[VM] html mail: both external and w3m?

[emacs user]

hello,
Reading html mail using vm/w3m works pretty well for me most of the time, but 
occasionally I do want to use an external browser to view a message.  Pressing 
D and then $e on the attachment button then works well, except that the D step 
takes a very long time and I was wondering if that's just my setup...?  also, 
could anyone suggest how I might:  (1) define a function that displays a given 
message using an external browser, so that I can bind it to some key; (2) is it 
possible to view every message both in the presentation buffer and in an 
external browser, simultaneously, side by side?  on a large monitor this may be 
a great option to have...?  cheers, E