Question about Mail.app on the touch

[mrgreen4242]

How does Mail.app handle being offline for extended periods when it's set to auto check email every XX minutes? Does it only try to check if it's connected, or does it try and give any error message every time it fails? Same for offline email composition - will it let you write a message when you're offline and then auto send it next time it gets a signal?

On a related note, will the touch automatically join networks that it comes into range of, or do you have to tell it to connect? So, for example, if I setup the WPA2 passwords for my home network and the WiFi at work will it connect to those automatically when it detects them (and then subsequently check my mail every XX minutes)?

I'm asking because I'm thinking about getting a touch to replace my 5G, but it would only make sense for me if it could function as a basic/decent PDA with rudimentary email function. An iPhone would of course be a better fit for me, but I'm not a fan of ATT and I'm also not willing to pay $20/month for the privilege when a touch will (probably) do all the things I need.

Thanks.

 

[GT41]

To answer your questions quickly...
I think it tries to check but it doesn't give you an error message on not receiving but it seems to give a message saying your email was not sent. It does however send it the next time it is connected.

As for networks, you can set it to join networks without asking and as such it will connect to networks you have already entered password into or are open. It will then send and receive email as scheduled (not sure if it does it right away or at the next scheduled time I never noticed).

I find it works like a great PDA and much more once you figure out what exactly you want it for and set it up as such.

 

[mrgreen4242]

To answer your questions quickly...
I think it tries to check but it doesn't give you an error message on not receiving but it seems to give a message saying your email was not sent. It does however send it the next time it is connected.

As for networks, you can set it to join networks without asking and as such it will connect to networks you have already entered password into or are open. It will then send and receive email as scheduled (not sure if it does it right away or at the next scheduled time I never noticed).

I find it works like a great PDA and much more once you figure out what exactly you want it for and set it up as such.

Great, thanks. I'd primarily use a touch as video/media player - I watch 45-90 minutes of TV shows a day on my iPod video, so the touch would be a great update there in terms of screen size/res/aspect ratio. Plus, if I work out a decent wireless streaming/syncing system it would simplify my evenings.

My basic other needs are to sync up my calendar/schedule (combination of Google and Apple iCal - Google for work, so read only is probably fine but two-way would be preferable of course, and iCal for personal, so the touch would likely be the primary input device for that), have a decent notes/checklist application (for grocery lists, to-do's, etc), and read emails and a few quick replies.

Having Google, IMDB, and my Netflix account available from the couch is a neat bonus, too. (My wife and I are a bit OCD when it comes to "who is that actor? What have we seen him in?" to the point where we have to pause the movie and go look it up).

Anywho, I appreciate your response. My big concern is having a bunch or error messages stack up or pop up when I'm not in a WiFi area and also draining the battery looking for a signal when there isn't one, etc.

 

[shoelessone]

Thanks for asking the question, I'd be interested in an answer also (perhaps something more definite relating to the error message potential issue you mentioned).

 

[mrgreen4242]

Thanks for asking the question, I'd be interested in an answer also (perhaps something more definite relating to the error message potential issue you mentioned).

Well, if no one is really specific about it sounds like a co-worker of mine is getting a touch for xmas, and I think he'll (eventually) ask me for help hacking/unlocking it, so I'll test it myself... but I think I got most of the answer I needed from GT41. Of course, more input is always nice.