Data usage in checking email

[rpguk]

The email client on my mobile (Sony Ericsson K750i) has an option to check for new messages at set intervals (down to 5 minutes).

As a connectionholic I quite like the idea of a feature but am a little afraid to activate it for fear of running up a huge data bill.

So basically does anyone know how much data transfer will be used when checking email (not including the size of the emails itself) just as if there were no new emails. Are we talking Kb's a time as it authenticates?

If there are emails will it download all the headers each time it checks or does the server know which headers the phone has already downloaded?

Thanks

Richard.

[_dobbo_]

Assuming it's efficient you are talking about the following data being transmitted:

+OK AVG POP3 Proxy Server 7.0.338/7.0.338 [267.10.0]
user username
+OK username is welcome.
pass password
+OK mailbox locked
stat
+OK 0 0
LIST
+OK 0 messages 0 (octets)


which is a matter of 100 or so bytes. When there is mail it's slightly more, unless you download it all of course!

POP3 supports a command called "top" which shows just the headers of a message - this will likely be what your phone does - if you really want to download the whole thing you probably then can.





>> Edited by _dobbo_ on Thursday 4th August 09:07