Good info for me Dan, thanks for putting that together. This thread has motivated me a little to start researching the subject. I already had a bit of a grasp on the GSM/CDMA differences and my current android CDMA phone works fine in the area's I have been, but I would like to broaden my horizons this winter or next so a GSM phone may be in my near future.

If I get a GSM smart phone, can I then purchase SIM cards for it where I travel that will cover both voice and data? And for sure, I'm thinking prepaid usage..no contracts. I have become spoiled by my smart phone, but I need to find a way to reduce the cost of data usage when roaming internationally. Of course it may be that using prepaid sim cards is just as expensive as paying Verizon's roaming rates and I'll need to practice better conservation.