TeleFlip Sends Mail to Cell Phones via Text Message

TeleFlip, the service which allows you to send text messages via email, now offers anyone with a mobile phone with text messaging the ability to have email sent to your phone.

So, if you've already got a family plan with unlimited text messaging, TeleFlip provides a free way to receive the email you don't want to miss on your phone while you're out and about. Seems like a good thing for moms who are tethered to our cars and phones while taking the kids here, there, and everywhere. It's worth a try for anyone who does not have a BlackBerry or a Treo or any handset that receives email with a costly monthly data plan.

It's called FlipMail, and it seems pretty simple to use. It works on handsets and with all major phone carriers, TeleFlip's Donna Amato assures me. "You don't have to walk around with a fancy BlackBerry to get email on your phone," she says.

Here's how it works: You sign up on TeleFlip, and enter your cell phone number, email address, and email account password. Not everyone will be comfortable doing this, of course. If you do take the leap of providing password info to a third party service, you can then enter the email addresses from which you want to receive emails on your phone. TeleFlip will send only those messages through via SMS. It's as easy as reading a text message, and standard text message rates do apply.

In about a month, Amato says TeleFlip customers will also be able to schedule when they want the email messages forwarded to phones. You'll be able to designate between which hours of the day you want to receive them, and change the schedule as needed.

I already pay dearly to access email 24/7 on my Treo. So if you give this service a spin, let us know what you think and if you like having the flexibility of receiving some emails via text message while you're away from your computer.