After much research, surveying, questions, hemming and hawing, and overall learning more than I ever needed to know about international travel gadgetry, we have ordered a new device. It is a Palm Treo 650.

  We had to get an unlocked version, which means that it doesn't come with any built-in service like Cingular or T-mobile.  It's more expensive unlocked, but it's worth it.

In traveling internationally, the phone being unlocked is key because it means we aren't locked into one service or operator.  Instead, we can arrive in Thailand, for instance, and get a little prepaid card that fits in all phones that gives us a signal for that country/region. We aren't locked into any contracts.  See: Telestial

The dream is to have the ability to upload cameraphone pictures to this site (and Flickr) in real time. If we're looking at a reclining Buddha, we want you to see it too!  We're hoping the Treo and Prepaid SIM cards will do it economically.