In computer news this week, 11/21/2002

In computer news this week, 12/10/2002

Dick Tracy, eat your heart out! The Timex Internet Messenger Watch is here.

Last week I talked about receiving and setting up my Timex Internet Messenger Watch

The watch was now ready to start receiving.

All the watch features are the same as on my Timex Datalink watch, with the exception of the capability of receiving data from my Outlook program. It is a regular digital watch with 2 time zones, a runner's stopwatch; an alarm watch with 5 settable alarms, and it also has a countdown timer and a night light.

The Timex Internet Messenger can also receive emails from the internet - which you send as regular emails to my new Timex email address. My email address is the 800 number that was assigned to me @timex.skytel.com

It can also receive message pages which you send by going to the Skytel.com website and sending a message from their message center there - up to 180 text characters.

And it can receive phone pages - which people do by calling the 800 number I received with the watch - and then you can punch in your phone number to be sent to me, or even a brief text message. I was able to personalize the voice message people hear when they call the 800# so they know it's me.

When you receive emails or pages, you have a choice of 5 different alarms sounds, or you can have it chirp and vibrate, or silently vibrate. It will also beep again in a few minutes if you ignore the first chime. The messages you receive actually scroll across the face of the watch, and you can delete or store them. The watch automatically turns off the page function at night to conserve the batteries. 4 batteries came with it and that is supposed to be about an 8 month supply.

To test it, I emailed several clients and friends of mine and told them the various ways they could attempt to reach me via my new watch; regular email, skytel website page, or by 800 phone#. I included a couple people who live in Seattle and Arizona. Ok, I may have done a little gloating about how I am the first kid on my block with this new toy.

When I'm in and about Spokane the messaging part of the watch works great. Once someone sends me an email or a page or a message by phone, I usually receive it within 2 minutes. The biggest problem I have with it is that I live about 10 miles South of town, right on the edge of the coverage zone, so when I am home I only get about 20% of the messages sent to my watch.

However, I can always call my free 800 number and hear all the messages that were sent to me that I didn't receive because I was out of the coverage zone. Sort of a safety message backup feature.

Another interesting feature of this watch is that it is water resistant - specifically hand washing and showering and if you're out in the rain. However it is not truly water proof.

My other Timex Datalink watch says right on the box that it is water-resistant to minus 328 feet.

This means that in the unlikely event I am asked to play a superspy in some upcoming Hollywood film, I will merely switch watches for different scenes.

The name is Bond, Frank Bond.

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 624-7230

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 624-7230