IPHONE + INTERNATIONAL CALLS = MISTAKE

I just read this collection of AT&T/iPhone horror stories about international travelers who were hit with giant bills (thousands of dollars) for phone use outside the US. Most of the stories were about phones that downloaded data automatically. I'm making a note of it here, so that the next time I travel outside the U.S., I will remember not to bring the phone along to use as an iPod and camera, only to find myself facing a $4,000 "gotcha" bill when I return home.

I took an online survey from Apple/AT&T about the iPhone and let them know that I'm not particularly happy with my current plan or with the phone's features.

Along the same line, I thought I'd found a bargain when a friend recommended cellphoneshop.net for low-cost cell phone accessories. I bought a car charger, a stylus, two cases, and an arm-band holster. The price including shipping seemed too good to be true at around $30. The stuff arrived this weekend. Guess what. The arm-band was too small for my arm. The stylus didn't work. I don't like either of the cases, and they both have a cheap feel. At least the car charger works (so far). I found myself at Best Buy this afternoon choosing a hard-case for the phone. With that $20, my grand total for accessories is now $50. Add that amount to the $200 for the phone and the $200 for the first month's bill, and this phone is totalling up to be less than a good idea, budget-wise.