>>>I don't have a Blackberry but I am considering buying one. I think Blackberry gets POP3 email by periodically checking the email server (whatever company one uses), right? That is, even if I have an Earthlink POP3 email, a Blackberry would be able to get the messages, right?
>>>
>>>Please let me know if my understanding of how it works correct.
>>>
>>>Thank you.
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>>ewwwww. Have you considered getting a windows mobile 5 device instead? It has "direct push" email ability if you get the right one - like the Sprint PPC6700 for example....
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>I did look at the windows mobile 5 device but somehow didn't like their "keyboard". For the most part I need a device to get email messages on the go. Blackberry has very good reputation and I know they work. I was in a meeting with a business associate this morning. He was showing me his Windows PDA. But when I asked him if he is using it to get his email messages he said he does it by going to Web mail. Maybe he has not learned the "push" technology yet. But everybody who is using Blackberry find that getting email with it is good. I just need to make sure I won't have to have a dedicated server for it.

hmmm. Well as I've told every other would-be blackberry person -- yer gonna wish you had a WM5 device.
If you don't have an Exchange server with SP2 on it to do the direct push - there are free ones you can use - for example www.mail2web.com.
There is just a zillion more things that a WM5 device can do that a blackberry can't - plus it handles all those Micro$oft documents real well....