Most 3G mobile phones now come ‘internet ready’ and by that I mean you will have to purchase some form of data pack or allowance in order to use internet on your mobile phone.
Before signing up for one of these data plans make sure you find out what the download limits and excess data charges are.
As an example, Vodafone might offer a plan that includs up to 500 megabites (MB) but if you go over that, you may be charged at a rtate of $0.25 per meg (it adds up).
As an example, any average mp3 music file will be between 5 and 10 MB so if you’d gone over your data allowance and went ahead and donloaded a song (at 10 MB) it would have cost you an additional $2.50 (where the data charge was at $0.25 per MB) in data along (not too mention the cost of the song in the first place).
If you are not sure how much data your will need for mobile internet, then choose the lowest data plan initially and then monitor your usage. you can always upgrade!
Most carriers let you monitor your usage online. Some phones (eg. iPhone) also have the option of monitoring the usage via the settings on the phone.
As a bonus for the social media junkies, many carriers are now offering unlmiited access to facebook and twitter. Just remember to read the fine print as always!