But the big problem with those solutions is that you lose a fair bit of value unless you exhaust the SIM. If you buy a month-long package but are only on holiday for a week, that's a waste. Similarly, if you buy 2GB of data but only use 500MB, you've wasted your money.

So I'm trying Roamless which is a PAYG eSIM.

The concept is pretty simple:

1. Stick $10 in your account.
2. Visit Ruritania on holiday for a week and use data which costs $1.25/GB
3. Come home.
4. Fly off to Utopia but use 50MB of data during your 2 hour transfer at Blefuscu airport ($2.50/GB)
5. During your fortnight in Utopia, visit Lilliput where your phone automatically roams to the local network ($1.50/GB)

And so on. The credit in your wallet decreases with use; not with time. You aren't forced to buy multi-GB bundles which you can't use. Coverage is worldwide, so you don't need to spend time looking for a local SIM.

The Good

It works! I signed up, paid my money, installed the Android app, and my eSIM installed itself. When I landed in Morocco, my phone seamlessly connected to the local network.

I spent a week on holiday and paid a couple of dollars for half a gigabyte of data. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Turns out most of the places I went had WiFi, so buying a dedicated SIM with a few GB of data just for Morocco would have been a waste of money.

Speeds seemed fine. I connected to a couple of different Moroccan networks on 3G and 4G - I don't think there's 5G in Marrakesh. I didn't run any speed-tests, but for maps, a bit of photo-sharing, and Signal/WhatsApp calls it did the trick.

As well as data, you can use your credit to make local phone calls. I don't think I'd make much use of the feature - but it is good to know it exists.

The Bad

Data costs are reasonable, but not the cheapest. You will inevitably find a better per/GB deal if you buy a local SIM with an inclusive data bundle. If you know you're going to be somewhere for a week and you're sure you'll use all the data, it might make sense to use a different product.

Costs are in US$ - so you'll need a card with low/no foreign exchange fees to get the most value for money.

As with any roaming connection, latency is increased vs using a local SIM. My IP address placed me in Belgium. That didn't cause any problems, but you probably don't want to play games which require a low ping.

The SIM will roam anywhere - even your home country. You'll need to either disable the eSIM or switch off roaming when you're at home. But, on the plus side, UK prices aren't too expensive.

There's no inbound calling to the SIM. If you're going to places which require a local number, you might find it convenient to pick up a local SIM to get a temporary number.

The App

The app isn't mandatory. You can install the eSIM via a QR code as per normal. But you'll need to use the app if you want to take advantage of any of the discount / referral codes. The app steps you through setting up the eSIM which is useful if you've never used it before.

The app itself is a bit bare-bones and doesn't look great. But it is the sort of thing you'll go into once to set up and then never again, unless you need to top up.

It will show you how much you've used and what your balance is.

The app has a VoIP client, so you can make local calls when roaming. Again, the prices aren't the cheapest per minute - but they come out of your credit and you aren't forced to buy a calling bundle.

Oh, and as a nice feature, when you return home - it reminds you to turn it off.

Not many apps will tell you to spend less money with them!

Verdict

Roamless takes all the hassle out of roaming through multiple countries.

If you're the sort of person who goes to one place for a set period of time, you'll almost always be better off buying a local SIM. But if you flit between countries and don't want to spend the entire journey on your phone, Roamless will suit you just fine.

There are no gimmicks or upsells - you get PAYG data which you can use anywhere.

The Obligatory Referral Link

If you use code TERENCEN3R, we both get a $3 bonus.

So, I was watching that absolute banger of a tune "When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams (featuring Mel C) - when I noticed this:

It appears to be a desktop videophone! The interlacing looked artificial to me - but I've noted before that people think degraded images are somehow more authentic.

But something was niggling me. Were there really videophones of that ilk when that song was released in 1998? Well, yes and no.

There's a long history of prototype video-telephony - and by the mid-1990s there were some consumer products available.

This sweet number would set you back $1,600 (About $3,500 today). Better hope you had at least one rich friend who also had one.

If you scour eBay, you can find videophones from that bygone era. They are few and far between because they were a commercial flop. Video compression technology was in its infancy and modem speeds were poor. Even if you paid for an ISDN line, the video quality was guaranteed to be crap.

But what about this specific phone? Well, here I must reveal the disappointing news that Bryan Adams is a big fat liar and his music videos are full of falsehoods and shouldn't be trusted for serious historical researchers.

Ahem.

That's not a videophone in the music video.

Thanks to the sleuthing of Taig McNab and Stuart Langridge we can see that the phone is the Uniden Axis H0100.

I found one on eBay - here's what it looks like after a few decades of use:

The logos at the top and bottom of the screen have been covered with black rectangles - which is what made me think there was a camera embedded in the unit.

Far from a full-colour screen, this video shows the screen is a pretty rubbish LCD affair. White background and a choice of blue or grey for text. Indeed, it was used as a glorified calendar with address-book capabilities. Judging by contemporary reports it could connect to CompuServe - but, as with early videophones the reviews were not ethusiastic. And no mention of video-calling.

So, there you have it. Music videos should only be used for entertainment purposes and nothing more serious.

As the refugee crisis in Europe grows, there are those who wish to exploit human misery and suffering for their own ends. They are usually backed up by the hoard of useful idiots who will spew hatred for their fellow man at the drop of a hat. One particularly spiteful meme is that displaced persons are obviously not poor because they all have "expensive smartphones."

These are not expensive phones! The original photo by Peter Nicholls/Reuters is titled "Afghans used a generator-powered charging station this month at a camp in Calais, France." and appears in an excellent New York Times article about how mobile phones are an essential lifeline.

I work in the mobile industry. Let's take a look at all those phones, and see just how expensive they are.

This is the Nokia 100. It's literally designed to be the cheapest phone on the planet. You can pick one up for £16 brand new.

These appear to be Samsung E1200. They are free. No joke, pop into a UK phone store and you can get one free if you buy a £20 top up.

I'm pretty sure this is the Asha 220. Designed for the developing market, Amazon will ship you one next day for around £30.

It's rare to see an Android phone with the back button on the right. No physical home button means it isn't a Samsung. No branding, so unlikely to be Sony. I think it's a Micromax or similar no-brand Chinese handset. Generally these handsets are under £100 - but it's hard to say.

The back of this looks like the Samsung S4 Mini. That was £230 when launched, now available for around £145. No idea about the phone underneath it.

Physical button and smallish form factor, I'm going to say Samsung S3 Mini. £180 when first released, under £90 now.

Based on the orange colour and top charging port, I thought this might be the ZTE Firefox phone, but a closer look at the buttons at the bottom makes me think it's an Android. Back button is on the right, which either makes it very old, or a no-brand phone. Based on the top charger and bight colour, my guess is that this is the NIU Niutek 3.5D2. A dual-SIM phone you can buy for around $40 in the US.

Based on the front facing camera, the white phone is probably the Galaxy Trend. Originally £140 - now yours for ninety quid. The black phone could be anything.

Generic pink powerbank. You can buy these for £4. Not a typo. Under a fiver.

Mobile phones are ridiculously cheap. Even the top end phones listed above can be found for under £75 in any second-hand phone shop.

With a phone, you can call or text home to let people know you're safe. You can buy a cheap SIM card in any country and be contactable by your lawyer and by aid agencies, register to look for work, find housing, meet up with friends, email loved ones, update Facebook, and generally take part in modern society.

Download an app and you're halfway to learning a new language. Find free WiFi and communicate around the world for nothing.

If I was down to the clothes I wore and the phone in my pocket, I'd sell my shirt before cutting myself off from modern communications!

The next time someone tries to tell you that a refugee can't be that destitute because they have a smartphone - gently remind them how cheap modern technology is and how essential phones are to modern life. Then tell them to shut the hell up.

If you can, please set up a monthly donation to Oxfam, or a charity of your choice, in order to help people survive.

The US and European markets are radically different in how they operate and advertise. The US tends to advertise phones as being "Only $10 upfront!" whereas the UK tends to advertise as "Only £20 per month!"

With a range of subsidies, price plans, discounts which only last a few months, and multi-year contracts, it can be very confusing to try and work out the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

So, here's the way I look at it.

I recently bought the Samsung Galaxy Note II. I think it's the first phone I've purchased with my own money since starting in the mobile industry - so I was fairly keen to work this out correctly.

I'll be looking at O2 (I work for Telefonica, these thoughts are my own, etc) although other telcos offer the same basic pricing strategy. This just looks at the cost for hardware and a contract. It doesn't take into account that companies also make some money selling apps and music tied to their phones.

With the Galaxy Note II the costs (today) are (for unlimited calls & texts + 1GB data)

£245 for the phone + £26 per month for 24 months = £874 TCO

Or, if you'd rather have a lower upfront cost £129.99 + £31*24 = £874

As you can see, the TCO is exactly the same. You save on the initial cost, but pay extra every month. Depending on your finances one may be preferable to the other.

Make the upfront cost cheaper still. £100 + £36*24 = £964

Bang! That's where the first hit comes. Save £30 up front, pay an extra £90 overall!

Want the phone for free? £Free + £41*24 = £984.

A "free" phone ends up costing you £110 more.

For an 18 month contract, the price jumps again. £199.99 + £5618 = £1,208 £Free + £7218 = £1,296

Gulp! That's pretty much $2,000 for a top of the line Android phone. Telcos want you to stay with them - a short contract bumps the price considerably. If you carried on paying the monthly amount for a further 6 months and decided to keep the same phone - you'd end up paying double the cost of taking out a 24 month contract with an upfront phone cost.

Ok, but do those pricing schemes mean that you are paying over the odds?

The handset only price from O2 is £480 (it's cheaper from third party websites). The SIM only price is £20 per month (for 12 months) for the same tariff (unlimited calls & texts + 1GB data).

£480 + £20*12 = £720

That's a considerable saving over taking out a contract! And you're only tied in for a year. Then you can change tariff or phone.

Of course, we need to compare over the same time period. £480 + £20*24 = £960

There, it seems, it's slightly more expensive over two years - about £3.60 per month to get the flexibility of changing both phone and contract. Of course, if you don't need billions of minutes and texts, you can drop the costs considerably.

A 300 minute plan (because who talks on their phone anymore?!) with unlimited texts and 100MB or 500MB of data will cost £13.50 or £16.50.

£480 + £13.50*24 = £804

£480 + £16.50*24 = £876

If you need a top line calls/text/data package, it just about makes financial sense to take out a contract. If you favour flexibility, or want to save money, it's usually as cheap to buy the phone and contract separately.

The price range for a top end phone on an top end contract over 24 months is £874 to £1,296 ($1,400 - $2,100). You can end up paying £422 extra ($680) for exactly the same phone and contract.

That's roughly a staggering 40% APR! If you were to borrow the £874 at the start of the contract, you'd have to find a really dodgy loan company to give you rates that high. Short term low value loans at the moment range from 5% to 10% at most reputable financial institutions.

If you don't use all your minutes and data allowance, the worst case scenario premium is £492 (that's £1296 - £804). An "interest rate" of 50% per year.

The "real" cost of a smartphone depends entirely on how financially astute you are - and if you can afford the upfront cost. If not, prepare to pay the price.

But there's a problem in Android-land, one which has been growing for several years.

Open Software has many advantages - one is the maxim "Many eyes make all bugs shallow". If you have thousands of developers looking at your code, it becomes easy to spot and fix bugs.

When you have millions of users, it becomes easy for you to collate bug reports and understand if they're a real problem.

That is exactly what Google has been doing. It has a website where anyone can submit a bug or suggestion. If you see that someone has reported your bug first, you can add your name to the list of people who want to see it fixed.

Google gets a free army of bug testers and an easy way to see which issues they should prioritise.

So why are Google ignoring it?

Let's take a look at a few examples.

Have you ever been frustrated that your top of the line Android phone can't connect to hotel or conference WiFi? Most likely it's because Android won't connect to "AdHoc Networks". This was reported to Google in January 2008. For nearly five years, Google have ignored this bug - despite over 5,000 users flagging the issue.

Does your Android device ever have difficulty accepting meeting invitations? This is due to the buggy nature of Android's .ics handling. This was first raised to Google in November 2008 and has had nearly 3,000 people say it's a high priority issue for them.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to zoom in when reading email? Google haven't even bothered to respond to the thousands of customers who have requested this enhancement.

Google do occasionally take notice of bug reports. But it takes a long time to get through to them.

Support for Arabic was one of the most popular enhancement requests for Android. One of the most popular requests on the Android issue tracker and it took two-and-a-half years for Google to get round to implementing it.

Even when there is a serious data loss bug, Google can take over a year to respond - let alone fix. Android suffers from a severe bug which causes it to delete SMS from your inbox without notifying you. Google were told of this bug in November 2009 - they fixed the issue in February 2011.

These are just half a dozen examples plucked out of the 23,000 issues.

I love my Android phone. I just wonder whether Google loves Android too...

Touchscreen

It's quite hard to see throughout the episode. It just looks like a standard touchscreen device in a rubber casing.  I had wondered if the props team had created a dummy phone to be used.

What Phone?

Annoyingly, the phone is almost always out of focus.

Except for this shot.

BlackBerry Storm

Aha! That's the BlackBerry Operating System.  That means it can only be a BlackBerry Storm or Storm2!

The Storm2 doesn't have separate buttons on the screen - so this must be an original Storm.  The BBC have taken the logo button off the front to prevent accusations of bias or commercial influence, no doubt.

As an aside, look how the Doctor sends the photos - MMS!

MMS

Better hope those aliens don't have iPhones!