Mail Numbers
Demonstration Version 1.0
By Josef W. Wankerl
Copyright 1994 by EGO Systems.  All rights reserved.

Mail Numbers
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One of the really great things about the Newton is that you can take it with you everywhere you go.  Another great thing about the Newton is (or, more precisely, >>>will be<<<) NewtonMail.  With a NewtonMail account, a modem, and a phone line you can stay in touch no matter where you go.

Unfortunately, accessing NewtonMail while you are on the go isn't as easy as using the Newton itself.  The biggest problem is that, as you move around the country, the phone number you have to dial to access NewtonMail changes from city to city.  Of course, Apple provides a booklet listing all of the current NewtonMail phone numbers for each city, but that booklet takes up valuable travel space that could be better used to store a souvenir for your significant other and/or kids.  And, even if you have the room to take the booklet with you, you have go through the trouble of looking up the number and then entering it into your Newton before you can call the NewtonMail service.

Wouldn't it be great if there were a piece of Newton software that would let you change your NewtonMail phone number with just a few taps of the pen?  Well there is!  And, you just downloaded it!

Using Mail Numbers
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To use Mail Numbers, you must first use the Newton Connection Kit to download the Mail Numbers package to your Newton.  Since the Mail Numbers package is quite big (after all, this demonstration version contains all of the 1200 bps access numbers for the entire USA), we recommend that you download Mail Numbers onto a memory card and NOT into your Newton's internal memory.  In fact, keeping Mail Numbers on a memory card is a good idea for a couple of reasons:

1) The Mail Numbers package is big, and current models of the Newton don't have very much internal memory to spare.
2) You only need to use Mail Numbers whenever you need to change your NewtonMail phone number.  After you change numbers, that number will be your default NewtonMail phone number.  So, you won't need to use Mail Numbers again until you need to change phone numbers again.  (Which means that you probably won't want it hanging around in your Newton's main memory!)

After you have Mail Numbers installed, tap on its icon (which is in the Extras drawer, and has the name "Numbers") and the Mail Numbers application will appear on your Newton screen.  

When the Mail Numbers application appears, you will see a list of states that you can choose from.  To change your NewtonMail phone number, simply tap on the state you are in.  You can scroll through the list of states using the up and down arrows at the bottom of the screen, or by tapping a letter (A to Z) from the list of letters near the bottom of the screen.

After you choose a state, a list of cities within that state will appear.  Only those cities that offer access to NewtonMail will be listed.  Again, you can scroll through the list of cities by using the scroll arrows or the letters at the bottom of the screen.  For each city you will also see the area code which applies, so even if the city you are in isn't on the list, you can pick a close city with the same area code.  If you accidentally picked the wrong state, simply tap the overview button to go back to the list of states.  (The overview button is the circle in-between the scroll arrows at the bottom of the screen.)  Simply tap on the city that you are in (or that you are closest to) and a list of the phone numbers for that city will appear.  (If you picked the wrong city, you can tap the overview button to go back to the list of cities.)

After picking a city, simply tap on the phone number that you wish to use to access NewtonMail.  Mail Numbers will ask you if you are sure that you want to set your NewtonMail number to the number that you have selected.  If you do, tap "OK" and your NewtonMail number will be changed to the number you selected!

Special Features
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When you change your NewtonMail number, the Mail Numbers application looks at the current area code that you have specified in the "Local Dialing Information" window.  (To get to this window [which is sort of hidden], tap "Assist," tap "Please," tap "call," tap "Do," and then tap "Options.")  If the area code of your new NewtonMail number matches the area code that you have specified in Local Dialing Information, Mail Numbers will remove the area code from the NewtonMail number you have selected.  If you are dialing from a location that requires a special access code or prefix to get an outside line (such as a hotel), you can use the Local Dialing Information window to specify the codes to use when you call NewtonMail.

ShareWare Demo Version
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EGO Systems' first attempt at Newton shareware, Battery Brain For Newtons, was a very popular download, but it was not a very big financial success.  In fact at the time of this writing, almost two months after its release, we have not received a single shareware fee, even though it has been downloaded from America Online almost 400 times!  (Which doesn't include the number of times its been downloaded from other services!)  But, because we love the Newton, we've decided to try shareware one more time . . . .  Which is why this version of Mail Numbers is a "demo" version.  What makes this a demo version is that it only contains the numbers for accessing NewtonMail at 1200 bps.  When you send in your $10 shareware fee, you'll get a new "real" version of Mail Numbers which contains >>>all<<< of the NewtonMail access numbers including the numbers for 1200, 2400, and 9600 bps.

Mail Numbers is shareware.  EGO Systems retains all rights to the software.  You may not charge for its distribution (excluding on-line charges), and you may not distribute it without including this documentation file.  To order your real copy of Mail Numbers, send $10 (U.S.) to the following address:

EGO Systems
P. O. Box 15366
Chattanooga, TN 37415-0366
USA

Or, if you prefer to pay by VISA or MasterCard, call 1-800-662-3634.

You can contact EGO Systems via the following methods:

Phone:  (615) 843-3988
  FAX:  (615) 843-3986
Preferred E-Mail contact is:  GSPlusDiz@aol.com (or just GSPlusDiz on America Online)

To contact Josef W. Wankerl:

       AOL:  JWankerl (@aol.com)
     GEnie:  JWANKERL (@genie.geis.com)
  Internet:  JWankerl@pro-gonzo.cts.com
NewtonMail:  How come everyone has access but me?!!?!?!
             (Irony at its best:  I wrote Mail Numbers and yet I don't have NewtonMail yet!)

To contact Steven W. Disbrow:

       AOL:  GSPlusDiz (@aol.com)
    Delphi:  GSPlusDiz
     GEnie:  S.DISBROW (@genie.geis.com)
  Internet:  Diz@online.apple.com
NewtonMail:  Diz (@online.apple.com)