So I've been in Miami for 24 hours now and I remain absolutely disgusted at Vodafone's stupid, neolithic roaming rates for both voice, text and data. It obviously bothers me a great deal generally, but when I'm actually abroad, it really, really winds me up.

So I've taken a stand. I have refused to give the company more cash than is absolutely necessary. I've gone WiFi-only. And you know what, it's been rather pleasant.

There is, of course, many a time when it is impossible to do this. But staying at a large hotel complex with crazy-fast WiFi makes it really easy. I had to speak with Andy from recombu.com earlier in the day. If it had been 75p + the standard rates I pay, I'd have phoned him. Instead I Skyped him. Job done.

Then I used Apple's FaceTime direct from the press room at the MEF Americas event to call my wife and baby. Ridiculously cool. Crazily easy. Utterly free (apart from the SMS setup charge). We 'videoed' for 10 minutes or so. Twice.

I turned off cellular data roaming on the BlackBerry and switched it to the blanket WiFi at the hotel. This was totally transparent. I didn't notice a difference as the BlackBerry system just routed everything via WiFi without a hiccup. Email, instant messages, BBM, Google Sync, Gmail -- no problem.

Needless to say the iPhone loved the WiFi.

I'm seriously considering what I could do to further strip Vodafone (and my other network operator accounts) out of my life. They're adding fcuk-all value to me now. I'm utterly furious that they're still lazily charging bollocks amounts of money for simple, commoditised services. I wonder if it's time to strip back my cellular activities to a Truphone PAYG SIM card and a 3UK PAYG MiFi device.

I'm sick and tired of the mindless drivel that the operators feed me when I enquire as to their inability to deliver sensible roaming rates. To argue that it's logistically challenging or that it's 'a bit difficult' therefore it's 135p a minute really doesn't wash anymore. It did a few years ago. But not now.

What have you done for me lately Vodafone, other than continue taking 200 quid a month on average from me?

And even when I'm paying that much consistently, you haven't thought to do-me-a-deal on international roaming? Perhaps you don't think the relationship works that way. Perhaps your viewpoint is that it's my problem, that I'm failing to understand that I agreed to a set of terms and conditions when I signed up to the contract and... Yada yada.

The game of mobile service provision is changing dramatically. I'm astounded to be able to transact business perfectly fine without Vodafone here in Miami (or via their partners T-Mobile and AT&T, both who in the Miami area -- by the way -- wouldn't know a 3G signal if it punched them in the face). Normally I do some kind of WiFi/Cellular mix. With the emphasis on Cellular roaming as it's easier.

Just like I realised -- a year or so ago -- that I was blowing almost 500 a month on Vodafone (and promptly changed to a lower set of price plans without objection from the call centre there), I think it's high time I reduced the amount of expenditure I make with them. Why bother rewarding them for anything beyond commodity service -- that's generally better priced on PAYG? It used to be about the contract, the 'free phone', the operator-as-an-equipment-financier. But not any more. Not with 24-month contracts with even less included subsidy. No.

135 pence per minute, Vodafone? Come on. 3 pounds per meg of data? Where is the price innovation?

For the avoidance of doubt, I'm feeling the same with my other operators -- just Vodafone is my primary supplier hence my focus on them.

Do you have any suggestions for stripping out the operator and relegating them to true utility status? I'd welcome your ideas.

[By the way, I wonder if some enterprising readers could identify the department in Vodafone UK who actually manages this roaming policy. I'd like to offer them the right of reply, if they are at all interested.]

Me again. Just a few hours ago I posted the text message that I got from Vodafone outlining their (stupendous) data costs. Well, everything is stupendous, not just the data costs. I just got a new message from the Vodafone server thus:

From Vodafone: To let you know it's nearly midnight in the UK. If you do need to carry on using data after midnight, you'll be charged a new daily rate of £3 per 1MB. To stop these alerts, text STOP to 40506 Sent NOV 29 @23:07 UK

Now I appreciate the effort that the Vodafone roaming team has put in to send me these messages. What would be rather swell is some kind of indication that I've already been screwed for, say, £20 in data charges. I also have little care that it's nearly midnight in the UK but I suppose that's useful for billing period determinations.

This 'new daily rate' appears to be the same as the one I was on earlier. I think. But I don't know. So I am a little concerned as to what's going on. But all this arsing around with data costs is simply driving me one way: Hotel WiFi. It's $13/day vs three quid a meg.

If Vodafone sent me a note saying '200mb data today for £9' then guess what? I'd be giving them the cash. Meanwhile, it's on to the hotel-wide WiFi for me. All the operators are doing with their stupid roaming arrangements is conditioning the majority of their consumers to stop using their services whilst abroad.

Question: Will this still be a problem in 2015? Probably. Sad, isn't it?

I'm delighted that my BlackBerry was working when I switched it on as I arrived into Miami Airport, I really am. But I'm very much over the fact that 10 years ago, such superb mobile connectivity would have been nothing short of a miracle. I'm well over it. So much so that I actually winced when I read the same 'Welcome to America, let's stiff you right now' text message from Big Red. Here it is:

Welcome to The USA. Calls cost 135ppm to make & 100ppm to receive. SMS 35p + your home rate. Data costs start from £3 per 1MB per day. For free price info, click http://live.vodafone.com/zr/sa1 or call +441635691700. Emergency svcs 112

This is not progress, Vodafone. This is a reminder -- if ever I needed it -- that you're clinging on to your outdated and ridiculous profit centres business. Take 2.5% of my entire spend every month as a fee if you like. I'll use my Vodafone NFC-enabled Nokia for every transaction I make. But voice calls, data and text? This is still costing you crazy amounts of cash is it? For the 'risk'? For the 'paper work' you have to do to pay back your roaming partners?

I think the stupid pricing is perfectly acceptable if I was using ACME Mobile MVNO that's run out of a bedroom in Hartlepool. But Vodafone? The multi-billion pound mammoth that actually owns almost half of America's largest mobile operator? And you still can't -- or won't -- let me phone home for even the rather annoying Vodafone Passport rates?

Ridiculous.

It's not just Vodafone of course. Every other operator is clinging on for dear life.

Thus I will be doing what everyone else does when they're abroad... Use WiFi. Meanwhile all the corporates around me in the airport are busy yapping away at a-quid-a-minute because... Well, obviously, it's their company that's paying. Which is why it's still a super area of revenue for the operators.

Absolutely depressing. Carry on the carve up, Apple. Keep on nailing them Google. Sometimes I just can't help thinking we've got nowhere in this industry.

This just arrived in from the team at Windows Phone. I'm really looking forward to checking it out. If you have any questions, let me know!

I've just returned from a whirlwind trip to Berlin to check out RIM's BlackBerry Alliance EMEA Summit. If you recall, I popped by for last year's event for the whole three days in Rome and found a thriving community of passionate BlackBerry businesses, many of whom I managed to catch on camera (you can still find the videos on Mobile Developer TV).

This year, there was much talk of the PlayBook and the 'convergence' story (between the smartphone and the tablet). There were also many new faces amongst the 230 participants. Every RIM executive I bumped into was bursting with enthusiasm at the company's continued growth. Mike Kirkup, for example, the chap who leads the company's developer relations took obvious pleasure highlighting all the different geographies where RIM is the #1 smartphone (and it's a long list).

Back in San Francisco, I felt RIM jumped into overdrive with the raft of developer announcements (analytics, advertising, webworks) on top of the PlayBook announcements. All of a sudden, the company's forward-looking strategy became clear: the 6.0 OS, QNX, Tablet vs handset and so on.

I was curious to see if the company had retained this momentum, particularly given the long stretch before the PlayBook launch. From what I saw yesterday, though, the company is most definitely in 5th gear.

For a long time, RIM has heavily invested in partner relations with developers, integrators and vendors because it made financial sense. Whilst other manufacturers were simply about flogging handsets, RIM's recurring client license and BES revenues depend squarely on continued service demand from customers -- demand that is met by the company's army of partners.

It's no surprise, then, to find the EMEA Alliance Partner companies in rude health (at least those that I met yesterday). Away from the keen can-do ears of the event team, I probed many partners on their relationship with RIM.

There wasn't a hint of negativity. And that's rather good news. Witness, for example, one company approached to go into a totally different market after a RIM sales person there suggested their service to a large conglomerate. Being a partner isn't about getting a fancy stamp for your letterhead. RIM is clearly very serious about making sure its Alliance Partners succeed. Indeed, at last night's innovation awards, one of the chaps on stage pointed out that although they would shortly be announcing some 'winners', every one of the 100+ case studies submitted was being repackaged into a briefing series for RIM's worldwide sales force. That makes a lot of sense.

I sat down with a few Alliance Partners (old and new) and took copious notes of our conversations -- I'll be writing those up shortly. I also sat down with two key executives, Rory O'Neill and Mike Kirkup -- the output of that conversation is coming soon too.

(Written at 11,000ft, North East of London, on the final approach to Heathrow)

I am particularly impressed to read about the England Rugby team's latest 'secret weapon' in he current issue of The Week Magazine.

The last paragraph explains that the team took to the field at Twickenham last week (where they stuffed Australia 35-18) wearing a GPS-enabled heart rate monitor. The device is reportedly the size of a watch and was placed in a padded pocket within each player's shirt.

The team management were then able to monitor player performance including distance run, speed and, I imagine, some kind of 'stress' indicator based on heart rate/exertion. The information is apparently able to be viewed on team iPads, iPhones and laptops in real time.

That is pretty smart. Indeed I wonder if these kinds of metrics are going to become widespread shortly. Being able to effectively judge the current exertion rates of your squad may change how managers decide strategy, position changes and substitution.

How long before every one of the Manchester United home crowd is monitoring Wayne Rooney's high heart rate (and sluggish performance) and looking to manager Alex Ferguson for an early substitution?

I'm not sure sports teams would want this kind of live biometrics and performance metrics available to all and sundry, least of all their current competitors. But it would be a smart way to influence the device purchase choice of the millions of football fans if the data was available only to, say, Windows Phone users. The popularity of Formula 1's mountain of live statistics available across multiple mediums points the way.

(Written at about 20,000ft between London Heathrow and Berlin Tegel airports)

Flying to Berlin today was my first opportunity to try out the rather spiffy British Airways mobile boarding pass system. And goodness me it was absolutely fantastic. Two clicks on my BlackBerry when I entered the terminal and I was done.

I just handed the phone to the lady who checked in my bag. She scanned the barcode. Done. Then again at security.

I love it.

There was no small amount of excitement around the marketplace yesterday in anticipation of the 'iTunes Announcement'. Many I spoke to were hoping to hear about the much fabled iTunes-in-the-cloud service. Me too. I've had enough dicking about with my own media files. I have multiple machines, multiple devices and I am aghast that Apple still require me to arse around with *actual files* to deliver my own media experience. There's a reason why hundreds of thousands of users have subscribed to Spotify. Yes it's more efficient in terms of purchasing lots of songs -- but the joy of Spotify is that it gets out of the way. You want a song? Search it. Double click. It plays. You want to keep it in a list? Fine, drag it to the left bar. Login via your iPhone ... Guess what? It's precisely the same experience. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have to wait-until-I-get-home to transfer a song I have *purchased* that's in my library on to my device of choice. Yesterday Apple turned it's website frontpage white and declared 'something life changing is coming today' (or similar words). A few hours later, a picture of The Beatles covered the whole page, complete with gushing excited accompanying text. I'm surprise Apple missed the mark. I haven't managed to find anyone anongst the many iFans I know who's had a good word to say about the news. Big deal. You got The Beatles? Well, if I wanted their music on my iDevices, chances are, I already went out and bought the CDs. Or, I 'borrowed' the MP3s from a friend. Oh I'm sure a lot of people will now purchase a good amount of Beatles tracks via iTunes too. It's easier than going to a shop and buying a physical product. But a momentous occasion? No. Something to celebrate? No. Does anybody care beyond Apple's lawyers and The Beatles management? No. Or have I got it all wrong?

There was no small amount of excitement around the marketplace yesterday in anticipation of the 'iTunes Announcement'. Many I spoke to were hoping to hear about the much fabled iTunes-in-the-cloud service. Me too. I've had enough dicking about with my own media files. I have multiple machines, multiple devices and I am aghast that Apple still require me to arse around with *actual files* to deliver my own media experience. There's a reason why hundreds of thousands of users have subscribed to Spotify. Yes it's more efficient in terms of purchasing lots of songs -- but the joy of Spotify is that it gets out of the way. You want a song? Search it. Double click. It plays. You want to keep it in a list? Fine, drag it to the left bar. Login via your iPhone ... Guess what? It's precisely the same experience. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have to wait-until-I-get-home to transfer a song I have *purchased* that's in my library on to my device of choice. Yesterday Apple turned it's website frontpage white and declared 'something life changing is coming today' (or similar words). A few hours later, a picture of The Beatles covered the whole page, complete with gushing excited accompanying text. I'm surprise Apple missed the mark. I haven't managed to find anyone anongst the many iFans I know who's had a good word to say about the news. Big deal. You got The Beatles? Well, if I wanted their music on my iDevices, chances are, I already went out and bought the CDs. Or, I 'borrowed' the MP3s from a friend. Oh I'm sure a lot of people will now purchase a good amount of Beatles tracks via iTunes too. It's easier than going to a shop and buying a physical product. But a momentous occasion? No. Something to celebrate? No. Does anybody care beyond Apple's lawyers and The Beatles management? No. Or have I got it all wrong?