The Amstrad E-mailer (stylised as e-m@iler in marketing materials and on the phone, or written as Emailer or Em@iler) is a Personal Communication Centre that is a landline phone device, launched in March 2000.
The first model was known as the EM2000, this was followed in 2002 by the EM2002 plus model and then the final iteration was the E3 in 2004, known as the Emailer Videophone.[1]
The Amserve email system was closed in June 2011 by Amstrad's owner Sky which left the e-mailer no longer functioning.[2]
History
Design and release
The idea for the Amstrad E-mailer was conceived by Bob Watkins and was called BSI. The product was designed by Cliff Lawson and Ian Saward who started working on the Emailer in 1997. The form factor was based on the Amstrad PB1500 Landline phone, using most of the same keyboard layout.
The first Amstrad E-mailer was a collaboration between Amstrad and BT, with Amstrad using the backend and email server provided by BT. BT released their own e-mail phone, the BT Easicom 1000, in 1998, 2 years before the Emailer's release.[3] When the Amstrad E-mailer was released in March 2000, it had the "Powered by BT" logo printed on it. In February 2002 with the launch of the new e-mailer, Amstrad moved to their own Email/Internet service via Thus and broke ties with BT.[4]
Amstrad claimed that 110,000 original e-mailers were manufactured before the Plus was introduced 23 months later.
The bootloader was named "PBL", an abbreviation for "Primary Boot Loader", and was designed by Trevor Kellaway at Application Solutions for Amstrad.[5]
Accessories
The Mailboard that slides out from under the handset was similar to the original ZX Spectrum keyboard. The E3 Videophone Mailboard was different, with rubber keys.
All three models of the Mailboard can be used on all three E-mailer models, so they can use an E1 Mailboard on the E3 and vice versa. All models work as a PS/2 keyboard.
The Amstrad E3 Superphone came with a gamepad similar to a PlayStation 1 controller.
Advertising on the E-mailer
The emailer also included advertising on its screen but when it downloaded the adverts it was on a free 0808 number so the customer was not charged. Advertisers included Sky, AOL, BT, Orange, Toyota, Halifax, Dialaphone, HSBC and NS&I.[13]
External links
References
- Emailer Amstrad, retrieved 30 March 2026^
- What can replace an Amstrad E-m@iler? Daily Telegraph, 18 June 2011, retrieved 30 March 2026^
- BT Easicom 1000 User Guide^