Posted by GoatWorld on December 27, 2002 at 10:36:45:
In Reply to: Re: New Contact Information posted by goat mom on December 26, 2002 at 15:20:58:
Hi Goat mom,
Actually this watch is relatively small - if you have seen the Timex Ironman series of watches, it is based from that style. It works three ways:
A person can send email to an address and it will appear on the watch. There is a 100 character limit to this and after so many characters per month, they (SkyTel) charge you an extra so much.
It works as a pager - you call the number 1-800-301-6796 and you get to hear me tell you that you have reached my message center. You are then given the option of leaving a numeric page, or an alphanumeric message. It will then send me the page or message via the watch.
It works as a voice-mail alert - you call the 800 number and choose Voice Mail option. It will then send me an alert that I have a voice message. From there I call the same 800 number and access my message center.
You can also set the watch to have certain alerts sent to you daily; sports, weather, news, etc.
It has a few drawbacks but overall is excellent. You will sometimes get an email message that contains deleted characters. Also, if someone only types in their phone number as 7 digits (443-7625) instead of including the 1 and the area code (1-417-443-7625), the messages don't always seem to come through!
You can't call out on the watch - that's probably next, but for me, that's good. I'm not much on phones. Either I'm a grinch or like my grandfather - refusing to let a telephone control my life. Of course it's nice to have instant access to two-way communications when needed, but until they get all the telemarketers and junk callers under control, I sure don't want to be answering a phone call just to tell somebody no, I'm not interested.
Now in comparison to a cell phone, price is much cheaper than a cell phone of course. Alot of the features as far as one-way communication are the same. Some cell phone companies are giving away cell phones to get you into their service. The watch costs as does the service, but much, much cheaper (under $100 per year).
There are other wireless devices that are similar and don't get me wrong, the watch option is the perfect choice for me. For instance, they have those PDA's that let you take the Internet with you just about anywhere - instant two-way Internet communication - perfect for a Dr., Lawyer, Stock Broker, etc. But for the average joe, what employer in their right mind is going to let the employee bring a PDA to work to surf the Internet and check email? Not much they can say about a watch though - they don't even have to know!!!
As far as where we got the watch - Wally World of course!! It was a special trial offer. The best thing to do to learn more about it is to go to:
http://www.skytel.com/products/shop_timex.htm and they can give you all the dope on it.
Best regards,
Gary