When I first heard of this, I wondered, "Why would I want to listen to my email instead of reading it?" But I soon learned that there are a great many people who can stay in much better touch receiving email messages by phone. Here is a list of the top ten reasons I have complied to use an email to phone service:

Email to phone for busy people on the run

1. You can pick up a message any time, any where, even if you had not planned to. Have you ever had that eerie feeling there was an urgent email waiting for you? Now you can relieve your curiosity, deal with the email and feel 100% assured that landing the sand trap was not a result of email anxiety.

2. Receiving emails by phone is ideal for a busy person on the run. Between the meetings and the restaurant and the cab, a busy person does not always have the time to sit down in front of a computer. But he always has time for his cell phone (You might have noticed this in restaurants, theatre shows, etc.)

3. International travelers have a great use for email to phone services, as they cannot always foretell the availability of a computer or an Internet connection, nor how much time they might have between flights, meetings, etc. This way, they can keep monitoring all their urgent messages wherever they end up, and delayed flights will no longer mean delayed business.

Email to phone for constant access

4. There are some places where you just can't plug into your computer (or would not want to). On a boat, for instance. With email to phone messaging, you can receive email while you relax on a boat, far from an Internet connection. And yes, it IS relaxing to know you don't have to fret about a missed email that could bring down the company or cost you your job.

5. On a hunting or fishing trip, you might often find yourself with no Internet connection. And you certainly won't have a computer with you (I hope!). But you might have cell phone access. And if one of your hunting buddies does drag along his PC from home, you can tell him to get an email to phone service instead.

6. Check in at the cottage, without lugging a computer around. Need I say more. It is indeed relaxing to know you don't have to fret about a missed email that cost you your job. It is NOT relaxing to have to open your eyes to look at a computer monitor.

7. There are also many countries where Internet access is not reliable, even in parts of well-traveled countries. Who needs Internet for emails, when you can receive them by phone?

8. Indeed, even in your own country, there might be areas you frequent that are outside of the digital coverage area, where SMS and text messaging are unavailable, such as driving through deserts or mountains. Even with analog coverage or a regular phone line, you can keep monitoring your email.

Special monitoring email by phone

9. Some people need instant alerts, and have to be in touch even while in the lunch room or traveling between meetings. IT support people, who subscribe to a website monitoring service are a perfect example. If a company's website goes down, the CEO won't be pleased if 45 minutes later the IT manager says, "Sorry, I was out to lunch."

10. Some people have the misfortune of having to communicate with high-tech show-offs like me who use email to communicate. For these unfortunate people who might otherwise be forced to adapt to 21st century technology, email to phone messaging rides to the rescue. "Hah! Now I can listen to email messages on my cell phone. And they thought they could force me to adopt modern technology. Hah! I sure fooled them!"

There you have it – my top ten reasons to use email to phone services. Amazing how new ideas can turn even a stone-aged telephone into a technological leap forward. Imagine what they'll do with boulders next.

David Leonhardt is a web site marketing consultant from Canada and a freelance copy editor. Read more information at an email to phone web site or read the email to phone FAQ