If all you are looking to do when you get home is check your email, why waste time waiting for that PC to boot itself up? Use an email appliance like the Mivo 200 to check those email messages in minutes. Cidco has developed a full family of these email appliances so all you have to do is insert batteries and plug in a phone line to retrieve your email messages at home.

Now, this device is certainly not without limitations. For instance, you must use the Cidco Internet service, and it only works with your Cidco email account. You can send and receive emails from this account with the Mivo 200, or you can go to any Internet browser and access your www.mycidco.com website account to check messages, as well. This becomes a necessity when you receive emails with attachments, as you will have to open those attached files up through the Internet. Also, the Mivo 200 only has a 4K message capacity, so the emails you compose are limited in size. Likewise, if the emails you receive exceed 50 lines of text, the message will be truncated, and you'll have to read the rest of it at the www.mycidco.com website.

The Mivo 200 runs on two AA batteries, but to conserve battery life, it would be best to use the A/C adapter when you are sending/receiving messages. Because the Mivo 200 connects up to your phone line to transmit the messages, you will not be able to use the phone and the Mivo simultaneously. But after you have downloaded or sent your emails, you can disconnect the phone line and still be able to compose or read your messages. If you want to print them out, the Mivo 200 also has a LPT parallel port you can use to send emails to your printer.

The Mivo 200 comes with PIM software functions, like calendar and calculator, and also has a built-in spell check program, so you can correct mistakes in emails before they go out. It measures 9 x 11.5 x 1.5 inches, and weighs 2 lbs. If you take the Mivo 200 with you on a trip to access emails, you can easily change the settings to dial up the local Cidco ISP phone number, even if you're travelling abroad.

Pricing and Availability

The Mivo 200 is currently available for $129.99, plus $12.95 a month for unlimited access.

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