Amazon.com Product Description

The Cidco Mivo 350 provides you with the quickest, easiest, and most convenient way to send and receive e-mail, offering style and simplicity without the clutter and complexity of a PC.

The Mivo 350 operates on the same strong 900 MHz frequency that advanced cordless phones use. Plug the base station into a phone jack, turn the Mivo 350 on, then send and receive e-mail from anywhere in your home.

Send e-mail with the simple touch of a button. You can collect new e-mail manually, or set it to automatically check at times you specify, so it won't be tying up the phone line; you'll be notified by the new-mail indicator light.

The Mivo 350 includes an integrated keyboard, antiglare tilted screen, and intuitive button layout. The ergonomic, portable design allows you to write e-mails on the go that send automatically the next time you connect to a phone line. The built-in memory saves 1,000 e-mail addresses and about 800 typical e-mail messages. You can easily view and store HTML, GIF, and JPEG attachments as well. Useful extras include an integrated calculator, clock, calendar, and spell-check with a 20,000-word dictionary.

E-mail services from Cidco cost $14.95 per month for unlimited access. Just plug the base antenna into any standard residential (analog) phone line (dial-up numbers are toll-free and available in all U.S. states except Alaska) and take the 350 anywhere in the house for a cordless experience. Cidco's Mivo 350 is backed with a one-year warranty for parts and labor. It comes with four AA batteries for portable use, an AC adapter for continuous power while at home, and a telephone line. ... Read more

Features

• Send and receive e-mail with the touch of a button
• 900 Mhz base antenna lets you roam throughout the house
• Quick setup requiring no computer skills
• Capable of displaying HTML, GIF, and JPEG attachments
• Large keyboard and viewscreen for easy use

Reviews (9)

Do not buy this appliance
We bought this machine in November thinking it would be a good way for our parents to have access to email. WRONG.
The problems began as soon as we opened the box and found the manual was missing fifty pages. That should be simple, just call and order a replacement manual. After two months and at least ten hours on the phone, we still do not have the manual and they just told me that it will take at least another month to get one because they have to order it from the warehouse. I don't know what happened to the orders that I have been placing for this since November, but they claim they don't have any available. This is even more frustrating because twice this week I was promised it would be mailed out the next day.
When one calls for technical help assistance, the information is contradictory from day to day. The level of expertise needed is sorely lacking.
So now we have a machine that is not functioning correctly, no manual and frustrated parents. A good idea that has gone very bad.
Some other problems that technical support has been unable to help with -
1. The capacity of an email message - we cannot send more than four or five lines without it being a problem.
2. Unable to send attachments - they advertise that you can send pictures and attachments. That cannot be done.
3. Get message -incorrect address on a regular basis even when responding to a valid email address.
The list goes on.
HOWEVER, PROBABLY THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING IS THAT AFTER WAITING AN AVERAGE OF 1 HOUR FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, THEY HANG UP ON YOU IF YOU BECOME FRUSTRATED, RATHER THAN FINDING WAYS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
So while the idea maybe appealing, the product is not

Good with bad
I actually purchased my mail station at a computer store in Orlando, Fla. I was looking for a laptop and was almost ready to spend more than $1,000 when I virtually stumbled across the Mivo 350 for [less]. That's the good part, the bad part is the salesman knew virtually nothing about this product and said I could actually get internet access in "text" mode on this, which was completely wrong. Also, the photo options on this model are highly overrated. Most photos I've sent to this unit have either too much data to download or can't be converted from html or what have you. ALso customer service on this thing is horrendous with earthlink. It took me several hours to get this set up and the info content I ordered still hasn't been programmed right and I've had this for over a month and I've tried to get it corrected three separate times. I still get weather forecasts in the 20s and 30s and I live in Florida. Now those are the downsides. The real upside is if you're looking for someway to transmit text with no frills, this unit fits the bill. I am a professional freelance journalist and I just used this unit to cover spring training baseball in Florida for the Associated Press and never had a problem. The spell check makes this unit complete as a no-frills word processer. But that's it. You do get some news content, but most of it is old news. It was oversold and questionably billed even on the box as far as it's true offerings, but then again, it saved me hundreds of dollars that I would have wasted on a laptop that I would have used for little more than sending text. And very importantly, I get e-mail in the field from editors as well as sending. SO that's a key issue. Overall, I really like this for my purposes. But the pitch that this is wireless is totally bogus too. So what, you can get e-mail anywhere in your house without being hooked up? Big deal. IF it were truley wireless in the field that would be great but it's not. I do like the fact the battery power is double A (AA) batteries. I use this unit often and virtually solely for my professional responsibilities in field reporting. It delivers as a utilitarian field piece and fits comfortably in my field briefcase/professional satchel. But don't be fooled by the frills, they're not worth it. I should have just shelled out[more money] for the Mivo 150, the base model that sends and gets e-mail only. That's all I needed. But again, if you need access to e-mail and are sending and receiving text only, this is a good tool....

Worth getting
We bought this for my mother-in-law. We set it up for her and then shipped it to her. When she received it we walked her through each step until she sent her first e-mail. It worked very well and she is more than pleased.

So far great
My mother-in-law's PC recently bit the dust. We suggested a mailstation for her instead of a PC. The unit set up without a hitch. She has used it now for about a month and loves it.

She also takes it with her when she travels or visits, and has no problem in using it.

I just ordered a second unit as a alternative to ur PC. We will use it for travel or backup should our broadband service go down.

I think that the Mailstation is a great alternative to PC's. Many older pepole are frustrated by the complexity of standard PC's, etc. Simplicity and reasonalbe cost makes this a good choice.

...

very disappointed with this product
I bought this mail station as a gift for my mother-in-law's 80th birthday in August - it took me hours and hours to get system set up - and still this mailstation has never worked quite as advertised. However, when the mailstation is working my mother-in-law has really enjoyed doing e-mails around the country and to missionaries in other countries. In early November her system bombed, and mailstation sent her a replacement - while we were visiting her for Thanksgiving I again spent hours and hours getting mailstation set up - their customer service reps are pros on giving you the run around, and blaming all problems on other areas such as possible surges or problems with electrical outlets, phone lines etc etc - now again, her system has bombed -we are at our witts end, if someone from mailstation reads this I'd love to hear from them if they can help us - ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Cidco Mivo 250 provides you with the quickest, easiest, and most convenient way to send and receive e-mail, offering style and simplicity without the clutter and complexity of a PC.

The Mivo 250 operates on the same strong 900 MHz frequency that advanced cordless phones use. Plug the base station into a phone jack, turn the Mivo 250 on, then send and receive e-mail from anywhere in your home.

Send e-mail with the simple touch of a button. You can collect new e-mail manually or set it to automatically check at times you specify, so it won't be tying up the phone line; you'll be notified by the new-mail indicator light.

The Mivo 250 includes an integrated keyboard, antiglare tilted screen, and intuitive button layout. The ergonomic, portable design allows you to write e-mails on the go that send automatically the next time you connect to a phone line. The built-in memory saves 1,000 e-mail addresses and about 400 typical e-mail messages. Useful extras include an integrated calculator, clock, calendar, and spell-check with a 20,000-word dictionary.

E-mail services from Cidco cost $9.95 per month for unlimited access. Just plug the base antenna into any standard residential (analog) phone line (dial-up numbers are toll-free and available in all U.S. states except Alaska) and take the 250 anywhere in the house for a cordless experience. Cidco's Mivo 250 is backed with a one-year warranty for parts and labor. It comes with four AA batteries for portable use, an AC adapter for continuous power while at home, and a telephone line. ... Read more

Features

• Send and receive e-mails with the touch of a button
• 900 Mhz base antenna lets you roam throughout the house
• Quick setup requiring no computer skills
• Receives daily news updates and more
• Large keyboard and viewscreen for easy use

Reviews (2)

THUMBS DOWN
I AGREE WITH THE WOMAN WHO SAID "POOR DESIGN. WORSE PERFORMANCE" I TOO WOULD LIKE A REFUND ON THE MAILSTATION 250. THIS MACHINE WAS NOTHING BUT A NUISENCE.......COSTS LOTS OF $$$$$$$$ AND SANITY!!!!! WE HAVE THE MACHINE ALL READY TO BE SHIPPED BACK FOR A REFUND!!!! PLEASE GET AHOLD OF ME FOR I CANNOT GET AHOLD OF THE "EASY TO REACH" CUSTOMER SERVICE. THANK YOU --- PLEASE EMAIL WITHIN THE NEXT 7 DAYS! MY ADVICE TO YOU READERS DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID!!!!

POOR DESIGN. WORSE PERFORMANCE.
Perhaps the best way to review this product is to reproduce in part my letter to custormer service about it:

I was given this address by mailstation customer service.

I am writing to request a refund for the mailstation 250 I purchased for my mother in March of this year, together with all monthly charges to date.

The machine is nothing but trouble. She has never once received an email from a friend of family member because AT NO TIME WAS SHE OFFERED A LOCAL NUMBER WITH A LOCAL SERVER. Further, after several attempts to contact customer service, IT WAS APPARENT THERE IS VERY LITTLE SUPPORT FOR THIS PRODUCT AND WAIT TIMES WERE WILDLY UNREASONABLE. To date, everyone involved has invested many hours attempting to make this grossly defective product work without any help from earthlink.

We give up. We want the money back. We would be delighted to return the machine.

Because the server in her area of Los Altos Hills NEVER was available, she has yet to receive a single email aside from those automatically generated by earthlink; annoying and repetitive statements welcoming her to earthlink. Furthermore, there was no customer service to help her. She was either disconnected or there was no answer from tech support after wait periods exceeding 25 minutes, and in one case, 50 minutes.

My mother is elderly and has struggled many hours enlisting friends and neighbors to teach her to operate the 250 without success. When I visited her this weekend I realized why. The server failed to respond over and over and over, and the machine itself was more complicated to operate than the mail program of a computer, less intuitive, and difficult to view and figure out. NOT what had been advertised; the ideal way for older people to learn to send and receive email.

I wish to speak with someone in person about this. Please call me at the number below. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

If you use a computer just for e-mail or if you want to try using e-mailfor the first time, the Cidco MailStation may be the product for you. The sizeand shape of a small keyboard (10.25 by 7.125 by 1.625 inches), the MailStationworks without the need of a PC or extra phone line. Just plug it in, turn it on,and begin typing e-mail. View your message on the 6-by-2.5-inch LCD screen.

The MailStation sends and receives data through a standard telephone line butdoes not monopolize the line--it dials in at set times that you can program andautomatically hangs up when you want to use the phone. It also disconnects uponthe retrieval of e-mail or when the sending of e-mail is completed. The averagelength of time to send or receive e-mail is approximately 30 seconds, keepingtelephone 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 phonenumbers are available throughout the United States. While you cannot access e-mailfrom another Internet service provider (ISP), you can forward e-mail fromother 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 arelimited to 8 KB, which is approximately 66 lines per message. Keep in mind thatif you reply to an e-mail, the original message, including the headers androuting information, is considered part of the 66 lines of allowable space. TheMailStation 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 mailaccount at no additional cost.

You can also use the MailStation as a calculator or calendar and clean up textwith the 20,000-word spellchecker. There is also room for about 1,000 contactsin 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. ... Read more

Features

• Sends and receives e-mail
• Parallel port for printing
• No computer skills needed
• Connects to standard phone jack
• Ready to use out of the box

Reviews (33)

BEST PRESENT EVER
MailStation by Cidco is among the most rewarding purchases I have ever made. Every bit of necessary technological and practical information was available on the Amazon.com site. Both CIDCO and Amazon.com had made me aware that the machine's maker would also be its sole service provider.

MailStation was a Christmas gift to my mother (age 83) who has NEVER even turned on a computer and uses the "hunt and peck" typing method. Since the very simple installation with CIDCO personnel via their (800) number on Christmas Eve, there have been daily messages to children and grandchildren. She and my dad (age 89) are thrilled and feeling very connected. A better present could not have been found.

If there is any criticism, it is that perhaps MailStation could have even fewer functions, making for more simplicity of operation. However, this compact, well-designed wonder brought with it a leap into tomorrow for a couple who thought they couldn't.

A good reason to use the snail mail.
My experience with Mailstation started over six months ago. Since then I have had less than two weeks of email service. Just a few of the problems have included a Mailstation arriving with a broken screen, six weeks of phone calls to finally prove the replacement did not, would not and never would work, a month waite for another replacement to find it was in shipping, two weeks later to find no record of replacement, etc, etc. One technique is never being allowed to talk to the same person twice. "I will call you on Monday to verify it is working." "This will definitely fix the problem." "Sorry, you can not talk to a supervisor." "We will send you a refund in one month." "The refund will be posted in two weeks." "We have sent the refund to your credit card company but it will take them two or more months to post the refund." "The problem is with your credit card company. We have sent them the refund." I do not think so.
The Dilbert cartoon is Mailstation.

Used to be wonderful until Earthlink took over.
MailStation was wonderful for the first 1.5 years of service under CIDCO. Bought it for my computer-illiterate 77 year old mother so she could keep in touch with family members now scattered around the world. She is totally averse to computers (it took a few years to even get comfortable tapping numbers into a microwave oven), but she took to the MailStation right off. I was very impressed.

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...

Poor access
Bought this for my daughter in Hawaii. Great way to keep in touch with friends and family, right. Wrong. She can get in maybe 8 sentences in an email if lucky and only to certain people. Friends who have urls other than aol or earthlink are out of luck. Her attempts at customer service have been fruitless, until she told them she was shipping it back to them. Then there was all kinds of help, but too late. Frustrating to her and to us. Now, it comes back to us to try and get our money back on it. Didn't get a rebate either. That's another story.

Earthlink destroys neat product
I purchased the Mailstation in Dec, 2000. It was a neat product that perfectly met my wife's needs. She also liked the news headlines, weather forecast and stock quotes. Just after the warranty expired (of course) she connected the Mailstation to the wrong power supply and fried the unit. I went out and purchased another for her. But this one was different.
- no news, weather or stock info available
- Cidco is now owned by Earthlink (groan!)
Initially, I called the number to get set up on this machine, hoping that my wife's old email address could be used on the new machine - several support people were adamant that this would be impossible - I MUST use a new email address. OK, fine.
Once configured by Earthlink, the machine could NEVER get email. Repeated calls to amazingly incompetent support personnel yeilded NO results. At one point, I was finally able to convince someone that the account they gave me wasn't recognized by their servers. Repeated promises that this would be fixed within the hour - no change. THE PRODUCT HAS NEVER WORKED WITH EARTHLINK SETTINGS!!! NO ONE AT EARTHLINK CAN MAKE IT WORK!!!

I finally went out on the Web and found a group of hackers that explained how to program the device to use my ISP, and then it works fine. But periodically, Earthlink sends an "update" to my Mailstation that resets everything to the Earthlink settings (WHICH HAVE NEVER WORKED!!!). The "hack" wipes out memory, so all email addresses, inbox, outbox, etc are all wiped out when this happens.

Mama is NOT happy. "And if Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!" ... Read more

Features

• Sends and receives e-mail
• Parallel port for printing
• No computer skills needed
• Connects to standard phone jack
• Ready to use out of the box

Reviews (9)

i like my mail station
i got mail people and i like email people it i also like job emails it too a job and i also like email my friends and people i know it

Training wheels for the computer and e-mail
I bought my mother a Mailstation last Mother's day and she absolutely loved it (as was apparent from my inbox). It was easy and quick to set-up and to get started. My mother had little computer knowledge at the time and it was a great way for her to communicate with her friends while learning the basics about e-mail. There were only two downfalls to the Mailstation: #1 The messages it can receive are strictly text-only and can only be so long & #2 Mom loved it so much that I had to buy her a computer for Christmas! I was very satisfied with my purcase of the Mailstation -- it served it's purpose well for the little bit that I had to pay for it.

Earthlink toy
I purchased this mailstation for my 80 year old mother to introduce her to e-mail. She immediately loved it (much to my surprise as I never expected her to try it). The only problem is that the mailstation truncates messages that are more than 5 or 6 lines long. For some reason, mail sent to the same e-mail address goes through most of the time, but bounces back at other times. Also, mail sent from a hotmail account to the mailstation will not ever go through. The mailstation is so limited that it becomes frustrating. But, for a child or someone who will not ever want to do more than a simple message, the mailstation is a very economical alternative.

The Dilbert of email.
My experience with Mailstation started over six months ago. Since then I have had less than two weeks of email service. Just a few of the problems have included a Mailstation arriving with a broken screen, six weeks of phone calls to finally prove the replacement did not, would not and never would work, a month waite for another replacement to find it was in shipping, two weeks later to find no record of replacement, etc, etc. One technique is never being allowed to talk to the same person twice. "I will call you on Monday to verify it is working." "This will definitely fix the problem." "Sorry, you can not talk to a supervisor." "We will send you a refund in one month." "The refund will be posted in two weeks." "We have sent the refund to your credit card company but it will take them two or more months to post the refund." "The problem is with your credit card company. We have sent them the refund." I do not think so.
The Dilbert cartoon is Mailstation.

Earthlink MailStation 100 MIVO
Affordable, one touch e-mail for everyone...my Mom loves it!
MailStation lets you stay in touch with family and friends instantly via e-mail. There's no need for a PC or an extra phone line. You just plug MailStation in, turn it on, and begin typing an e-mail. When you want to check your in-box, push one button and you've got mail.
· Small enough to use anywhere-bedroom, kitchen, office
· Unlimited e-mails, anytime
· Notification light tells you when you've got mail
· Integrated keyboard and screen-
there's nothing else to buy!
· Instantly sends to large groups with one e-mail
· Stores up to 1,000 contacts in your Address Book
· Saves about 400 typical e-mail messages
· Includes calculator, calendar, and spell-check function
with 20,000 word dictionary
· Can operate on AC or batteries
· Manual is included!

We found this great product has been programmed to work with ANY ISP!! (except AOL) If you already have internet service Great deal! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Cidco Mivo 200 gives you full e-mail functionality with style and simplicity, without the clutter and complexity of a PC--setup merely requires batteries and a phone line. You can send e-mails with the touch of a button and the screen flashes when you receive an incoming e-mail.

The appliance includes an integrated keyboard, easy-to-read tilted screen, and an intuitive button layout. The ergonomic, portable design allows you to write e-mails on the go that send automatically the next time you connect to a phone line.

The built-in memory saves 1,000 e-mail addresses and about 400 typical e-mail messages. Useful extras include an integrated calculator and spell check function. The package includes four AA batteries for portable use and an AC adapter for continuous power while at home. The quick-start card and user manual guide you through setup and e-mail usage.

The phone-line based e-mail services cost $9.95 a month for unlimited access and are available all the time from nearly any location. Cidco's Mivo 200 comes with a one-year warranty for parts and labor. ... Read more

Features

• A compact, easy-to-use e-mail appliance--no PC needed
• Features a calculator and spell-check function
• Stores 1,000 e-mail addresses and about 400 typical e-mail messages
• Stylish, portable design
• Receives daily news updates and other info via e-mail

Reviews (2)

Unable to get on line
I have used this since Apr 2001. Worked fairly well when I had a local access number. In Sept, they switched to an 866 (toll free) number. I have not been able to get on line since then.

Yes NOW you can!
Receive and send emails wherever you go. It's easy to use, small, and the batteries last forever. It is a bargain and a great deal for someone who doesn't want to spend (big dollar amount) on a computer just to do emails. Besides, it's much easier to use than computer. ... Read more