International cell phone.

[ditchdr]

SO it looks like I am going to Kuwait in Jan, hopefully sooner. But I am looking for a phone ot use over there and not a sat phone. Want something to get in touch with Jessica and jake back here. Would also like to be able to text and all that jazz. I have not really found anything that i like thus far. Some company called Ranger Romer but its 1.29 a min and no texts. My phone provider does not offer service there. So any leads guys?

 

[MoeMar]

iPhone AT&T can be use world wide. No clue what that costs. but I think they discount it for military.

 

[MoeMar]

as for text just use aim,msn,yahoo chat if you cant text on what you have... if the phone has em

 

[twotonevert]

Just get a local phone when you get there, and have your wife set up an account on Rebtel.com. She calls a local number which in turns calls your phone overseas. I did that alot when Juli was in Venezuela. Its really cheap.

 

[Ezduzit]

Get a android phone and use Google talk to use unlimited text over a wifi connection.

Via Thunderbolt!

 

[Professor]

Just get a local phone when you get there, and have your wife set up an account on Rebtel.com. She calls a local number which in turns calls your phone overseas. I did that alot when Juli was in Venezuela. Its really cheap.

That is what my co-workers do in Europe. Local pre-paid phone. Way cheaper than trying to roam with a US based phone. They passed around a couple of phones for 2 years. They were going a week or two at a time.

 

[zukracer]

when I go over to Europe I take a GSM quad band unlocked cell phone. They are pretty cheap to buy on ebay and you can just buy a SIM card from who ever over there. As others have mentioned if you can get on a wifi or wired connection and use skype, google talk, etc that is by far the cheapest but if you need something while you are away from the computer, this is likely the cheapest route. You can get a phone for like $40-100 depending on what you want in a phone. If you go this route, make sure you ask for a SIM card for the type of calls you will make. I typically carry a SIM for each region or country I am in. If I will be making calls in country I will actually carry 2 SIMs for that area, one for calls to the US and one for in country calls. Typically they have plans attached to each type of card and often you get screwed using the same card for different types of calls. Also a lesson I learned the hard way, dont just jump on the first one you see. Look around and see how you "top it off" as they say. If you can find something that can be added to (or topped up) at local stores or where you are going to be, that WAY easier than other methods.

If you need any help finding a phone, let me know