[sweater]

EDIT: I posted the below before searching for, and finding, the info that EmailViewer is gone.

Since I use my company-provided 7100 with BES, I wanted to install a second IMAP client. Naturally, I went with EmailViewer from www.reqwireless.com, purchased through Handango.

With the most recent OS upgrade of my device, I've had to reinstall EmailViewer. Problem is, seeing as this is the second OS upgrade I've done on this device (and the 2nd reinstall of EmailViewer), I apparently did not appreciate the value of keeping my most recent activation key - only the 1st one I've ever had.

Well, I've found out the value of not keeping that key: $29.99

You see, since they have closed their forums to new posts since June of 2004, and since "support@reqwireless.com" bounces, and since there does not seem to be any other way to contact them to resolve this issue - I've owned the software for less than a year - I'm figuring I'm pretty much screwed.

Yes, my fault for losing the key. However, as a sys admin working for a 28-year-old software company, that's what support is for.

In light of the "killer apps" threads around here, I can only suggest that people keep this level of support in mind when chosing what used to be - when I could use it - a great email app.

As this is my first foray into handheld software, I unfortunately will be a lot more wary of giving any of my money to any company offering any app in the future. In my day job, I make decisions on purchasing on the order of several hundred thousand $$$ at a time. I have to weigh the "will they be around in 5 years or so" question every time. Hell - I just got bit for $30 after less than a year, and I feel stupid for it. This is our first, limited, deployment of BES and people love them - and as a sys admin I feel compelled to lock them down to avoid installation of seemingly fly-by-night apps like these. That sucks, it's not an adage our group works by at all, but we do have to keep in mind that - from what we've been able to tell so far - you cannot rely on these any more than a cell phone you picked up for free from Verizon, etc. And you can expect to replace them just as much.

Don't get me wrong - I love this thing. But I'm wary of relying on it. I have no desire to spend any money on it. I'll stick with RIM's support and cannot recommend any of my users spend any money on them, nor will my department support it. Recent patent problems included, we're already looking at RIM replacements.

Gimme a laptop to do my job any day.

- Mike