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Computerworld - I thought my needs were simple: mobile e-mail and voice communications from one device that works in every country on the planet. By the end of summer, I'll have been in the U.S., Austria, the Czech Republic, Australia and Japan. Turns out my needs weren't so simple after all.

As a longtime BlackBerry user, I've roamed throughout the U.S. and Europe without problems. I figured a Black­Berry "world phone" would do the job in Japan. No such luck. Thus began my journey through the lexicon of mobile communications.

Turning to Wikipedia, I found that the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a second-generation (2G) technology used by over 2 billion people. It has four major bands. GSM-900 and GSM-1800 are used in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and most of Asia. GSM-850 and GSM-1900 are used in the U.S., Canada and other countries in the Americas. It's the system used by AT&T/Cingular.

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is a 2G technology used by over 350 million people in the U.S., Canada and Asia. It's the system of choice for Verizon.

The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a 3G technology used by over 100 million people in 48 countries, mainly in Western Europe and Asia.

Once I mastered the alphabet soup, I set out to find a voice and data device that provided the coverage I needed. Of course, most devices are locked to a carrier, so you need to shop for a device/carrier combination. My experience in the U.S. is that CDMA/Verizon service provides great call quality everywhere. GSM/AT&T service may work in Paris and Stockholm, but don't try to complete a call in Boston.

Time to check out the phones. How about one of those cool new iPhones? It's a quad-band GSM phone (850, 900, 1800 and 1900), and AT&T is the only carrier. This means great service in Europe and China, dropped calls across the U.S., and no Japan. Close.

How about the BlackBerry? The 8830 sounded great -- full CDMA coverage by Verizon in the U.S. on the high-quality CDMA200/Evolution Data Optimized networks, plus full roaming on the 900/1,800-MHz GSM networks in Europe and most of Asia. No Japan, however. Also, it has a matchstick mouse rather than the track wheel that made the BlackBerry a killer e-mail device.

Other BlackBerries, such as the 8800, are quad-band GSM like the iPhone, with the same coverage issues.

But wait! There's an obscure device from BlackBerry called the 8707G. It's quad-band GSM plus 2,100-MHz UMTS, so it works everywhere. And you can feel free to use whatever local carrier is inexpensive where you're traveling. Because it is unlocked, no carrier wants to sell it to you. You have to buy it from Research In Motion.

Then there's the Palm Treo 750, with quad-band GSM plus UMTS. It's a Windows Mobile device sold by AT&T that comes with a little stylus.

I purchased both a BlackBerry 8707G and a Palm Treo 750. Both worked in the U.S. Both worked the moment I landed in Tokyo. Both worked in Europe. The winner -- the BlackBerry. Just try doing 600 e-mails a day with a little stylus on the Treo's 2-by-2-in. Windows Mobile screen.

After weeks of searching, I have a single voice/data device that works on every square inch of the planet. And it has my beloved thumb wheel! Makes you wonder why device manufacturers and carriers make this so difficult.

John D. Halamka is CIO at CareGroup Healthcare System, CIO and associate dean for educational technology at Harvard Medical School, chairman of the New England Health Electronic Data Interchange Network, CIO of the Harvard Clinical Research Institute and a practicing emergency physician. You can contact him at jhalamka@caregroup.harvard.edu.

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