Cell Phone Service in Florence, Italy & Other Parts of Europe

Whenever I travel to Europe, I try to obtain local phone service, including Internet access for my smart phone. The costs are generally significantly less than roaming with a U.S. carrier.

Internet service on one's phone is now less important since most hotels in Italy offer WiFi service. However, smart phone Internet service away from one's hotel is still very useful for using Google maps for telephone GPS navigation, googling for restaurants, etc. (While smart phone GPS does not require an Internet connection, Google maps does. The off-line downloadable versions of Google maps only cover small areas. From my experience, free Android off-line GPS navigation apps are not yet as good as the on-line versions.)

In order to obtain local phone service, you need a world phone that has the European GSM frequencies. On my recent trip to Italy, I used my U.S. Samsung Galaxy S II.

The service I obtained in Florence, Italy was incredibly cheap. I found a prepaid deal with Wind, one of the main Italy cell-phone providers. For something like €20, I got an Italian sim card with an Italian phone number, and one month of service that included 150 minutes of local calls, 1 Gig of Internet service, and 150 local text messages. (The actual introductory monthly cost of the service is €9, but there was a cost for the Sim card and stores could not make a sale for less than €10.)

I purchased the Sim card and part of the service one day for €10 at the Music Center S.A.S. di Poggi e Pomerani store at Via Martelli 33R, one block north of the Duomo in Florence. I then had to wait overnight and activate the Internet part of the service the next day. I did that at the Porta Rossa Telefonia store at Via dei Tavolini 3/R. (I could have returned to the Music Center store to do that, but the other one was more convenient.)

The service worked beautifully for the 15 days I was in Italy - from Venice in the north to Amalfi in the south.

Additional minutes can be added to the service by purchasing additional time at phone stores, tobacco kiosks, etc.

The Music Center store I used to purchase the service also sells cell-phone service for Tim, another major Italian cell-phone service. There is another Music Center store across from the Duomo, but it does not sell cell-phone service.

The Wind service  I purchased is called "All Inclusive" (The name is in English). You can find an Italian-Language description of this service at http://www.wind.it/it/opzioni/pagina181.phtml
Clerks at the store may not speak English, but you could print out the web page at the URL above and show it to a clerk.

The Italian word for cell phone is telefonino.

An Excellent Italian<>English Android Dictionary App

I have found a nice Italian<>English Android dictionary app. It is not on the level of the Larousse French<>English dictionary app I use or the Kabuto Japanese<>English app, but it appears to be the nicest of the Android Italian<>English dictionaries. It is the Berlitz Standard Italian<>English Dictionary by Langenscheidt KG and Paragon Software. It costs $29.95. (There is another Berlitz Italian<>English Android Dictionary app that is less expensive and not as good.)

This app allows you to search for a word by typing or by speaking. It also has the audio pronunciation of the words. It is very easy to use. I have it loaded onto both my Samsung Galaxy S II phone and my Archos G9 80 tablet.

An Incredible, Free Japanese<>English Android Dictionary App

I have a number of Japanese<>English dictionaries in book form and separate electronic dictionaries. However, the best one I've ever used by far is an android app, and it's free. It's called Kabuto and it's produced by Gakusoft. I have it loaded onto both my Samsung Galaxy S II and my Archos G9 80 tablet. It works perfectly on both, but is nicer on the larger tablet.

Not only is it an extensive dictionary, but it allows the user to search for words in many ways - by:
1. Typing in the Japanese word
2. Typing in the English word
3. The Kanji radicals
4. The number of Kanji strokes

(Kanji are the Chinese-style characters which Japan adopted from China centuries ago. The Japanese use thousands of them. They are constructed from building blocks called "radicals.")

I previously used this dictionary on my Windows Pocket PC phone. That version cost $24.95. This free version is superior because it is much easier to read.

Tune-in - A Great Android World-Wide Radio App - 50,000 Stations

I love TuneIn Radio, a great streaming audio world-wide Android radio app, which provides access to 50,000 radio stations and 1.2 million programs. You can find stations all over the world - searching by subject, location, or language. It’s extremely easy to use.

I now have a list of preset Italian, French, and Japanese talk-show and music stations that I listen to on my phone as I’m driving. In one of my vehicles, I plug the radio into my sound system. In either case, the audio is excellent.

The app even has a car mode, which lets you speak commands.

There are two versions of TuneIn:

1. TuneIn Radio - the free version, which I use.

2. TuneIn Radio Pro - The ninety-nine cent version, which allows you to record programs.