Anyone use a World Phone???
 

Does anyone own the World Phone by Motorola? I've seen it advertised in the in flight mags. The concept is, as I understand it, you use your credit card to pay for the calls you make. It works anywhere and you only use it when you need it. The cost of the phone is about 50 bucks and you don't have to buy cards or pay to keep it active. This seems like an attractive option. I have a regular cell that I carry and am locked into a contract. It doesn't work at all in Japan, Taiwan or basically, anywhere outside of North America. I'd love to hear some opinions/reviews of this product. I don't have a link and can't seem to find the ad in the World Traveler Mag. I'd like more info from someone who has tried the phone and information on where to purchase it. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Not sure about your specific question re the World Phone, but I have usedf a 4 band GSM Motorola phone with Cingular/ATT contract, international roaming, and it works just about verywhere in the world.

There are many threads around here dealing with international cell phones and the best way to go. There is no one right answer for everybody.

For me, I wanted one number that my kids/family/friends could dial a US domestic number and reach me wherever I happen to be. It is for emergency contacts, not chit-chat. The quad band GSM with ATT/Cingular service meets that need.

Here is what I was talking about. Don't think this is the same company that advertises in World Traveler but it's the same concept. http://www.mobalrental.com/gsm/hands...53XXXXNEGYPBOX

I noticed that Japan and South Korea aren't on the list of countries. Those were two of the places I was hoping to get coverage. :( I checked the rates and they are excessively high. :td:

Nowadays, when people talk about the World Phone, they're talking about the Blackberry 8830 from Verizon Wireless.

Since getting it the other week, I've fallen in love.

Seems like T-Mobile's roaming rates are lower.

Maybe if you are a Verizon customer, but people who've been on GSM have had "world phones" for over a decade.

This topic has come up numerous times in this forum so far. This isn't to berate you, searching for world phones that will cover Japan and Korea is a favorite confusing topic that should really be a sticky.

This thread is likely the best compilation of the topic.

Use the GSMarena search engine that I linked to in that thread to pick out your features. You want at the minimum UMTS/Tri-band GSM to cover most non-US GSM countries plus Japan/Korea as roaming.

There's currently a seller on Ebay offering new Samsung Z150s for around $160 which alanw recommends as a good reasonably priced 3G option. No link as it won't be useful as archival material but just search from Ebay.

Also keep in mind that you need a 3G enabled SIM. I'm still trying to settle on one currently.

It usually takes me awhile to get use to a new phone, I got this phone yesterday and I'm already in love with it!!

I'm a fan of Verizon and from my experience Verizon has a better network than Cingular. Regardless, Verizon has had the ability to roam with GSM for quite while. You could rent/buy a GSM phone from Verizon. Verizon also has sold the Motorola A840 for several years. It is a dual band CDMA/GSM Worldphone. The A840 resembles the Motorola v710.

I'm a fan of the Cingular 8525. I have the predecessor (8125), but the 8525 has quad-band GSM as well as UTMS. It also has 802.11g and bluetooth. It's 3G/EDGE compatible. Comes with a slightly hefty pricetag, but it's quite a device. With all the bands it covers plus WiFi/bluetooth, I think it's one of the better ways to be connected anywhere in the world. Plus, I like the slide out keyboard far better than the Blackberry.

In any case, it seems we're finally getting decent options in the U.S. Soon, the "Korea/Japan" issue will be a thing of the past for us all.

The Treo 750 has seven bands of coverage (4 GSM, 3 UMTS) so it'll work pretty much anywhere, including Japan.

I got the $49 phone for a trip to Germany last year. It was about $3/minute but the phone worked great and I was on the boarder between two "sim" chips. I was looking at the rental options but they required a two week committment. I think this phone is great. I could give the number to my family before I left and I didn't need long calls just the touch base quick talks. It also came with all the adapters so all and all it was a good deal. It's also nice not to have to purchase sim cards that will expire.

msv