[cerebra]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm torn between TIM and WIND as I've heard the best things about these two and they have similar offerings in our area of Tuscany, according to their coverage maps.

I plan on driving around a fair amount in the hill towns of tuscany, and want to be sure I have access to Google maps, which requires a data connection (Edge will work). I will also have my laptop with me, for sending emails, uploading pictures, etc...and my fiancee' really wants to be connected as well. We won't use it much, but we want it available when we want to get online.

We definitely want the WEB APN, for full internet functionality, so am I correct in assuming this means I'm looking between the following:

TIM:
- Maxxi Alice Facile Recharge: 1 GB/month worth of data for € 20.00/month. They become 2 GB/month after the first month, at the same price.
- Maxxi Alice 30h: 30 hours/month worth of data for € 10.00/month (plus € 5.00 activation cost)
- Maxxi Alice 100h: 100 hours/month worth of data for € 20.00/month (plus € 5.00 activation cost)
- Maxxi Alice Unlimited: 400 hours/month worth of data for € 35.00/month (plus € 5.00 activation cost)
(APN: ibox.tim.it )

WIND:
- Mega 1500 (488MB): € 1500 worth of data credit for € 8.00
- Mega No Limit (2.6GB): € 8000 worth of data credit for € 20.00
- <s>Mega 15000 (4.9GB): € 15000(*) worth of data credit for € 30.00</s>
(APN: internet.wind)

Since we're only there for 2 weeks, and the WIND Mega 15000 splits the 5GB into two 2.5GB periods, I think that one is out.

Regarding the voice plans:
Tim:
Welcome Home - Call US: 0.30E/min + 0.19E setup fee? (What is this setup fee? Additional charge per call?)
International SMS: 0.30E ; MMS 0.60 or 1.2E (ouch)

Wind:
Call your country option - Call US (Zone 5): 0.30E/min+0.15E setup fee
SMS: 0.15E, MMS: 0.60E


Does this seem correct?

Looking at everything, it looks like WIND has the advantage over TIM. Does anyone know why I would go with TIM above WIND? Is TIM more known for better connections throughout Italy? Are they worth the extra money?

Also, when I go to get the pre-paid sim, how much money can I put on a sim card? Will I be able to load it with, say, 80E for the extent of the trip, enable the data plan I want, and start making calls and not have to worry about it again? How does one set these things up?

Right now, I'm likely to go with WIND:
Data: Mega No Limit (2.6GB): € 8000 worth of data credit for € 20.00
Voice: Call your country option - Call US (Zone 5): 0.30E/min+0.15E setup fee
SMS: SMS: 0.15E, MMS: 0.60E

If no one talks me out of this, how would I set this up? Go to a WIND store, ask for a SIM, provide passport, ask to pre-load it with a certain amount of Euro's, after 30 minutes, send an SMS to # 4033 with the text "MEGA SI", ensure that I have the APN internet.wind set properly, and then wait for it to work? Can I do this at the FCO (Rome) airport?

Thanks!