The recently released Apple iPhone is described as having a fully capable browser, iPod features, display turning capability and fancy touch navigation making thousands of techies drool - one step closer to an end all device. If only it had GPS…

The challenge for us is that it’s only available with AT&T service within the United States. We use the other GSM provider and have been happy with the service. Plus we want a phone we can use when we travel internationally.

Enter the recent iPhone unlock options. A college bound teenage boy, George Hotz, discovered a two-hour hardware unlock method. Also, several individuals going by the name of iPhoneSIMfree.com team claim they have found a software unlock. The information appears at PQ blog and indicates except for visual voicemail all the iPhone features work following the unlock conversion.

If these work out, it would make it possible to purchase the iPhone for use with GSM service in the United States and abroad. It could be a practical tool for those of us who work remotely.

In Tanzania, cell phone and Internet access varied widely. We were unable to get mobile phone reception or connect to the Internet our first night in Dar es Salaam. There was an Internet cafe at the Slipway mall where our motel was located but the system was down that night. While in Dar es Salaam, we acquired a local SIM card which turned out to be very useful. Though the system was less than perfect, with it we sent text messages and made international calls for a fraction of the cost of either of our mobile phone carriers.

Mdonya in the Ruaha National Park was the first bush camp we visited. There was a slow satellite phone and Internet connection. Although the manager was gracious to offer us access, there was no pressing need. During the remainder of our stay at Ruaha, and later at the Selous National Park, we used our mobile phone with the local SIM card for text messages and international calls. Because mobile phone signals were intermittent, we would submit the text messages and leave the phone on until the signal was strong enought for the messages to go out and incoming messages to download.

There was a satellite Internet connection at Selou Safari Camp. With staff permission and in between game drives, activities and meals we managed to check on urgent issues using the reception tent connection.

In Zanzibar, the Mbeweni Ruins Hotel, where we spent the night on our way to northern Tanzania, had a computer with Internet access available for guest use. In the Grumeti Reserves, we hit the jackpot. Sabora Plains Tented Camp and Sasakwa Lodge had complimentary direct dial phone access for international calls and high speed Internet access in our tent and cottage. Finally, we were able to download all our emails, check messages, reply and catch up on the latest news.

At some of the places we visited, there was an unspoken policy designed to discourage guest use and access of mobile phones and the Internet while on vacation. Guest managers frequently reminded us that we were on vacation and should not call or connect to the Internet.

We explained that for us, and many other guests we spoke with, being able to stay connected with work and family while we’re away allows us to travel to remote locations like Tanzania and for extended trips we might otherwise not be able to make.

On our return we had to overnight in Dar es Salaam once more. We stayed at the Kilimanjaro Hotel. It had in room high speed Internet access. Using a cable the hotel provided we connected and had good uninterrupted service.

JConnect offers a free phone number at an area code of their choice in the U.S. This service is called JConnect Free. For a monthly fee (about $15) you can sign up for a phone number in a specific area code and access their premium features. This service is called JConnect Premier. Although there may be other companies offering similar services, this is the only one I’ve tried. Once you have your JConnect phone number you can listen to voicemail messages by email.  JConnect emails you the voicemail message and you can play it on your computer. This is a practical feature if you’re traveling because it eliminates the need to call for your voicemail message.

Sometimes I have limited or infrequent access to my computer or to the Internet. When that happens it’s more convenient and faster to receive the voicemail messages on my mobile phone. JConnect makes that possible quickly and easily; and as a JConnect Premier member I pay no additional fees to forward my voicemail messages. My mobile phone company charges me for text messages when I’m roaming but the cost is usually very inexpensive.

If you travel a lot you may be able to take advantage of this service. First find out if your mobile phone is enabled for MMS (a multimedia message service that allows pictures and sound) and if the service is available where you are. If so you will likely be able to receive WAV files. If MMS service is unavaialble or your mobile phone is not enabled, forwarding voicemails to the mobile phone won’t work because your phone won’t be able to play the audio recording of the voicemail.

If your phone is enabled for MMS files and the mobile phone company offers MMS service you’re half way there. To receive your forwarded voicemails on your mobile phone, configure your JConnect account to submit your voicemails in WAV format.  Then forward the voicemails to your mobile phone text message email account. The email address should be the one that you use to forward text messages to your mobile phone. Once the voicemail messages arrive you can read your text message and it automatically plays the attached WAV file with your voicemail message. I just tried this in the U.S. and U.K. and it worked like a charm!

Connected to Intenet with mobile phone at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris

My new Motorola RZR (v3) mobile phone has many features I like. By far my favorite is the ability to connect to the Internet when traveling. It comes in particularly handy at airports that don’t offer free Internet access. I have successfully connected to the Internet using this feature at several U.S. airports including Atlanta, Dulles and West Palm Beach. West Palm Beach offers free Internet access but I wanted to see if I could connect with my mobile phone.

To take advantage of this nifty feature we signed up for the T-Mobile GPRS “World” program which allows unlimited access to the Internet with the cell phone for a flat monthly fee. I tried to connect in South Africa but was unsuccessful. Despite repeated calls for assistance to T-Mobile and more than 4 hours on the phone with them we were never able to figure out why I couldn’t connect.

In between flights at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris recently I connected to the Internet using my RZR. I followed the same steps to connect from my laptop computer that I follow in the U.S., using the software that came with the phone. It worked like a charm, easily and quickly. The only down side was that the “World” program only covers the U.S.  Additional fees apply outside the U.S. My short cyber excursion in Paris cost $127!

Hopefully they will come up with a more affordable plan for international access in the future. In the meantime, it’s still great to get online easily to deal with work issues with my mobile phone within the U.S.

There are three major cell phone technologies in use in the United States. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology, Nextel uses iDen technology, and Cingular and T-Mobile use GSM. If you stay within the U.S. exclusively and do not anticipate using your phone outside the country, the CDMA carriers will give you better coverage and stronger signals. So if you rarely leave the U.S. coverage area, choosing one of the CDMA providers probably makes sense.

With the exception of some parts of Asia, the rest of the world uses GSM exclusively. Thus it makes sense to consider one of the GSM carriers in the U.S. Signal reception seems to work pretty well in most markets and the phone can be used in a huge internationl footprint.

One of the unique aspects of the GSM phone is the removable chip or SIM that contains information specific to the provider, such as phone number and settings. Although discouraged by most U.S. carriers by “locking” the phone to refuse to accept other SIMs, it is quite easy to obtain codes to “unlock” most of these phones.

The advantage to this design is the ability to obtain prepaid cellular service within the country where you are visiting. Especially if you will interacting a lot with the locals, having a local cell phone number makes you easy to communicate with, while roaming with your U.S. number makes it expensive for both parties. This is because the model in Europe and other parts of the world is to charge the caller for the entire cost of the call and make it free for the one recieving. But if you are traveling with a U.S. GSM phone, you will pay for the minutes at an elevated rate.

Even when it is not advantageous to obtain prepaid service on a seperate chip, it is nice to be able to use your phone for a quick check of voice mail, or to contact home. While in the Grenadines last spring, we were able to keep in touch with our businesses even from the sailboat as we came in close to islands.