Guys,
Not even the slightest claim to be a motoring one but I need some info fast.
If you need a web based e-mail account to use in America is Yahoo OK as well as Hotmail? I ask as Hotmail seems to get loads of spam so Yahoo seems best.
But I notice my existing Yahoo "spare" e-mail account has an address *********@yahoo.co.uk.
That's not going to work in the USA with .co.uk is it?
Advice from wealthy pond hoppers much appreciated.
Thanks.
David W
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That would work. You can get to a co.uk website from anywhere.
www.talk21.com is UK based and does free web based mail (BT owned).
Something I found useful are the mail forwarding services. I use Bigfoot (www.bigfoot.com). You get an address like davidw@bigfoot.com, then you go to the bigfoot website and forward the mail to your "proper" account. Then when you go away you can change it to forward to somewhere else. Or if you tire of the account (due to too much spam?) just forward it to nowhere.
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Not so wealthy, or even a Guy, but I'm sure it doesn't matter a bit that your address has .co.uk
When you need to send/check email, just go to the yahoo site click on the 'Mail' icon and all should be there.
I have a yahoo.com 'spare' address but the spam still gets through from time to time. The thing to watch out for is that Yahoo gives you a 6MB mailbox (no I don't know what that means either) so if you were sending/receiving photos or other large files, you may find it restrictive.
Hope this helps!
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Thanks.
This is purely for a close family member while away on business in USA for a week soon.
We want to be able to exchange mails during the day. She may have legit access to on-line "company" PCs from offices. Also the mail facilities at a Holiday Inn...I wonder what they are? Wonder if you need your own laptop and just plug into their phone lines...or do they have PCs whirring away somewhere?
David W
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"Also the mail facilities at a Holiday Inn...I wonder what they are? Wonder if you need your own laptop and just plug into their phone lines..."
Basically yes, there will be a socket on the side of the handset into which the line from the modem is plugged. If lucky there will be two lines, so you can surf away on one line while gabbing away (or being talked through a particularly obstinate PC problem) on the other line.
Some hotel chains, Marriot for example, have systems so you can log in on a much faster line using their server and a PCMCIA card which they rent out to you. Not seen it in a Holiday Inn though. Still need a laptop I'm afraid.
Watch call costs too, it all depends upon your ISP and if they have a local ie toll free access point.
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ps I've not really had a spam problem with hotmail.
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OK Stuart so say you don't have a laptop or it is a "company" one with no chance of using it on-line.......
Do they have desktops to use in the Holiday Inns?
Or is it a case of sneaking behind the reception desk and logging on with theirs?
David W
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Do they have desktops to use in the Holiday Inns?
I've never ever seen it to be honest. Although that is exactly what we do in our guest houses, ie have a PC, printer and fax connected in the sitting room for visitors to surf/work complete with a broadband connection.
FYI lifted from the website of one of their hotels in USA.
State-of-the-art technology with 2 DID phones and data port. Large work desk with a phone port for direct internet access. Pay-per-view movies.....
I assume you *have* checked out the hotel website?.
www.sixcontinentshotels.com/holiday-inn
Or is it a case of sneaking behind the reception desk and logging on with theirs?
If you can do that you can also get all those movie charges on the bill for another room, saves embarrassing questions from whoever,
;-D
Might be worth a question direct to the hotel if it does meeting facilities and so on.
Otherwise given the brief reckon Lee's suggestion is as good as anything, but then it needs the time and transport availability to do it.
Sorry can't be more help. Could have borrowed my old laptop but its been trashed already.
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Rebecca,
Sorry about the "Guys" thing.
From time to time I've put Guys & Girls...... or Guys (& Girls) but there has been about as much chance of a soothing female reply as finding public transport with clean seats or a post from Toad telling us he's going out with a copper......if you see what I mean.
David W
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Oh I'm not bothered by that at all, was only teasing. And anyway, I refer to everyone on here as Guys too.
I'm sure the US chain called Kinkos (office services, usually 24 hours) has internet access. Could be worth looking them up to see if they have a location near the hotel.
Rebecca
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>>US chain called Kinkos
Thanks Rebecca, I will look it up. Having said that what the boss will say when SWMBO's first request in free time is to look for Kinkos......
Careful Toad ;-)
David W
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Makes no difference where you are. Log on as you would normally.
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David,
Can't add too much to what's already been written except to that I used hotmail and yahoo extensively when I was on the other side of the pond and they both worked well. Getting spammed seems to be pure chance - some of my hotmail accounts creak with the rubbish, others don't get any. I wish I knew why :-)
As for Internet access, I think most large towns and cities have facilities but it may be necessary to visit the libraries or look up cybercafes before leaving - The USA is a country with a _lot_ of people with their own PCs so public access isn't as important as some less developed countries.
Hope you get sorted out,
Lee.
I'm selling my car! Check HJ Classifieds ...
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David
I stayed mostly in private homes or sublet apartments, but I can tell you that Holiday Inns allow broadband access for nine dollars a day (unlimited time) if you have a laptop with an ethernet cable, which was ideal for me working online, but pricey for checking email in the evening. If you're just using a modem you have to take your chances with the hotel call charges, but I don't recall being too shocked by the cost of a local call. What I did was to sign up with an American ISP, and used free local calls to sign on. From there, I could get everything I can from home. Most ISPs over there offer a free entry period with no lock in clause, so you can sign up for the duration of your stay, then sign off again, and pay nothing. Others are entirely free, such as access.com, though I'm not sure how reliable their service is for using the web. Should be ok for email though.
Chris
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David,
I stayed in various hotels from 'basic' to 'top end' on my two separate weeks in the States on business in 1998. I didn't see any provision of desktops, only plug-in points (but that was four years ago).
Local phone calls charges were quite low from hotels, sometimes free, but phone calls back to the UK were *very* expensive.
With reference to Smokie's advice, initially I had an AOL address but I lost that when I moved away from AOL. My daughter recommended that I register (free) with Bigfoot.com because their e-mail address stays with you whatever ISP you are using.
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Thanks all.
A laptop at the hotel isn't an option so it will be down to scrounging a PC for a few minutes each day (or the public access option if available).
I've just set up spare mail accounts with Talk21 and Yahoo for the trip, having the confidence now they will work in the USA.
Didn't like the layout or amount of ads on Talk21, Yahoo is so much more like Outlook Express that it will get the main use.
David W
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Ant hotel 3 star and up will have a business center. Use their internet.
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I realise this is probably way off, but if funds are available it might be worth buying a laptop out there. They pay in dollars what we pay in pounds. Customs will never know if the packaging is discarded. Unfortunately they don't have any cars small enough for the overhead locker, because the same applies to them as well, with seven year warranties too.
Chris
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If it's just for email, can you get an internet enabled organiser instead?
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