I am looking for the perfect device to take to Europe which would allow me to get and send emails, play my tunes, and maybe even allow me to view photos from my camera. Has anyone traveled with the new iphone Touch or a similar device? I am probably not interested in full-blown telephones because of expensive plans in the States and Europe, but maybe there is a cheaper option out there. Thanks much.
Will
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
I use a PDA in my travels. With it I can watch videos, listen to music, play games, make calls with Skype and connect to the internet via WiFi. Best of all it's no bigger than a calculator. The best PDA currently on the market is the HP iPAQ hx2795 Pocket PC. More info can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/2sgzfa
Posted by
Scotland
505 posts
Greetings
I'm not sure there's one perfect item, especially since mobile/PDA plans are different in Europe.
To be honest, a run of the mill European cell phone could probably do everything you want, albeit probably not having memory for a lot of music or photos. Certainly any phone in Europe can send e-mail (texts are actually much more common here), take photos and many can be used to play music.
You might just want to invest in a good IPod Classic for photos and music, and then buy a cheap European mobile with pay per minute plans for making calls and sending e-mails. You can buy a Sim Card for one country or multiple countries so you aren't paying for long distance calls.
Kate
Posted by
Davie, FL, USA
49 posts
I used an old Dell Axim X30 on our last trip. You should also check out Nokia's internet tablet. If you want full pc capability, you could also check out ASUS's $300 Linux laptop or a Windows UMPC, wqhich is what I graduated to. The Samsung Q1 Ultra with Windows XP is pretty cool.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1895 posts
The iPhone is a wonderful device, but too expensive for travel/interent. I just took mine on a trip to Italy 2 weeks ago. I disabled all functions but the phone/ipod for this trip.
The problem is...the European companies charge an arm and a leg for internet/text. The phone use is still more expensive, but not as bad. (roaming charges!)
AT &T had huge issues with people that bought their iPhones, then traveled to Europe. they came home with $1,000 bills +++. For each email received, or sent, the charges are too high! Apple had a fix on the phone so you could disable functions like these.
I'd hoped to be able to stay off EDGE and use wireless while in Rome, but I never got a wireless signal, so I used internet cafes for email, but had my iPhone with me to stay in contact with home, check the time at home and local, look at some photos I'd downloaded and listen to my itunes collections.