N800 and vacation in Italy
 

Hi Everyone, Planning to go to Italy in June and will be staying in Southern Tuscany.I plan to leave the laptop home and will bring along my new N800. Has anyone traveled to europe and used their 800 and what was your experience? Will my mail continue to download from Aol? do I have to do anything or download any apps to get ready for a trip?

Thanks for your help.

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

wifi is wifi is wifi...as long as you can get a connection everything should work as if you were at home. Except of course the time zone thing...

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

WiFi hotspot are not common in Italy.
You need some luck to be close to one.
If you've got an unlocked phone with bluetooth and GPRS/EDGE,UMTS(WCDMA) support, I would suggest you to go buy a TIM prepaid SIM card (you get it in minutes and it'll be activated in a few minutes too) and pay around 20-25€ to get Internet.
TIM provides Internet over GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, TIM WiFi Hotspots included in the option (you can get up to 9Gb of data for 20 or 25 euros!).

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

Yeah, the big issue is getting Wifi access. What APs there are in Italy are locked down. (I see Alice APs all over town, but they're probably residential). If you're going to a hotel with Wifi, make sure they really do have wifi, and don't just claim it.

The way SIM cards work in Italy is:
A. You go to a retailer (rivenditore) specializing in cellphones.
B. You ask to buy so-and-so a prepaid card.
C. They make you fill out a form, including your residence in Italy (use your hotel)
D. They photocopy your passport.
E. You pay them.
F. They tell you they will "Fax in the forms tonight at 7:30" and you should see activation shortly after that.
G. You come back the next morning, and make them fax the forms in. Be aggressive. This is called rompere le scatole (well, it's called something else, but this is a family board), and it's how things get done in Italy. Experts will point out that you can skip the "next morning" bit and start breaking balls immediately, and get better results. Foreigners, however, should be circumspect in adopting unfamiliar local customs.
H. Service is activated shortly thereafter.

Oh, and you'll want to make sure your phone can work on European GSM networks. (tri-band at least)


So, in short, the N800 will be just as effective as a laptop for your trip.

You'll want to load up the region on Maemo-Mapper before you go.

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

Try googling "wifi hotspots" and the city/cities you'll be staying in. That might turn up something. Otherwise, tethering your N800 to a phone there might be the way to go.

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

...or check for Foneros... :)

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

beh, non avrei potuto spiegarlo meglio di così ;)

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

Very few Wifi hotspots in Tuscany according to jiwire

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

you'll have no problems connecting to Italian wifi hotspots whilst over there but like the other guys have said you might have some trouble finding them! there's the option of buying a simcard or seeing if you regular service provider does any cheap data packages for going on holiday, some do these days you'll save yourself a packet and still have access. :)

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

Richard, Thank you for your response. I think I'll look into an unlocked phone and use the phone to connect.

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

Remember the TIM operator offer: "Maxxi TIM Web facile recharge" to have a 24/7 access with up to 500MB, covered in GPRS/EDGE/UMTS and hotspots, "Maxxi TIM web time recharge" up to 9 GB from 5pm to 9am and during weekend. Either one or the other has a 30 days duration

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

This past spring I did just what you tried. We were on tour and had little opportunity to chase around on our own to find a hotspot. Many of our hotels provided a wifi connection but for a price but everything we take for granted in the US had a price (such as having to pay a euro to take a whiz). Italy is beautiful with a classic photo at every corner. My suggestion is to accept the fact that you are going to have to pay for a connection in a hotel or at an internet cafe. It won't cost you any more than it would to deal with an internet connection via a cell phone. I ended up giving up on using the internet and used my n800 as a gps to track where I was going.

Re: N800 and vacation in Italy
 

maxilogan and rhackenb, Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Also thanks for your advice and thoughts on traveling with the N800. Haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.

Last time I was in Italy we were in more of the hub cities, Rome, venice, Florence and others and never had a problem finding a place to log on. I don't mind paying at an internet cafe but I don't know how plentiful they will be in Southern Tuscany. It would be fun to use my N800 but I will still take it with me.