GSM EDGE Phone: The HTC TyTn Phone I Use in Mexico:

A year before I bought my Bell HTC Touch, I bought the predecessor to it: the HTC TyTn GSM touch phone. It has a slide-out qwerty keyboard (pictured, left) that, in the end, I actually didn't like very much because it doesn't have dedicated keys for numbers and other characters. It also makes the phone bulky and heavier.

You often have to use a function key because numbers and other important characters, like the @ symbol share other keys, and I found this really slowed me down and caused me to have to always be looking at it. So I ended up using the touch screen keyboard instead, most of the time.

It turns out the physical keyboard on my old Nokia 6820 may just be the best hardware keyboard ever! Nokia makes great phones; our 6820's have always worked extremely well; I'll be watching their future offerings with great interest.

I keep the TyTn phone as a backup for use when I occasionally hit a spot where my unlimited Bell CDMA Touch phone doesn't work (and I keep my 6820 as a backup for the TyTn). This happened a few weeks ago, and I just noticed that I was charged $5.80 on my GSM bill, just for a few email messages, so I only use it if I really have to.

It is faster than GPRS phones, if you use it for data, because it supports the newer 2G EDGE data protocol, like the Apple iPhone. It also supports the faster 4G UMTS/HSDPA standard that is succeeding GSM, which is their equivalent competitive technology rivaling EVDO (Rev 0), but I haven't seen that show up anywhere yet.

Despite the keyboard issue, this is a very nice unit for use in Mexico because:

• it has WiFi
• also allows me to run Spanish translation software (see below; it will actually pronounce words and phrases for you).
• 2 cameras, the usual one on the back for stills and camcorder (2 megapixels)
• and a videoconferencing camera on the front (see black circle at upper right above)
• It also has an LED flash that you can turn on and use as a flashlight.

I wanted an unlocked unit that wasn't locked into the Rogers system so that I didn't have to enter into a contract with them (mine had expired).

One very good feature of GSM that isn't found on CDMA phones is the SIM card system. When you open a GSM account, you get a SIM card that contains all the data associated with your account. So, I just popped the SIM card out of my older Nokia GSM phone, inserted it into this new unit, and it worked perfectly, without any hassle.

If you set your phone to store your address book on the SIM card (it has some user accessible memory too), it will go with the card to the new phone. I like that.

This also meant I could take my Nokia GSM unit with me as a backup phone, and just switch the SIM card back if the new HTC happened to fail. Jenni also carries an identical 6820 so that we both have phones, and thus the backup can be used for either of our phones. Very comforting when you're traveling.

In the same way, I can buy pay-as-you go SIM cards in Mexico and use them in this phone (but it must be unlocked because you are using a Mexican provider). If you don't want to have your phone unlocked (there are online methods of doing this), you could also buy a phone from a Mexican service provider and still use a pay-as-you-go SIM card.

I still get incoming calls placed to our main number because I have a call forwarding system set up on our main phone line that I can re-direct online to any phone.

One other point worth noting: if I keep my phone on the Rogers system, I can set up an email to text link from my mailbox so that I get a text message alert any time someone sends me an email message, showing the subject and the sender's email address, and this doesn't cost anything. That way, I know when I have email and I don't have to keep checking my mail at regular intervals, which can be a nuicance and does cost money.

You could do the same thing if you had a phone from a Mexican service provider if they support email-to-text, but the cost will depend on how much they charge for incoming text messages (if at all).

I also use my laptop for connecting to WiFi, but the phone WiFi saves me from having to drag it out if it's not necessary. I carry a high gain directional antenna for WiFi with me to Mexico, similar to the one pictured on the right, and a magetic car rooftop antenna, as it is often possible to connect to unsecured WiFi hotspots that are some distance away, thus avoiding any data roaming charges.

If you get one of these data capable GSM phones with WiFi, you might also want to get the software I use that totally disables the cellular data side of the phone, as it may automatically use cellular data if it becomes available, while you think you're using WiFi. This is another way you can end up with a huge data bill when you return home.

I don't recommend using the data or phone functions with your 'at home' SIM card in Mexico if you can avoid it - you are far better off to buy a pay-as-you go SIM card, find some WiFi, or go to an Internet cafe. Here's a couple of examples why:

Earlier this year, we traveled throughout the Yucatan, and when we arrived in Merida (the capital city), we couldn't resist a night at the beautiful Gran Hotel, in the downtown core. What a great time - we arrived as Merida was celebrating its birthday, and the hotel was absolutely beautiful (we like the older heritage hotels).

I thought for sure that it would have WiFi, but it didn't, so I was stuck using my phone to do some critical banking and a few other things because of the urgency. When we got home, I checked the roaming charge for that night on my Rogers bill, it was over $40! Even though we were careful, our GSM bill for that month was over $500.

The previous year we had been careful too, but when we got home, we had a GSM bill of over $800 waiting for us. It turns out that somehow Windows® Update had been turned on in my laptop and Windows® had been downloading large updates via GSM the whole time we were away.

That is why I bought software to make sure the GSM data connection is turned off, unless I want to use it. You cannot rely on the built-in Windows® Comm Manager to do this as it can be automatically activated, in the same mysterious way that Windows® Update was activated on my laptop. I was pretty annoyed about this, but there was nothing I could do about it, except write this article in the hope that others won't have to experience the same thing.

We moved the next day to another outstanding hotel that had WiFi for an extra $5, the Dolores Alba. (we also stayed at their very nice sister hotel at Chichen Itza, and it also has WiFi). Both places are exceptional, and a bargain at under $50/night.

NEXT: Using the Bell HTC Touch on the CDMA Network