Comment 2 for bug 381394

Note that this error is occurring when first logging in to an account on a laptop that is wirelessly connected.

I conjecture that the wireless connection is not yet established when mail-notification first starts (as a gnome startup) and thus the error is correct at that point in time, and further that there is some error in updating the status from that point forward, e.g., by right-clicking and selecting the "Update" menu option, even though the wireless network is up at that point.