Thanks for the basic bits, some of which I had fair to middling understanding of.

What's "airplane mode" that seems to pop up in discussions as a protective measure?

How does one prevent excessive charges when globetrotting?

Why do providers not provide a single package price for all use? I suspect the answer is obvious — namely whatever the traffic will bear.

Costing of services is clearly my biggest concern, and even the providers cannot explain it in simple and justifiable terms. And there seems to be no way to protect oneself from exorbitant costs no matter what one does.

I observe everyone with smartphones doing things (which must involve the Internet and concomitantly incur major costs) such as videophoning,'couponing', diddling around in time-wasting fashion, etc. I find it hard to comprehend what the 'charm' in any of this might be. And I find it aggravating that they have to invade my personal space to do it.