1. In a voice mail system having a central voice message server for delivering voice messages to a remote voice message receiving device, a method comprising: storing a voice signal as a voice message on the central voice message server; and selecting, using the remote voice message receiving device, whether central voice message server will transmit the stored voice message in a digital voice stream format at a playback transmission rate or in a computer file format at a file storage rate; and transmitting the stored voice message from the central voice message server to the remote voice message receiving device in the selected format.