How I get email on my 'dumb phone' (a.k.a. not a 'smart phone' or pda)

This is how I get emails forwarded to my Dumb Phone through SMS ( Text Messaging)
Standard Rates Apply they always say! (meaning if you don't have a text message plan with your carrier you Will get charged on a per message basis! $$$)

First get a Gmail account and start switching all your newsletters and friends/family contacts to your Fancy new email address (Isn't it refreshing to have a brand new start?)
I use Gmail (Google) for many reasons including the fact that email forwarding is free, unlike Yahoo and many others.

Next click on Settings on the upper right of the Gmail page.

Then click on Fowarding and Pop/Imap

Then check the Foward a copy of incoming. . 

Now where you enter your 'phones email address', which is your phone number with area code @ an address that your carrier has set up already for pushing emails/text to your phone, all you have to do is figure out the right address for your carrier.

So, for example, if you have AT&T you type:  1112345678@txt.att.net

I choose to keep Gmail's copy in the inbox so I can actually read it later. What comes across in the text message is usually chopped up if it is a pretty web based (html) email and not the whole message. But it is enough if you are waiting for a reply from craiglist ad or sold something on ebay, stuff like that. Just enough to know that you got an email you were waiting for and to remind you to check it when you have better access.

You will be sent a text with a verification code to enter in the forwarding settings of Gmail right under where you put in your phonenumber@att.whatever.com.

Some other big name carriers address' are:

Alltel           yournumber@message.alltel.com

T-Mobile    yournumber@tmomail.net

Sprint         yournumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com

Verizon       yournumber@vtext.com