At first when I looked at riteMail, I thought it looked like a solution looking for a problem. The way I looked at it newer Palm’s have the notepad that allows doodling or handwritten notes, wireless devices already had a satisfactory mail solution, and you can always send mail when you sync using the mail software that comes with the Palm. And all of those are free, while riteMail not only costs twenty-five bucks to buy, but has a subscription charge (after the first year) as well if you want to continue to send mail.

But the more that I looked at riteMail, the more I realized there was more to it than I saw at first. Basically, riteMail has several reasons that it’s not only a better solution, but a good buy, as well.

Reason #1 – riteMail is easy to set up. When I upgraded to the Zire 71 I was enormously annoyed that the default mail client is, simply put, a pain in the butt to get working, requiring you to set up server data both in the client and the Hotsync app, then ignoring all of that data if you just want to sync with Outlook. Not so with riteMail. You’ll find riteMail is extremely easy to set up if you just want to sync with your desktop mail. It’s a bit fiddlier to get it working by talking directly to your mailbox, but not nearly as much so as the default Palm software.

Reason #2 – riteMail lets you send quick mail without needing to use a keyboard or Graffiti. If you want to send lengthy tomes by e-mail, you probably should wait until you get to the desktop, but if you want to send quick reminders, succinct responses to other e-mails, or quick diagrams, riteMail is far more useful than normal text mail. You can still send those nice text-based mails with your normal mail client if you want, but being able to send a quick phone number, diagram, or very short handwritten response is more in keeping with what most of us want to do “on the go.”

Reason #3 – riteMail is multi platform and guilt-free. You aren’t forcing your friends to buy riteMail. You can send graphic mail to other Palms, Windows desktops, Tablet PCs, or even Pocket PCs in a format that can be read without riteMail. If they want to reply, they’re taken to a web page where they can compose a reply (with graphics) using the online version of riteMail. However, there are versions of riteMail for all of the above (as well as a Java-based web edition) so almost anyone can buy it and use it on their machine of choice.

Reason #4 – riteMail kicks Notepad’s butt. Okay, so maybe you don’t see the benefit of sending your handwriting to someone else in a mail. But I bet you use Notepad on your Palm. If you try riteMail simply as a Notepad replacement, you’ll be hooked. It is a much better note-taking tool. It smoothes text so your handwriting doesn’t look like you’ve been on a three-day drunk. It recognizes shapes so when you make what you intend to be a square or a circle, it converts it into a real square or circle. I assure you, if you try riteMail as a Notepad substitute, you’ll never be happy with Notepad again.

Reason #4 – Subscription is cheap. When you purchase riteMail you get a one-year subscription to the mail service and it currently costs $14.95 a year to resubscribe. Not exactly a bank-breaker.

Reason #5 – You can try it for free. Yep, Pen&Internet gives out 30 day free trials for all of their products. Don’t trust my review. Download it and give it a spin. If you don’t think it’s worth $25, then delete it and get on with your life. But you may find that you love it and want to keep it.



So, you ask, is riteMail perfect? Well, no. Some of my first impressions are still true. It is not the only mail solution or the only graphic note-taking solution for the Palm. There are solutions that come on your Palm distribution disk for free. Just the fact that it’s something else to buy may keep riteMail from being your solution of choice. Also, since I have to be at my desk to sync I don’t compose much mail on my Palm, preferring to make a ToDo and compose the mail at my desk. If you have similar habits, the mail aspect of riteMail may not be a big plus.

But riteMail is a solid, easy, multiplatform solution that lets you send graphic mails to people regardless of the device they get their mail on. It’s also a big improvement over Notepad for taking quick notes. I can’t say if that’s enough to make it worth the price for you. But given that the trial is free, I’ll just encourage you not to jump to conclusions like I did. Just go grab a copy and give it a try. It may just convince you.

Tucker Hatfield
--Senior Palm Reviewer

riteMail for Palm
$24.95
Pen&Internet
http://www.ritemail.net/