Traveling to Italy and want to use the iPad to assist with navigation. Have Verizon carrier in US. Options from others who have already solved this issue? Don't want to incur outrageous charges! Need alternative to just wifi, as we will be using it in the car.
iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G
For navigation, get a map of Italy and turn on your GPS. No 3G connection required.
Check if Verizon has an international 3G plan. If they do, the charges will be outrageous. The Verizon iPad 2 uses cdma technology, not 3G GSM technology. So it will not connect to a GSM providers in Italy.
Get a 3G GSM mifi device from a local Italian provider then connect your iPad to the mifi device using wifi.
Can you explain "get a map" and use your gps? I would like to use app like tele nav . Thought that used gps to provide directions. Do you have alternative?
GPS turn by turn navigation does not require a 3G data connection. There are many downloadable navigation maps available. Look in the app store. TomTom, Garmin, Co-Pilot come to mind, but there are others, both free and pay for.
Your 3G iPad includes a GPS receiver. Just turn it on and use one of the turn by turn nav maps. I never used telenav but I believe that is a streaming map rather than a downloaded map. So with a streaming map you would require a 3G data connection while navigating. There is no need to stream a map.
Try downloading a map at home. You'll see it works the same as telenav except you won't get real time traffic updates, real time gas prices, real time weather, etc.
Just returned from a two week visit to Italy where I used my Verizon iPad (new in June 2012) extensively. I bought a prepaid 5gb data micro sim card from TIM in central Rome at the store at Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 93/95 for 29 Euros. The service in English was good; they installed and then authenicated the sim card (authenication for a sim card on an iPad can be difficult because the sim card is usually authenicated through a voice telephone connection): you will need a passport with you to buy a prepaid sim card.
I also bought a prepaid cell phone sim card for 20 Euros.
The Smart Phone store at the Rome airport was closed (looked permanently closed). The stand alone cell phone kiosk in the hallway outside the closed store was offering to sell the same 20 Euro sim card for 60 Euros.
pdx333 has an iPad 2 so they cannot use a microSIM.
Using the iPad in Italy
