Sending emails using your mobile phone

You can already send picture messages (MMS) to other phones, so why learn how to send an email? Well, what about your sister who lives overseas and can’t receive pictures on her phone? Or your Dad who never turns his phone on but is always on the internet? Maybe you just want a way of getting the photo off your phone before you accidentally delete the picture forever. Once you email an image you have effectively copied it to another location so it’s backed up for you!

Before 01 January 2007, it’s probably a good idea to get things set up so you don’t have to worry about it when you’re in party mode!

Step 1:

Make sure your phone is actually able to send emails and that your mobile network supports the feature. If you’re not sure, your mobile service provider will be able to confirm this for you.

Step 2:

Now you need to make sure your phone has all the email settings entered correctly. If you feel like doing it yourself, look up your mobile service provider’s website. They should have step by step instructions for your particular phone.

Step 3:

The next thing to do is check out how much sending each email will cost. Most mobile service providers charge less to send an email than an SMS, but unlike SMS you may be charged to receive as well as send. Check the details on your mobile plan for prices (it may be in very small print!).

Step 4:

Now go have some fun taking photos! Most mobile phones have built-in cameras with picture quality comparable to regular digital cameras. One of the benefits of using email instead of sending Picture Messages is that you are not limited to sending one small, low quality picture. A warning though: emails are usually charged per kilobyte of data used. The bigger the picture you send, the more expensive it will be.

Step 5:

Go to your “Messages” menu, select “Write New” then select “Email”. Your particular phone may name the folders differently, but the basic steps will be the same.

There are four main sections which need to be filled in when sending an email:

To: Who the email will be sent to. You can send the same email to more than one person at a time, but be aware you will be charged the price of sending one email for each recipient in the “To” field. “To” is the only mandatory field, everything else can be left blank if you want.

Subject: The title of your email. For example “Dad vs the new BBQ”

Text: The body of the email is where you explain exactly why Dad has very singed eyebrows

Attachments: Press “Add attachment” and select the best picture you have of Dad minus his facial hair!

Once you are happy with your email, press send. Remember, you need to be in mobile coverage for the email to go through and be aware that it can take longer to transmit than a text message due to the size of your picture.