we are going to south africa, india, sydney and thailand---and would like to get a mobile device that can download apps and access the internet--looking for universal device whose data plan is not expensive (if that is possiblee).
any suggestions--carriers.
thank you
roslyn327
1
rayonline
Maybe someone can advise on a international sim card but it won't be cheap esp ... data which it really depends on how you gonna use them - are you gonna be uploading pix and vids on Facebook, watching youtube ... if so oh my ....
Basically if you want a method that a lot of travellers use - use a free or cheap app like orux or mapswithme it allows you to save section of whole country maps and the latter one allows you to get the $5 version to have a wee database of POIs which you can recall or you can save your own ... so you see your blue arrow and make your own way there ... however if you want voice guidance turn left - right - straight ahead - you will reach your destination in 20mins then you will have to buy a proper commercial map or use Google with a sim. Also if you wanna search for specific addresses you may need that too. Nokia Drive for their phones do that for free offline by the way. But if not Nokia get an iPhone or an Android and choose your poison app with the right trade off.
The phone or device doesn't matter - it's the simcard. You could use your home sim overseas, easiest way, works in all maybe the countries you mentioned but rather expensive. Also note that some of the simcards you get cheap online, might not be that fast as a individual simcard directly related to that telco. But yeah ... you are a super contrast of diff - Australia may be seen as one of the more expensive countries for cellphones, I live in NZ and then you have Thailand where one of the more cheaper ones ....
2
phimeow
Roslyn
You have already posed this question a few days before. This has been answered many times already in this forum.
Read this http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2325275&messageID=20880883#20880883
There is no cheap data anywhere - and since your travels is quite diverse country-wise, best to get a local SIM in each country and prepaid data plan if they have one.
3
justin23
blog
The device makes no difference here. Data is rarely cheap compared to a home internet plan for example. As already suggested, you'll need an unlocked device and buy sim cards locally for data. However as someone who has travelled to many more remote places than you are planning too, just get something and use wifi instead. Nobody really needs mobile data... well ok sometimes its helpful, but a lot of people manage without it and often get lost less than those who have it :-)
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