Roam if you want to

Q: I use Verizon cell service, and I need to know what to do in order to travel internationally and be able to send and receive calls. Verizon does not have adequate responses to my questions. Can you help?
--rstelth

A: Like Sprint PCS, Verizon uses a technology called CDMA. While CDMA has extensive coverage in the United States, it's used in only a few other countries. I usually tell world travelers to go with a GSM carrier such as T-Mobile or Cingular because GSM is the dominant global technology, but you're not totally out of luck.

Until recently, your only real option with Verizon was to rent a GSM phone. Fortunately, though, you now have a better--albeit still limited--option. The Samsung SCH-A790 is one of very few cell phones to operate on both a GSM and CDMA network (Sprint offers a similar phone, the IP-A790). Stateside calls operate on Verizon's CDMA network and count toward your normal calling plan, while calls made overseas switch to GSM using the included SIM card. Verizon promises coverage in more than 100 countries, but keep in mind that such intercontinental chatting comes at a price. Not only will you pay per-minute charges of $1.29 to $2.49, you're also subject to long-distance charges. That means an additional 65 cents per minute for most countries, but it can range up to an astronomical $9.17 (yes, per minute) if you ever visit Gabon, Africa.

Data drama

Q: I use a Nokia 6310i that I purchased maybe four years ago. I really like the phone, but my question relates to the computer services. I have Cingular, but when I tried to sign up with the Cingular data service plan (approximately $10 per month), the company told me because I did not purchase my phone from a Cingular "dealer," the phone was not able to support the service. The employees' answer to why this is the case was not anything I understood, so after going 'round and 'round with the Cingular serviceperson, I gave up. Is this a lost cause?
--Holly

A: Like all businesses, cell phone carriers like to make money. They want you to buy a phone directly from them, rather than purchasing an unlocked phone from a third-party source; obviously, this earns them an extra buck. Handsets that you buy, say, at a mobile store that's not operated by Cingular may not come with the necessary settings that are unique to your carrier to activate data service. So it's not that your phone isn't applicable with data services--in fact, it supports text and multimedia messaging, e-mail, Web browsing, and PC syncing--but it's probably that it doesn't have the correct information for the carrier's IP address and access point. I would try searching the Web or using this tool on Nokia's site to see if you can get the appropriate settings; you can then send them as a text message to your phone, or you can enter them yourself in the phone's Settings menu.

Bluetooth or "halftooth"?
Q: I bought a Motorola V710 (the worse phone out there). Verizon currently is the subject of a lawsuit over this phone because of its disabled Bluetooth. But now, Verizon has decided to support the Motorola E815, which promises a lot of goodies. Where can I find more about that phone? And what will Verizon do for those of us who bought the V710? Will the E815 be free for us?
--Joao

A: Let me start with a little background. As Verizon's first Bluetooth phone, the V710 excited even us. But we soon got a nasty surprise when we discovered that Verizon had configured the V710's Bluetooth so that it could be used only to connect to a wireless headset and not for data transfer. Some customers responded with a class action suit.

Despite the controversy, I bet that Verizon won't offer the Motorola E815 as compensation if it loses the lawsuit (which is unlikely, anyway). Though the E815 looks like a stylish mobile that's packed with features, it would be extremely frustrating if the promised Bluetooth is limited again. Verizon and Sprint have done this a few times now, and it's become my pet peeve. Since T-Mobile and Cingular offer unlimited Bluetooth, it baffles me why the others can't do the same. Though Verizon claims it has other reasons for doing so, the company's intentions seem clear: if you can't send files through Bluetooth, you're forced to use and pay for its data-transfer services. That's just unacceptable.