine. Since eMessage^SM is only online for a few minutes each day; it should have a minimal affect on fax users. eMessage^SM will also work with Pacific Bell ADSL lines, but will not work with ISDN lines.
13. Is eMessage^SM compatible with my answering machine? Back to top	eMessage^SM will share a telephone line with any telephone equipment. eMessage^SM never "answers" the phone, but only places outgoing calls, and only when the line is not in use. There is never a conflict with other devices on the same line. To share a telephone jack with an answering machine, connect the eMessage^SM in series with your phone and answering machine. Refer to the diagram in your User's Manual for more details.
14. How many users will eMessage^SM support? Back to top	eMessage^SM is currently designed to be a personal message device, and thus supports only a single mailbox.
15. Does eMessage^SM have an address book? Back to top	Yes, eMessage^SM allows you to store up to 1000 contacts. You can also create E-mail groups. The address book is accessible from Caller ID so that you can add selected caller details to the address book. It is also accessible from E-mail. For your convenience when writing an E-mail message, you can look up and select the recipients E-mail address in the address book.
16. Will I get "Spam" E-mail with eMessage^SM? Back to top	We do not sell your E-mail address to anyone and we do attempt to prevent abusers from sending unsolicited commercial E-mail ("Spam"). Unfortunately, no E-mail service is completely "Spam-proof". For more information on Spam see our Spam FAQ
17. How frequently does eMessage^SM check mail? Back to top	eMessage^SM will come configured to check for new E-mails once a day. You can change this setting to anywhere from zero to six times a day. You can also manually check your E-mail account by pressing the "Get E-mail" button at any time.
18. Can I send E-Mail to anyone using eMessage^SM? Back to top	Yes! eMessage^SM is fully compliant with all Internet standards. You can send or receive E-mail from anyone on the Internet.
19. Can I use a printer with eMessage^SM? Back to top	Yes! eMessage^SM comes with a printer connection (called a "port") located on the back of the unit. You will need to purchase a Parallel Printer Connection cable. This cable is called an RS-422 cable. Once you've attached the RS-422 cable to your unit and to the printer, your device will have the ability to print. The following list gives examples of compatible printers: Hewlett Packard models DeskJet 420C DeskJet 500Q DeskJet 670C DeskJet 695C DeskJet 890C DeskJet 880C LaserJet 4 Plus LaserJet 4L LaserJet 400 Epson models MJ-800K Stylus Color 800 Stylus Photo 560 Canon models BJC 210 BJC 4310SP
20. What do I need to know about using batteries with my eMessage^SM unit? Back to top	eMessage^SM comes equipped with 3 AA Alkaline batteries. Once they are installed, (follow the instructions in your Users Manual) you can operate the device without it being plugged into to an electrical outlet. Be sure to remove the batteries from the unit if you don't plan on using it for months at a time. The batteries could leak and damage the device.
21. If my batteries die in my eMessage^SM, will I lose my E-mails and address book? Back to top	No, but you will need to replace your batteries promptly or plug in eMessage^SM to use it again.
22. Can I connect eMessage to any phone line to get my E-mail? Back to top	Yes, you can connect eMessage^SM to any standard residential (analog) phone line to send and receive E-mail. If you travel outside of your local calling area, you will need to adjust the phone number eMessage^SM uses to call in to get E-mail. For a list of access numbers by city, refer to your User's Guide and your Welcome E-mail. You can also use roaming numbers if you ever travel out of California. It does cost $.04/ minute to use these out of state roaming numbers paid to the Global Service Provider. You may want to turn off the automatic dialing feature until you return to your local dialing area. Check your user manual for how to do this. Should these numbers change, we will send you an E-mail update. If there is no roaming number in the area you travel to, there may be long distance or local toll charges associated with the call. The customer would incur all these charges. Dial-up Numbers
23. How do I change the E-mail access number on my eMessage^SM unit? Back to top	Once you have found a local eMessage^SM number, change the dial-up number by pressing the following keys from the Main Menu: Extras>Users>Your Account>Edit. Enter the new phone number into the "Dial-Up No." field. Remember to change the number back to your local number when you return home.
24. Can I use eMessage^SM to check mail from my other Internet Service Providers? Back to top	Yes, once you have established an eMessage^SM E-mail account, you can have mail from your other Internet access accounts forwarded or copied to your eMessage^SM account.
25. Do I have to be connected to a phone line and/or power line at all times to use the eMessage^SM? Back to top	Absolutely not. You can completely disconnect eMessage^SM from your telephone line and power adapter and carry it with you in your home or wherever you go. Since eMessage^SM is battery powered, you can use it to read messages or compose new ones at all times.
26. Will the eMessage^SM work with my other E-mail accounts like AOL, etc? Back to top	Unfortunately no, that functionality has not been built into the unit.
27. Can I change my E-mail address to another name? Back to top	Your E-mail address is unique to your account and cannot be changed.
28. Will the E-mail service monthly charge go up after a period of time? Back to top	There are no plans at this moment to change the monthly fee. In the event that a price change is considered, you will be given notice.
29. Can I use another E-mail service provider besides the one you are offering? Back to top	eMessage^SM was designed to work with the E-mail service Pacific Bell Internet provides. Fortunately, that has resulted in a very good rate for the monthly service charge and we pass those savings along to you.
30. Do I have to plug this into the T.V. set to see my messages? Back to top	No, the terminal comes with an easy to read display built right into the keyboard. The entire unit is smaller and lighter (2.2 lbs.) than most laptop computers.
31. Does eMessage^SM come with a warranty? Back to top	Yes, the eMessage^SM device has a one-year warranty covering defects in the product. If your eMessage^SM unit is defective in material or workmanship and you return it within one year from the date of purchase, it can be repaired or replaced. Please call 1-866-874-2071 if you have any questions about the eMessage^SM device.
32. Where can I go for additional questions? Back to top	If you have additional questions on the unit that were not addressed here, you can call 1-866-874-2071 or refer to support website http://www.earthlink.net/home/mailstation/.