Just to add to the many entries below on mobile internet connection: one of my most recent gadgets is a Huawei E5 WLAN router. It looks like a mobile phone and it is basically a 3G mobile phone for your WLAN enabled devices. You simply need to get a SIM card. The advantage is that via that one single device multiple clients (various notebooks, iPad, iPod, ...) can connect to the internet. So you need only one SIM card and all family members can connect at the same time.
So far, the experience with with the E5 has been very good. The internal antenna seems to do a good job in acquiring 3G connections.
