Has anyone brought their iphone on their trip to italy? If yes, do I need to do anything special or program in advance? I'd like to use it to check in with relatives in the US and if necessary use the Internet for e-mail.

Thanks!

Check out this thread...a year old, but very explicit info.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6n2amt

I wouldn't. Unless you get the phone unlocked and load a local SIM in it, the data charges for using the internet will ruin you. email, not so much - but SMS messages will probably be cheaper. I know they are on T-Mobile.

Skype on a wired laptop is a good alternative to wireless for yakking.

I'm on T-Mobile, not AT&T, but even when I travel around Europe, I turn off the data services on my phone. At least on T-Mobile, every piece of data you send and receive (emails, texts, voicemails, Internet searches) costs money over and above your plan.

Check with AT&T... maybe they're more liberal, but I doubt it. Also, you might need to ask them to unlock your phone for use in Europe before you leave.

Have a great time!

That hasn't been my experience using my T-Mobileweb unlimited internet subscription ($5.99) in Europe.

As long as the phone (a RAZR V3) is registered on a T-Mobile cell site, I don't get charged for data.

I've used mine in Italy a few times. Here's a post where I've answered some of the same questions - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35107201

I called T-Mobile before my trip and they warned me that I'd be charged a lot for data transmission (and it looks like others have had the same experience per MichaelT's very informative thread).

indovina - it sounds like the best thing you can do is call AT&T, tell them how'd you like to use the phone in Italy, and ask them for the least expensive solution. (and then post your results on this forum)

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

We just returned from Italy earlier this month. Took our iPhone and did the posting above prior to trip. Works well. I made a "Cheat Sheet" and took it with me. If interested, let me know.

I've used my T-Mobile Blackberry all over Europe for very little money. You just have to subscribe to their International data plan. It is prorated for the time you use it.

Unlike Blackberry plans, there's no unlimited international data plan for the iphone. There's a 20MB and a 50MB plan that's good in 41 countries (vs over 140 countries for the BB plan).

And for AT&T users, the BB intl plan isn't prorated. It requires a 1 year commitment.

My 14 yr old niece took her iPhone with her during our trip to Paris a week ago. Her dad texted her 3 days later ordering her to turn the damned thing off cause surfing the net on it had already cost him $7000. <stupid parent>

I know this is old, but if philip is around, I'd be interested in the cheat sheet...

Anyone else is free to respond too, I switched to the iphone and will be using in france later this month. Not using to chit chat other than the occasional making a dinner reservation and having contact with the husband when we go off and do separate things, we prefer to just text each other. I am just confused with the map application--am I using data when I look at a saved map?

Cherrybomb

Cheatsheat came in handy. I updated after we returned. Our bill was a few hundred dollars ~ which is what we expected (and hoped).

Send me an email at [email protected] and I will be happy to send.