I suppose that we all know that the post office isn’t really a dying industry, but so many other services (UPS, FedEx) and technologies (e-mail and IM) can replace it completely.

Of course, there is nothing that can replace getting physical mail, but a company would like your snail mail as electronic as possible. Their technology actually puts physical mail on your iPhone, iPad, or PC.

I will have to admit that it would be different not to have a mailbox. The service allows mail to be picked up three times a week, and then it is actually opened and scanned. Then the contents are stored, and you can review them on the web with the option of organizing, archiving, and searching. You can even e-mail your mail.

Granted, I have to admit it is weird to have someone going through your mail, and they only work on locked mailboxes. You will have to give permission for the company to go through your mail, and give them a key. If you want to actually see the mail, you have to specially request it. Packages, by the way, will be sent to your door.

After an initial alpha test, Outbox will be available in San Francisco. It is about $4.99 a month, with the first month for free. I would like to see how this one goes. Perhaps we will all get Outbox accounts and forget snail mail entirely.

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