[Updated: The earlier article didn’t make it clear that this software is still receive-only. Sending solutions described below.] eFax has just posted an OS X version of their eFax Messenger software. If you are already a member they may have already sent you an email about it. If not, you can get it from their Web site. If you do not already have eFax, you can get it by signing up for a free account.
Ed: I’ve been thinking about eFax for some time because I’ve always found the idea of being able to send faxes via the Internet, without a ground phone line, very appealing. (Imagine faxing via Airport wireless!) I wish the world would give up on faxes, but business frequently requires it, so US$9.95/mo isn’t bad in comparison to Kinko’s rates. Receive accounts are an even better deal: for free, you can have a local number that forwards incoming faxes to your e-mail — perfect if youre on the road. But as at least one reader has observed, this is still not eFax sending software.
Don’t fret, though; according to eFax help, in addition to sending via a web interface at their site, you can just e-mail [email protected], where “faxnumber” is the fax number you’re sending to. Any text in the e-mail becomes the cover page, and you can attach in supported formats including Office v.X for the Mac and (best of all) PDF. Since you can create PDFs easily from the print dialog of any OS X app, you can effectively fax anything to anyone from your Mac in just two steps, without ever touching a phone line. Oh, and yes, the reader is correct, if for some reason you don’t like this eFax software, you can open efx or TIF fax files in the greatest Mac graphic utility ever, Graphic Converter. -PK
