iPhone Questions

I believe that Apple still requires iPhone owners to commit to a 2-year AT&T plan. Read the details on Apple's website at:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/buy/ . If you just need WiFi or internet capability (but not the phone service), perhaps the iPod Touch is for you. http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features/

An Apple Store rep told me that it was not possible to transfer photos directly from a digital camera/SD card to an iPhone or iPod Touch. However, you can easily copy the photos to your personal computer using a $10 SD card reader. With a Mac, you could then use iTunes/iPhoto to automatically sync the photos back to your iPhone. With a PC, there is a workaround involving a few more steps.

In reverse, you can sync photos taken with the iPhone's built-in camera to a Mac by way of iTunes/iPhoto. For PC users, one way is to send yourself e-mail messages with photos attached (very cumbersome method). Details at:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/#photos.about-photos .

Be careful with the iPhone if you use it overseas. The phone is apparently set to download data in the background and many, many users aren't even aware it is doing it. Lots of cell phone and apple forums are full of posts where someone was surprised when they got home to get an enormous cell phone bill. There are ways to set the phone so it won't run up these roaming data charges, but I don't have the specifics.

Have you considered getting an Ipod Touch? They do pretty much the same thing as Iphone, accept there is no phone and no "uninformed" downloading so no crazy phone bills. Depends on what you want it for I guess, but dont rule the Ipod touch out... great system that is very powerful and gets free Wi-fi.

You will need a contract to purchase an iPhone 3GS. In the US it is 2 years. I think there is a non-contract price point in the US, and it is around $800.

Right now the only map related software that you could use for Europe would be the Google Maps client, which requires an internet connection which would be incredibly expensive in Europe. Compass will work without an internet connection on it's own, but it is fairly useless without a data plan to provide content.

TomTom will be releasing a turn by turn GPS app that does not require a constant data connection sometime this summer. I imagine it will run in the $50 range for a North American map pack. Their Europe map packs for other devices were around $250 US, so I am not sure what their price point will be. This software WILL work with the current iPhone 3G.

No easy way to transfer pictures without the use of a computer. There likely are 3rd party grayware apps that you could use if you jailbroke the phone, but that is a completely other topic.

If you get a local SIM card to use in an unlocked phone (which isn't possible with an iPhone, I believe, unless you "jailbreak" it yourself), then I'm not sure this statement is correct: the "only map related software that you could use for Europe would be the Google Maps client, which requires an internet connection which would be incredibly expensive in Europe." Internet connections for a cell phone in some European countries are very reasonable for short term use. For example, T-Mobile UK has a pay-as-you-go plan that is, I believe, is only £7.5 a week. I plan to use it in a few weeks with my Sony Ericsson phone. With the phone I have, which has a GPS chip, I can see my location using google maps.

Yes, you cannot use a different carrier's SIM without a jailbreak. So, if you were to use the AT&T international roaming in Europe (used France as an example), it would be $.02/kb. So, to download 1MB (which you can easily do using Google maps) of data, it would be around $20, which is my book is incredibly expensive.

I have been thinking of this same dilemma and i have come to two possible conclusions. I may buy the itouch and where ever i am staying or go to a cafe, use the wifi for stuff i need to do and then before i leave, get the map loaded on my phone for where i need to go and use it that way. it will work. also if you have an iPhone, make sure all you roaming stuff is off and when you are at a place with wifi use it that way. that way it works just like and itouch. there are some pretty goods apps that will have preloaded maps of countries or cities that way you wont need an active internet conection

other scenario is i have the tmobile g1 aka google phone. if i get an alternate sim card for my time in europe i can make the calls i need to make and still use the internet and other data functions, though my phone has wifi so i would use the wifi as much as possible and not the phone data

i have an iphone, my buddy just unlocked his (jailbreak) it is fantastic and i am planning on doing the same. i will then just by sim cards at the train stations when i arrive and plug it into my phone and be able to use it anytime without the hassle of worrying about an expensive phone bill.

i think its fairly easy to jailbreak the phone. there are tons of forums on the internet..

I have an iphone and when i go to europe I turn the "push data" feature off. This saves a really big bill. Most of the aps require a wifi connection. Some do not, I have the Paris subway ap which is fantastic, speak french also very adequate and helpful.