Cingular is now offering a new Cingular 2125 Smartphone, a Windows Mobile 5.0 device similar to the SPV C500 that I use in the UK. Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine has a nice review here. The main plus over my existing SPV is that the Cingular phone supports EDGE, high-speed broadband-like connections for GSM phones. My SPV is GPRS, which is slightly slower than an old dial-up modem.

I already have a great broadband phone for the US, my UTStarcom XV7000. My EV-DO Broadband Laptop Access Through My Verizon Phone post covers how well it works to give me mobile broadband. But the XV7000 is a CDMA phone, a cell technology used primarily in North America. In the UK, it's all GSM -- so my Verizon phone doesn't work over here.

I'm happy switching off phones when I travel, so this is less an issue for me. But if you're traveling, plus you want a high-speed phone, then a GSM phone like the Cingular 2125 might be worth looking at. It means you can be high speed in both places, North American and Europe (plus much of the world). Remember, however, that going high speed outside your calling area is likely to cost even more than the usual high cost of regular phone calls.

If you travel often, consider buying a pay-as-you go SIM card. I find this works easier for those coming from the US to the UK than vice-versa. You can buy a prepaid SIM card at any mobile phone shop in the UK for as little as $20. Open your phone, carefully remove the little smart SIM chip from your US company and put it some safe place. Now insert the new UK SIM card that you bought. Voila -- you now have a local number in the UK, with calls costing much less within the country.

The downside is that anyone calling your US number will hit voice mail. There's an easy solution. Just tell them your "new" UK number in your greeting message, so those who want to reach you urgently can call. As an extra bonus, it will cost you airtime only to take a call from abroad. You won't pay some outrageous roaming fee to get the incoming call.

Last time I looked, buying pay-as-you-go SIM cards for those visiting the US didn't seem as easy. Last year, I bought one from Cingular just to play with how it worked in my UK phone. I had to provide a US mailing address and all that other stuff to get it. I'm sure this will get easier.

While the Cingular 2125 looks attractive, the HTC Breeze still looks better, as it seems to have a camera for video calling. Not that I video call much (if ever), of course.

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