Buying ipad 2 and moving abroad

adlove

I want to buy an ipad 2 but I'll be moving to Trinidad next month. As far as I know they don't stock them there (though private parties are selling them at ridiculous prices).

So my question is, should I get the wifi + 3g version? And once I get there, how do I make it usable?

We will be getting wifi internet at home, so if I decided to get a wifi only version (or even turn off the 3g while I'm there, and only use it if I come back to the states) will I need to make any adjustments to it?

Would it be worth it to me to get the 3g and figure out how to change it?

Sorry for all the questions, hope someone can help! 

emisi

I expect the 3G would be very expensive there, as it would be AT&T or Verizon's World Traveler data package, which is $$$ for very little data.  Doesn't seem worth it to me.

adlove

Well, it looks like I can get a sim card from a local provider as long as they have 3G. I'm not sure this is available in Trinidad but I'll keep researching. Thanks!

GilliC

I bought an iPad 2 in the US and brought it back to Europe. Back when the original came out, I was worried about having to jailbreak the ipad to use it abroad, so I bought a WiFi only model. However, unlike the iPhone, the iPad isn't locked to AT&T, so I know people who brought the 3G version over and were able to use it here with a local data plan (no jail breaking involved).

Just today I went to the cell phone shop here in Norway and signed up for a local data plan for my new US-bought 3G iPad 2. They gave me a microSIM, I popped it into my iPad, and 30 seconds later I was using the local 3G network. Simple!

Whether it will be worth it to buy the 3G depends on a few things. How good is the 3G coverage where you'll be living? How many WiFi hotspots are there around? If you can don't know, and you can afford the extra $129 for the 3G, you might go ahead, just in case you end up needing it. However, if you have an iphone4, you can use the 3G on your phone and turn the iPhone into a wifi hotspot to connect a WiFi iPad using tethering. We've tried this with DH's iPhone and it works great. (I don't have an iphone4 though.) In the US, there's an extra charge from the phone company to enable tethering, but that doesn't seem to be as common abroad (it's free here). If there are a lot of WiFi hotspots available, the 3G isn't as valuable, but there are surprisingly few open networks here in Oslo, so people use the 3G a lot more than they might in the States.

GilliC

PS - If you do go with the 3G, make sure to get the right model. I'm guessing that Trinidad uses GSM networks like most countries (besides the US and Japan). If they use SIM cards, they're likely using GSM. In that case, you need the AT&T iPad. If they happen to use CDMA networks, I have no idea how easy it would be to get the Verizon model working (I don't know many expats in non-GSM countries).

adlove

Thanks Gilli! I'm not exactly sure what's available there so that's the problem I'm having! My understanding is that it's difficult (and very expensive) to even have an iphone there. I'll only be there for 2 years, so I think that I'll end up with the 3G model for the long run. You've given me lots of great info though and a lot to think about. Thank you!