Two electronics questions
 

I want to take my iPod Touch to Italy. I bought it in December and it came with a power adaptor. I’ve checked the info on the side of the adaptor and it doesn't say anything about dual voltage or 110 – 240. The Apple website lists the iPod power adaptor as an accessory and says that it may be used around the world, but I’ve never seen a dual voltage device that didn’t list it as such. Has anyone used the power adaptor that comes with the Touch in Italy? Does your adaptor list the dual voltage?

A friend is meeting us in Italy. She has a quad band US phone that will be unlocked, but with her US sim card. When she calls us on our Italian cell phone, does she use the 011 prefix as if she were calling from the US (since her phone has a US sim card) or does she use the 00 prefix since she will actually be in Europe? I know, probably a dumb question, but I know nothing from cell phones.

Thanks so much for any help you can give me.
Jim

your ipod does not need a voltage converter--it is dual.

she will make the call as if she is in the US and will have to dial the prefix.

Thanks, Cherrybomb. I just didn't want to fry my iPod.

Your ipod should be ok. You only need plug adaptor.

Your friend should call the local numbers. When I use my mobile with a UK SIM in the US, I don't have to dial international prefix.

If you've got a mobile phone (wherever it comes from) in Italy and you want to ring an Italian number, you can do one of two things:

- You can ring the Italian number, starting with its area code. So if they're in Milan, the number starts 02.

- or you can start off 0039, followed by the Italian area code followed by the local number. Sounds a dumb thing to do, but sometimes computers and mobile phones have a default where that's what they do, and it doesn't matter. The call goes through, and you pay the same.

As far as I'm aware if a phone in Italy sends a signal with an incorrect international prefic, like 011, it'll just throw its hands up in confusion and go on strike. Or put you through to some poor Italian whose local number starts 011, if there is such a person. The system you're connecting with has no idea what you're trying to do.

When I call on my cell phone to an international number, I use the + sign. So, if I were calling the US number 555-555-5555 from Europe, I would dial +1-555-555-5555.

I think some of this information is a bit misleading. It doesn't matter what PHONE you are using, what matters is what SIM card is in the phone. If I take my phone with the AT&T Sim card to Europe then I have to "pretend" I am in the US and dial the Italy (or where ever) international code just as I would in the US. Even if I am calling a number in the same city I am physically standing in. However, if I switch out my AT&T sim and put in an Italian Sim then I just dial the local number. Same phone.

The pricing is different too. If you are using your AT&T Sim card it depends on what international calling plan you have. As of a couple of years ago Cingular (now AT&T) had a plan that was pretty cheap, but it was still about $1 a minute, but you had to call them and have that plan activated for the time period you wanted to use it. You could call and cancel the plan when you got back. The plan itself added about $5 to your regular monthly bill, plus minutes used. I don't know what it is now that it's AT&T because now I have a United MObile sim which works in all European country's and is really cheap.

T eliminate having to remember how to dial from whatever country I am in, I stored all the numbers on my phone with the +. For example, +1555112222, +442072221234. The + is a signal to the GSM network to prepend the number with whatever the international dial code is for the country you are calling from. So, I can just dial as is from anywhere. Most manuals that come with world phones also suggest doing the same.

And in case you do not know, ou get the + on the screen by holding down e zero key.

<i>And in case you do not know, ou get the + on the screen by holding down e zero key.</i>

This isn't true on all phones. On my Sony phone, I hold down zero. On my Nokia, I have to press the star-key twice.

Like others, I just store all of my numbers with the +.