Sprint Wants to Keep You in the Know

Sprint Corp. Thursday introduced a
convenience to its multi-million customer bank with an e-mail notification
feature, which allows residential subscribers to view e-mail headers without
having to go online.

For $3.95 per month, Sprint’s new tool helps subscribers
save time by checking up to five e-mail accounts from the eView 100 display
device, a small Internet voice appliance similar to a Caller ID box that
connects to the home telephone line. eView 100 costs $19.95.

The service provides notification of up to 25 new messages by displaying the
sender’s address, subject, and the total number of messages for that
account. Users can then decide whether they want to go online and retrieve
their new email messages or wait until later.

Subscribers also can create a list of up to 15 e-mail addresses and choose
whether notification to the visual display device occurs only when new
e-mail comes from those addresses.

What’s more, the device also provides Caller ID, Call Waiting ID and
voice-mail message notification if customers so desire.

Sprint’s Local Telecommunications Division serves more than 8 million
customers in 18 state. Customers in Sprint’s service range can order the
service here.

Sprint spokesman Bill Van Kirk said the service was like the firm’s Message
line service, but specializes on e-mail.

“If you’ve been running around all day and you come home at dinner time, you
can save yourself time by checking the eView display to see if you have an
important message or not,” Van Kirk said. “You can check messages at a
glance.”

The telco’s wireless division, which has been busy as of late, Thursday
agreed to sell its phones at 800 Target
stores nationwide and would offer new customers a service
rebate. The Sprint PCS Phone SCH-8500 by Samsung and the Motorola V2267 are
immediately available at Target.

Like Sprint’s newly-amped wireless division, the e-mail service would help
users who want to access their messages on the go while circumventing their PC, which many analysts
are viewing as a cumbersome experience for the Internet user in the future.

Consumers thus far have been loath to flock to wireless data services,
despite constant industry hype and the increased sales of wireless phones.