in the UK you can just go buy a sim card and fill it up as you need it just about anywhere, its the best choice i think for this application, i go there a a fair bit, at&t/cingular service USA works in the UK too, so you can still use your USA number there, for a cost. but you may not be able to find good rates with data services too, most of the carriers didn't want to give up data for pay as you go(last year anyway)
i prefer tmobile over cingular, but thats not for any good reason ;)
theres also orange , vodaphone, and o2, vodaphone are the biggest
the data service prices over there are very expensive though , if you go for the dedicated ones, and they dont share tmobile to the usa, although you can use up the pay as you go here.
depending on where you are, you'd be better off using a hotspot, starbucks are common in london, but not so much elsewhere, there maybe only one or two hooked up for hotspots in cities(at least where i go, had to drive 30 miles to get to a starbucks) but in london they're all over.
ipaqs used to be the bee knees of the PocketPC range, but HP ruined them, I'd go with the dell axiom now, however for a phone/pda mix you'd have to use vonage or something with that i'm not aware of an axiom phone, i returned my last ipaq, it was a joke, crashed all the time, 3 other people were at the store returning them at the same time.. the 36xx/38x series was the last of the good ipaqs i'd say.
you maybe better off getting a smartphone instead, like the mpx220 or the o2/orange pda smartphones.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Keeney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 5:09 PM
Subject: [SOCALWUG] Wireless PDA choices and pay as you go service in the UK
It's been many years since I've carried a PDA. I have an upcoming trip to the UK (a 2 week vacation) and I need email and other connectivity while traveling. I definitely need Windows Mobile for Windows integration.
I'm considering one of these PDA's (unlocked version):
HP iPAQ h6315 HP iPAQ h6340 HP iPAQ h6365
Each of these appear to support quad band, international GSM/GPRS.
I'm looking at T-Mobile or Cingular for my service in the US. Which one is recommended? Most of my use in the US is withing Southern California. I'd like to arrange a UK service before I leave. I need a "pay as you go" data and voice service in the UK.
Can anyone recommend a "pay as you go" data and voice service for use in the
UK?
Any reason not to go with the HP iPAQ? Is there another killer PDA I should
consider?
Which accessories do you recommend?
I don't travel overseas very often at all, so I only need a temporary service outside the US.
Thank you
Frank Keeney Tel: +1-626-344-1424 Pasadena Networks, LLC http://www.wlanparts.com
