ITouch or Iphone for trip this June

sally, The answer will probably depend on what you want to use the iPhone / iPod Touch for? I believe the Verizon version of the iPhone uses CDMA technology, which WON'T work in Europe, so you won't have to worry about "airplane mode". When used in Europe (or other GMS service areas), the Verizon iPhone will operate only in Wi-Fi areas and will be essentially a high-priced version of an iPod Touch. If you only require the iPhone / iPod Touch when you have Wi-Fi access, a Netbook would also be a good option to consider.

What would your main use(s) be for an Itouch or Iphone? Are you wanting one for the apps or for calling home, accessing the internet or e-mail, etc.? I took my Itouch to Italy on our last trip and found it useful in various ways. For example, I used tripit.com & created a detailed itinerary which I then downloaded to my Itouch. It contained all pertinent details such as hotel names, addresses, ph#'s, flight #'s, etc. I also downloaded all of my contacts from Outlook onto my Itouch so I could send postcards to friends. I was able to download e-mail onto it via wifi though it was hit or miss. I also downloaded several of the Rick Steves tours which worked out well. Hubby also took his Itouch so we both utilized the Rick Steves walking tours. We each downloaded a bunch of movies to watch on the plane & this worked out well too. There are just a ton of uses for the Itouch but of course everything that you can use the Itouch for can also apply to the Iphone. I am also contemplating upgrading my Verizon cell phone to the Iphone but would still keep my Itouch as it seems a little less heavy/bulky than the Iphone.

Thanks Ken and Sheron. I am already thinking of getting an Iphone through Verizon ( my present cell carrier) and am just deciding whether to do it earlier or do it in when the Iphone 5 comes out ( who knows when?). We will definitely use an unlocked regular phone and just buy sims card in Rome to make calls locally and to back home. The Iphone or Itouch would be to download Italian and Spanish Apps such as if I am having difficulty communicating, I can type the word and have them listen to corresponding translation. Also to download RS walking tours, and as Sheron mentioned, details of the trip. Thanks ken for letting me know about the Verizon CDMA technology so I don't have to switch to the airplane mode. I forgot about that regarding Verizon.

I have a Touch. I have a 10 year old stupid-phone. For translation my Touch has Ultralingua, which needs no internet connection, and it works great. For calling home, I use laptop Skype, but I hardly ever call home. For calling within Italy (for museum reservations, etc.) I sometimes rent a stupid phone in Italy. I never use my US stupid phone in Italy because I have a US-wide plan, not an international plan. I agree with the other posters that it boils down to identifying who you are likely to call while on vacation as narrowed by which of those communications do not need to be phone calls, but which can be done on-line via wifi (like museums)

sally, I'm assuming that your reference to an "unlocked regular phone" refers to a quad-band GSM phone? If the "regular phone" is a Verizon CDMA model, it doesn't use a SIM card and WON'T work in Europe.

Hi ken, yes, the unlocked phone we have is a quad band phone ( not the verizon one) which we used on our previous trip to London.

Sally, I read on-line this week that the Iphone 5 is coming out in the fall (either Sept or Nov). Not sure if this helps your decision or not.

You can think of the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad as iOS devices that have varying screen sizes and slightly different capabilities based on the hardware variation you have. There are apps that only work on the iPad and not the iPhone or iPod Touch, but most of the travel apps support all three. The iPod Touch is the smallest and lightest (3.56 ounces, 101 grams) of the three, but it lacks a GPS, the screen and especially the camera are of lower quality than the ones in the iPhone 4 and of course it has no cellular voice or data capability, but it can have up to 64 GB of memory compared to the iPhone 4 which can only have 32 GB. Both the iPod Touch and Iphone 4 have 960 x 640 displays @ 326 pixels per inch (ppi). At under $400 with no contract requirement it is by far the cheapest option as well. The iPhone 4 is a little bigger and heavier at 4.8 ounces (137 grams), but the main issue with it is you want it as a phone, so the real cost is the contract over two years. The iPad 2 has a 1024 x 768 display @ 132 ppi and is considerably heavier at 1.33 pounds (601g) without a case. You can get a 3G model and the AT&T model is supposed to be unlocked, so you can stick a data sim from a different carrier in it while you're abroad. You have to get the AT&T or Verizon model to get GPS support. You can import pictures into the iPad with the camera connection kit, which you can't do with the iPhone or iPod Touch. Software issues in the next message...

You didn't say whether you are already in the Apple ecosystem and are invested in using iTunes, iDisk (mobileme), etc. I'm going to use the iPod Touch as a base. For travel, in addition to standard apps, games and music (including all RS podcasts, walks), you can use videos and all manner of documents. iBooks gives you access to free and for pay books, but it also provides a simple way to organize and view PDFs. The Kindle reader gives you access to even more guidebooks and free books. Additional applications provide other ways to create and read other document formats. An Apple Bluetooth keyboard (around 11 ounces) makes extended typing, say in your hotel room, an even nicer mini-computer. One of the big things about any smartphone, but especially the current Apple offering is that most if not all of the paper you would normally take with you on a trip can instead be on your device with a backup in the cloud that you have access to via web or another device if you share with others. Even with a Touch you'll have photos, email, web, music and the ability to make voice and video calls over wi-fi with Skype or Google Voice. People can call you and leave a message on both of those as well. Google Voice is probably the nicest and cheaper; messages will get transcribed, so you can see the text as well as listen to the original voice message if you want. If most of your phone usage is outgoing then the Touch and iPad are more than enough and very inexpensive. For travel, the big missing feature on the Touch is the lack of a real GPS. The iPad with 3G solves that issue, but I consider it too large to carry around during the day.

Ken is right. If you have Verizon or Sprint service the phone will work great in the US. But in Europe it's just extra weight, since this service is CDMA. I have T-Mobile and my phone (3G slide) worked great to make phone calls, but the internet or any other operations with 3G did not work, even though it's a GSM phone. Don't know if ATT's IPhone works any better. None on their phone services sell any HTC made phones, so that might be why the 3G was not compatible with the Italy.

All iPhones except the current Verizon iPhone 4 work fine abroad except that you either pay the AT&T international rates for voice and data, use something like iPhoneTrip as an alternate SIM for unlimited data, or you need to unlock your phone. http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html GSM model: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

The iPOD touch seems like the best alternative to me. Doesn't using Skype for telephoning require the other person to have a skype account? If they do,do you just email them a designated time for calling? No spontaneous calling then I guess. How does Google voice work? Anyone know how available free WiFi is in Venice, Florence and Rome? Lots of questions. Thanks for any info.

Thanks everyone for your helpful feedbacks. For this trip, I resolved to pack light and use the 21inches luggage. Instead of the Acer small laptop, I plan to use either the Itouch or the Iphone. I thought of Itouch first as I don't want to pay the international phone rate and have an unlocked quadband phone. I am with Verizon and am planning to get the Iphone5 but who knows when -maybe in the Fall? Since Europe is on GSM while Verizon is not, then perhaps Iphone4 will work out ok for me to use it on Free wi-fi spots, Using Apps on languages and RS walks ( Just have to learn how to do it).

Doesn't using Skype for telephoning require the other person to have a skype account? Nope. You can Skype out for around .02 or .03, or free to 800. You can arrange a time, much like you might do at home, but taking into account the time difference.