Consumers are not the same as professional users. They're a different breed with unique behaviors, needs and demands. For example, the survey reveals that consumer mobile email solutions need to meet a number of important criteria.

Make it easy
63 percent of respondents said "ease-of-use" was very important for a mobile email service. They don't want to have to read a lengthy users' manual or download and configure software to set up the service -- it should be intuitive and fast.

Make it work with what they've got
No need to upgrade was rated a very important feature by 53 percent of respondents. Consumers want to be able to use the phone and the email accounts they already have.

Make it affordable
71 percent of respondents ranked "low cost" as a very important feature of a mobile email service, and 96 percent of consumers aren't willing to buy an expensive device just to get mobile email. They want access to their email on the go, but they don't want the hefty price tag.

Put them in the driver's seat
More than three quarters (82 percent) of consumers surveyed want to be able to choose which emails reach them on their cell phones. Unlike professional users, consumers don't want every email from their inbox delivered to their phones and they definitely don't want spam. Would you? If you have a sub $100 cell phone -- perhaps you're a recent college grad on a pre-paid plan, or a busy mom who is constantly on the go -- the answer is probably not. Consumers want to be in control over what they receive.

Deliver what they want
Emails from the boss are definitely not wanted according to 67 percent of respondents -- they would actually rather hear from an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend. 69 percent ranked emails from a spouse or significant other as priority emails they would like pushed to their cell phone.

Mass-market consumers want only the messages that matter, or messages they care about pushed to their mobile phone. This may be messages from their spouse, child or best friend.

Objections
The survey results clearly show that consumers overwhelmingly want to be able to control who they receive emails from on their cell phone and cite "low cost" as a very important mobile email feature.

Still, not everyone is convinced of the mass-market opportunity for mobile email. What follows are some of the objections often raised.

Do consumers really need mobile email when they have text messaging?
To date, the success of SMS (Short Message Service), also known as text message or simply "texting", especially in Western Europe, has been phenomenal, but that doesn't mean there is only room for one mobile messaging application. SMS meets the need for short, quick communication (messages of 160 characters or less) between two people who are both on their mobile phones.

On the contrary, mobile email gives users access to messages and information sent to their email address -- messages they might not otherwise see until they returned to their computers. For example, imagine the email sent to 20 people announcing the birth of your best friend's new baby, or the email to you and your golf buddies about an unexpected change in the tee time. These are the types of important emails that consumers want to see on the go.