The Addiction of Wireless E-Mail

I???m writing an article about wireless e-mail for Network Computing and we are taking a close look at the leading products in this space. I???m also trying to get as much hands-on experience with these products as I can, and one of my preliminary conclusions is that while having instant access to e-mail can enhance productivity, moving business interaction from fast to supersonic, that part of the appeal is one of instant gratification, with the hope and excitement in each chime of an incoming message that something good has just arrived. The sad reality is that most e-mail we receive represents new obligations, and it is only a small percentage of e-mail that actually brightens our day. Yet because we receive those occasional nuggets, we keep opening each message as soon we receive it fully of expectations. No wonder wireless e-mail is so addictive.