The many flavors of riteMail
One of the things that makes email the killer application for so many users is the fact that you can view it on virtually any kind of computer. When you're corresponding with someone by email, you seldom know or care what kind of computer they're using. For an alternative type of email (like riteMail) to succeed, it too needs to work on as many different types of computer as possible.

riteMail is designed to be platform independent. You can get versions of the riteMail software for Palm OS devices, Pocket PC, Windows, and any type of computer that supports Java technology-including Macs and computers running Unix, Linux, or who knows what else. That means if you send riteMail to someone, they'll almost surely be able to read it (although they may need to install riteMail client software first).

In addition to the Palm OS version described in this article, I tried the Windows version of riteMail and found it to be quite good. The more powerful processor in a desktop PC lets riteMail generate geometric shapes quicker than the Palm OS version can, and the larger screen makes it easier to see details in drawings. The PC version also has some features the Palm OS version doesn't, like a system for easily storing and retrieving riteMail messages from folders, as well as integration with Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and other email programs. Integration here means that you can receive a riteMail message in your standard email Inbox, and when you open the message, it opens as a dynamic riteMail message, not just a static image of the message.

The only real drawback of the PC version of riteMail is the fact that it's hard to write with a mouse. riteMail works with several types of graphics tablets. Pen&Internet is also getting help from Microsoft and its partners this month, in the form of the Tablet PC, which they hope will be the next step in the evolution of the notebook PC. The key distinguishing feature of Tablet PCs is that they're pen-based, which will make them an ideal platform for a Tablet PC version of riteMail.

riteMail and other email programs
The only problem I've had with riteMail is because of the way the Palm OS works and is illustrated nicely by the way riteMail works on the PC. On the PC, riteMail messages go into the email Inbox like any other message. When you open a riteMail message in your regular email program, Windows displays the message with riteMail.

On a Palm OS device, things don't work that way. I use JP Mobile's One-Touch Mail (at http://www.jpmobile.com/one_touch_mail.asp) as the primary email program on my handheld. When I open a riteMail message in the One-Touch Mail Inbox, the handheld can't start riteMail to display the message. All it can do is display the HTML and Java code that makes up the riteMail message. Since the Palm OS isn't a multitasking operating system, it can't run One-Touch Mail and riteMail simultaneously.

As a result, if you use riteMail with another email program on your Palm OS device, you need to check for messages twice-once for riteMail and once for the other email program. It's the only way to be sure your riteMail messages get into riteMail and regular messages get into your regular mail program. If your main email program is set to delete messages after it retrieves them from the server, you must also check for riteMail messages first.