My mom moved to Mexico recently, and I have had a hard time contacting her via phone. She's staying with relatives of her boyfriend, but it seems like she's not able to use their phone to make international calls. I'd like to get her a mobile phone that she can use to call me and her other kids (or anybody else), but I'm a bit overwhelmed by what I'm finding with google - a lot of which seems targeted to making international calls from the US to other countries or just seems spammy. What is a good way to buy a phone here and send it to Mexico? [more inside]
posted by jeoc on May 1, 2013 - 5 answers

My best friend is currently insanely busy. She is in the U.S and I am in Europe. Texting is the best way to stay in touch with her, but I need some help doing it across the Atlantic. [more inside]
posted by colfax on Mar 21, 2013 - 9 answers

I am traveling to Taiwan for about two weeks very soon. I will be there with about 20 fellow students from my university. Being able to communicate amongst us while about Taipei will be pretty important. What do you recommend to use around the city? Inexpensive and easy would be great. [more inside]
posted by Korou on Jan 3, 2013 - 4 answers

My wife and I are visiting Paris over the week of US Thanksgiving - can you help us figure out the best way to get cell phone service and data while we're there? [more inside]
posted by SNWidget on Oct 28, 2011 - 10 answers

Please help me pick a mobile phone/carrier in the US. [more inside]
posted by and hey Charlie on Aug 31, 2010 - 11 answers

Help me decide whether to buy a Nexus One. Unusual questions about switching service providers, SIMs, and international options inside. [more inside]
posted by Vorteks on Mar 25, 2010 - 22 answers

I'm going to Vancouver next month. My Sprint phone won't be of any use to me there. When I went to Toronto last year, I was able to make exorbitantly expensive phone calls and I wasn't able to access the internet or use google maps. I'd like to do all of those things economically. I still have my old Treo 75?wx. Perhaps that could be of some use? Thank you.
posted by stuart_s on Oct 6, 2009 - 5 answers

What is the cheapest option available for using my iPhone (AT&T) in Europe? [more inside]
posted by mahoganyslide on May 25, 2009 - 6 answers

Living in Europe now, I want to buy a SIM card based phone that I could bring back to the States, when I move back in a year or so...but I don't know what other spec's to look out for, in terms of compatibility. [more inside]
posted by talljamal on Jan 26, 2009 - 7 answers

Should I get the Motofone F3 or the Motorola V190 for my travels to Europe? [more inside]
posted by theiconoclast31 on Dec 1, 2008 - 7 answers

My international cell phone provider (Airtel in India) insists that I can get uncharged toll-free calls while roaming in the US and Canada. It sounds too good to be true. Can you shed some light on this for me? [more inside]
posted by smersh on Nov 30, 2008 - 4 answers

Phone from China, SIM card in the US: what do I need to know to make sure I have a working cell phone when I return to the US for a month or two this summer? [more inside]
posted by msbrauer on Jun 4, 2008 - 6 answers

I have a US cell phone (LG Muziq, Sprint is the provider). I would REALLY like to be able to read Japanese web pages on it, but whenever I surf to a page with Japanese text it just shows up as garbage. I've installed Opera Mini on my phone, but that didn't help, even though the demo on their website does show Japanese characters. Is there any way to get this to work? I don't need to be able to type in Japanese, or send Japanese text messages. I just want to be able to read Japanese web pages. If I can't do this on the phone directly, then maybe there's another website I could visit that would convert the Japanese text to images?
posted by Vorteks on Nov 29, 2007 - 4 answers

International cell phone question: I'm going to Kazakhstan (no Borat jokes, please) for a couple of months and need some advice on staying in touch in a cost-effective manner and with a non-Kazakhstan cell phone number. [more inside]
posted by scblackman on Aug 27, 2007 - 5 answers

Long distance options between USA and Austria (VOIP preferred on Austria end) [more inside]
posted by sdis on Jun 27, 2007 - 8 answers

Where I can rent a cell phone with international capabilities on short notice? [more inside]
posted by justkevin on Jun 6, 2007 - 14 answers

I'm in the market for a quadband GSM phone, for extended travelling purposes. Should I buy one independently or go through a cell provider? [more inside]
posted by the luke parker fiasco on Mar 29, 2007 - 11 answers

Is using a new SIM card confusing my mobile phone? [more inside]
posted by jacalata on Sep 29, 2006 - 9 answers

I have a US Verizon Wireless cellphone. I want to call a French Cingular cellphone (somehow it can also work on T-Mobile - maybe its a roaming thing?). Country code + # isn't working. I'm very confused.
posted by devilsbrigade on Feb 19, 2006 - 11 answers

Wanted: Phone for T-Mobile. Must be GSM triband (for international roaming), have Bluetooth, long battery life, unlockable and * Simple Quick operation * [more inside]
posted by lalochezia on Dec 6, 2005 - 16 answers