Nextel, etrieve join forces to deliver audio e-mail service

Nextel Communications Inc. has announced an alliance with etrieve Inc. to provide Nextel customers the ability to listen to corporate e-mail, calendar and contact information from any Internet-ready Nextel phone.

According to a Nextel news release, the company is the first nationwide wireless service provider to deliver both voice and text access to behind-the-firewall corporate information.

The service will be delivered as part of the Nextel Mobile Office Email product suite. It provides secure, wireless access to Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes messages and information, allowing mobile professionals to stay connected with colleagues and customers while away from the office.

The role of etrieve will be to provide Nextel customers a secure connection to desktop information, enabling them to listen to or view office e-mail, contacts and calendar data, as well as the ability to reply to e-mails by voice or text.

The service also will allow users to listen to e-mail attachments to Microsoft Word documents.

It will also facilitate the printing of e-mail and attachments to a fax machine to provide access to hard copies.

The technology supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook, Lotus Notes, POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail.

More information on the applications, as well as a demonstration of the technology, can be found on the Internet at www.nextel.com/email.