Electronic mail (email) is the transferring of information messages
via an electronic communications system. Initial versions
of email could send short text messages of 1 to 3 pages. Email
technology has evolved (standardized) to allow file attachments,
and new versions of email (such as those using Flash
technology) send animation or video clips as email messages.
Email messaging is probably the best single reason for users
to get connected to the Internet. There were over 400 million
email account users in 1998, and the number of email
accounts is expected to top 1 billion by the end of 2000.
Email messaging has been the leading application (“killer
application”) among online users age 18 and younger. Email is
used by greater than 40 percent of online children under age
13, and almost 60 percent of online children between ages 13
and 18. A large proportion of older children spend their time
online communicating with others via instant messaging.
Wireless email will grow quickly as society adapts to email as
a more vital lifeline of communications, and especially as people
begin to appreciate the convenience and freedom of being
able to connect from anywhere. Additionally, as the wireless
email landscape matures, advanced capabilities such as voiceenabled
text-to-speech, real-time synchronization with desktop
and calendar, intelligent filtering, and security will make wireless
email services a “need to have” rather than “want to have.”