I bought a Motorola V220 Triband mobile phone that has a USB port that can connect to my laptop.
I needed to purchase Motorola Mobile Phone Tools software from Amazon.com that came with a CD and a cable for $0.85 and $5.00 shipping.
I use the same phone for voice calls in Europe and in the USA and when I am on the boat out of WiFi range I connect it to the laptop for Internet access.
To use the GPRS service for internet access, you usually need to sign up for this with the service provider. In Italy, for instance, the have an after hours web service called Maxi Web Time Recharge for €25 per month.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 22-Mar-2008