Mobile Internet

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” Helen Keller

When we travelled we used either internet cafe's, Wifi hotspots or hotel/hostel net connections. This was not wholly ideal and it would have been better to maintain a net connection world wide.

To be able to connect to the internet to send emails from anywhere in the world you need the following.

A laptop that connects to your mobile phone. This is only required if you want to have the convenience of a proper screen and keyboard. The laptop can connect to the mobile phone using a cable or bluetooth. Bluetooth is convenient because there is no hardwiring to the laptop. (LESS WIRES!!!!!!!!!!!) In addition if you experience bad reception you can locate the phone in the best spot and work on the laptop in another, bear in mind that Bluetooth range is usually around 10m.
Hardwiring is faster than Bluetooth.

A mobile phone that has GPRS which most of the better mobiles have these days. Top end mobiles can be used directly to send.receive emails browse the internet etc. But with the small screens can be awkward for extended use. In addition it will be slower to compose an email or browse which may be a consideration if you are on a tight budget.

Your mobile needs to be 3G preferably but bear in mind if the service is not available your phone cannot provide it. Speed of transmission is an important factor too so if you purchase a mobile for your trip make sure it has HSDPA )High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). The cheapest way to email and browse is to purchase data packet bundles. Basically this means than rather than buying airtime you are buying packets of data. In other words you are not paying for how long you talk but for how much you say. When it come to emails etc. it's cheaper to buy data packet bundles than airtime.

Pocket Mail

If your main concern is email then take a serious look at PocketMail. Essentially this is a handheld device (PDA) that enables one to compose and send emails from any landline phone anywhere in the world. To quote from their site:

PocketMail is the mobile E-mail service that allows you to access your E-mail from every country in the world.

With PocketMail, you can stay in touch wherever you are and at a cost significantly lower than other alternatives.

PocketMail Website

Service

Before you buy a service or SIM Card make sure GPRS is supported and what rates are charged.

Visit Telestial for an idea for rates and availability internationally.

Don’t assume that GPRS will always be readily available anywhere you go. You may expect most extensive GPRS coverage in Asia and the U.S. but you may not find it in every European country. Do your homework before you leave home!