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Are you saving any money by not taking their subsidy though?

Is Airvoice currently the cheapest phone provider in the U.S. loike this suggests?
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/usa.php

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/usa.php -- A good list of prepaid providers both in the US (on that page) and in every country in the world.

As for your case in particular, you don't really say how you plan to use your phone, but since you have a smartphone and assuming you want to use it as such, the T-Mobile $30/month no contract plan (online or through Walmart, as others have mentioned) is probably your best option. However, if you're in an area with poor T-Mobile coverage, check the link above for other virtual providers that offer service on AT&T's network.

It'll give AT&T a absolute monopoly on the GSM network, meaning all the coolest foreign phones will run only on AT&T. AT&T's infrastructure sucks now precisely because Apple gave them a fucking device monopoly and hoards of locked-in users with the iPhone.

I avoid carriers like Verizon, Sprint, MetroPCS, etc. that employ Qualcomm's shitty "ass rape the consumers though device lock-in" technology, i.e. buy only GSM phones. Note the rows for note the operator locking and intellectual property on that table. I avoid the most monopolistic of the GSM carriers too though, i.e. AT&T.

It follows that this acquisition presents a very big problem for me. It'll suck ass if all the interesting foreign phones, traditionally better than phones available in the U.S., are now only usable on AT&T and their virtual carriers. Yes, Android has improved the phone situation on Qualcomm's carriers like Sprint of course, but that doesn't resolve the fundamental evil that is Qualcomm's carrier lock-in via ESN.

Btw, you should also oppose this deal if you own significant stock in Microsoft : We know the best hardware running Windows Phone 7 will come from Nokia, making them GSM and AT&T only.

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/germany.html

They have details of all the networks, and links to their websites (mostly in German).

Available here. Some have decent data plans (30-month unlimited GPRS, first 5GB on HSDPA is available in O2). You will need an unlocked GSM phone and buy a SIM card in Germany.

Chances are you will be tired and sitting in your hotel room for several hours a day, either from jet-lag (when it's 3am there your body will think it's 7pm and you'll likely be wide awake) or from being exhausted at the end of the day. Personally, I can only deal with watching TV for so long, which is one reason I always travel with my laptop.

You almost definitely won't need to change any regional settings for your laptop. The only differences between Wi-Fi here and there are that they might have channels 12 and 13, but they're rarely used - especially in any place serving tourists.

The better question is whether you want to pay the high prices of hotel Wi-Fi. Britain and the rest of the world in general have much better options for settings up prepaid phone and data service. If you have a GSM mobile device that supports 3G, which is likely if you're an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, you can check the device specs and see if it supports the 2100MHz 3G band used in Europe. If it does and your device is unlocked, you can buy a prepaid SIM card with a prepaid data package and tether your phone to your laptop to get online. Or, buy a USB 3G stick when there and it still might cost less than a week's worth of hotel Wi-Fi (and then you get a USB 3G stick out of it). See here for more info about using your mobile device overseas, and here to find a prepaid voice/data provider in the UK.

As for power, your laptop, mobile and most other devices should only need a simple US to UK plug adapter, as they can automatically sense and function on the higher voltage. Check each device to see if it reads (100V-240V) in the specs, often right below the plugs on wall-wart chargers, and if it does you're fine. If it says (100V-120V), only then would you need a voltage converter, and often times the weight and cost of one are not worth it. A power strip may be overkill for size/weight and if it has surge protection it won't work on 230V, so a simple plug splitter is a better option if you need it.

If you plan on using the Tube to get around, which I definitely recommend if you want to keep costs down, get an Oyster card as soon as you arrive. The rates for getting around are much cheaper if you use an Oyster card.

On the getting around note, always, always, always have a map when you go out. The layout of London's streets are like nothing you've ever experienced in the US because they precede the idea of city planning, so if you head off in one direction thinking "I think it's this way" you will almost surely get yourself lost. Now, sometimes getting lost in a city is a great experience, but if you want that experience, do it during the day. If you don't want to look like a like tourist pulling their map out and making yourself a target, put a map of where you'll be exploring on your mobile phone so that when you stop on the street, it just looks like you're reading an SMS message. Same goes for a map of the Tube if you'll be using it.

Finally, if appeals to you, make sure you enjoy the experience of walking down the street while drinking a beer. Public drinking is allowed in the UK, and it's a simple freedom that I miss when in the US. Just remember that when people say "cheers" they're probably saying "thanks" - not asking you to lift your glass.

I travel (not as frequently as I would like) to Europe and have lately been taking a Motorola P7389 tri-band GSM phone on my travels. The phone, while not the latest model, works great. I purchased it, unlocked, on eBay for short money.

On my latest trip, I purchased a Vodaphone NL from the cell phone kiosk at Schipol airport (the Netherlands) for about 20 Euro. It came with a number that is good for at least a year, and included 5 euros of credit. To top up the service, I only had to go to any of a number of outlets wherever I was in Holland, or if I could read and write Nederlands a little better, could refill the service from the internet site. Oh yes; all incoming calls (including international ones) were free. The in-country rate was less than I pay for my contracted Alltel phone here in the states.

I had the same experience in Greece and Beligum with different carriers.

I like the GSM system because it doesn't because of the flexibility it offers. If my phone dies, I can simply remove the SIM card from it and put it in another phone. I haven't verified this, but heard while I was in Europe that the EU has mandated that all phones sold in EU countries are requried to be unlocked.

GSM is a standard throughout the world (except for the US, Iraq, Afganistan and I believe, Argentina). An excellent site for finding out about prepaid GSM services is http://www.prepaidgsm.net/,

Don't be fooled by "word phones" offered by various US carriers. These phones are locked tri-band phones that roam on European GSM networks, but which are charged at outrageous rates by the US company.