If you are constantly on the go and would like to receive and send e-mail via your mobile phone in a relatively easy way, you may like to check out a new software application called Handimail.

The brainchild of homegrown Multimedia Super Corridor status company called Handisplay(M) Sd. Bhd. ( www.Handisplay.com.my) , the innovative app allows user to receive messages that arrive at their remote e-mail inbox by forwarding them to their mobile phone via SMS (short message service).

If an e-mail is longer than 160 characters, Handimail will truncate the e-mail and “break it up” into a maximum of five separate SMSes that will then be sent in succession to the users cellphone.

This way, a user can retrieve about 800 characters of his e-mail and get partial snapshot of what these message say.

Users also have an option to reply to the e-mail or to to send new messages to other recipients by just typing on the SMS “write” screen and sending them to a five-digit SM short code.

What's more is the service works with any of the three local cellualar operators – Maxis, Digi or Celcom – regardless of which network a user subscribes to.

Handisplay also claims that the service works while a subscriber is in a foreign country, thanks to the wonder on international roaming.

According to the CEO Hassan Alam, Handimail was designed with three clear goals in mind.

“ The first is to be able to get your e-mail whereever you are and in a non-complicated way using the most ubiquitous device to date – the mobile phones.” he said.

The second is to support the widest variety of e-mail protocols possible – this includes POP3/SMTP as well as popular e-mail services such as Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail.

“Lastly it must be something everybody will find easy and economical to use – and SMS meets this criteria.” he told reporters in Cyberjaya recently.

Hassan said that Handisplay is currently targeting personal and business users who hca POS3/SMTP mailboxes, as well as Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail users.

Those who have e-mail accounts that require VPN ( Virtual Private Network) tunneling cannot use Hnadimail as yet.

“ We're working on VPN connections by early next year,” said Hassan.

To safeguard users from spam, Handimail allows them to set filters according to domain name or to a subscriber's address book entries.

“ We strongly encourage users to use our built-in e-mail filter to ensure that junk e-mail will not be forwarded to their mobiles.” Hassan Said.

He said Handimail is currently under beta testing and is free until Oct 1, after which each forwarded e-mail message a user receives will be charged 30 sen.

Users interested in trying it out now need to sign up at (www.handimail.com.my) and follow the instructions there to enable the service.

For more on the Handimail application, e-mail Handisplay at shylendra@handisplay.com.my or call (03) 8318-6750 . - EDWIN YAPP