Camera phone in Europe

Great question MsDiane, let me see if I can help. First of all, you'll need an "unlocked" GSM cellphone in order to be able to do this. Chances are, the cellphone that you currently have is not an "unlocked" phone. I'm guessing that you got it through one of the major carriers in the US. Cellphone manufacturers "lock" the phones so they can only be used with the carrier you bought it from. You would know if you had one, since they don't need a contract to purchase and are usually much more expensive than cellphones bought with a contract.

(That being said... you can probably roam abroad with your cellphone, assuming there's coverage where you're going... but it would probably cost a fortune!)

Assuming you have an unlocked GSM phone that can accept a SIM card (and run on the same network in Italy) you may be in business. From what I know, it's common practice to buy "pre-loaded" SIM cards in Europe that are disposable and charged with minutes/data/etc, although I've never done it myself. In theory, you should be able to purchase and pop in one of these cards and send a message back to a phone or computer in the States.

This also brings up the question of "how" you want to send the message. You can either send it as email (which will use data) or a MMS (which may use a text message credit, data, or both). It would be important to know what the card you purchase has available before you do this.

I apologize that I don't have 100% of the answers here, as I have never traveled and used a cellphone in Europe, but I do have a general idea of what you can do.

Your best option may be to bring a digital camera and laptop, and connect through an Internet cafe or other establishment that has a WiFi connection available - it would be a lot less hassle!

If anyone has done this before, and has personal experience with doing this, please chime in and help out!

Note: If you have an phone that uses heavy data (like a BlackBerry or iPhone), make sure you turn data roaming OFF before traveling. Roaming data usage abroad can mount up some astronomical phone bills when you get back home!

Great question MsDiane, let me see if I can help. First of all, you'll need an "unlocked" GSM cellphone in order to be able to do this. Chances are, the cellphone that you currently have is not an "unlocked" phone. I'm guessing that you got it through one of the major carriers in the US. Cellphone manufacturers "lock" the phones so they can only be used with the carrier you bought it from. You would know if you had one, since they don't need a contract to purchase and are usually much more expensive than cellphones bought with a contract.

(That being said... you can probably roam abroad with your cellphone, assuming there's coverage where you're going... but it would probably cost a fortune!)

Assuming you have an unlocked GSM phone that can accept a SIM card (and run on the same network in Italy) you may be in business. From what I know, it's common practice to buy "pre-loaded" SIM cards in Europe that are disposable and charged with minutes/data/etc, although I've never done it myself. In theory, you should be able to purchase and pop in one of these cards and send a message back to a phone or computer in the States.

This also brings up the question of "how" you want to send the message. You can either send it as email (which will use data) or a MMS (which may use a text message credit, data, or both). It would be important to know what the card you purchase has available before you do this.

I apologize that I don't have 100% of the answers here, as I have never traveled and used a cellphone in Europe, but I do have a general idea of what you can do.

Your best option may be to bring a digital camera and laptop, and connect through an Internet cafe or other establishment that has a WiFi connection available - it would be a lot less hassle!

If anyone has done this before, and has personal experience with doing this, please chime in and help out!

Note: If you have an phone that uses heavy data (like a BlackBerry or iPhone), make sure you turn data roaming OFF before traveling. Roaming data usage abroad can mount up some astronomical phone bills when you get back home!