I have a similar situation with a cell phone and the Galaxy tablet. I've been looking into data plans, ideally letting me dump cell service and go with an Internet phone service like Skype on the tablet. The trouble with that dream is the reality that "unlimited data" is this century's Big Lie: "unlimited" means "limited". Period. Read the fine print very carefully.

Given the current state-of-the-art and pricing plans, the idea of a cellphone that can act as a wi-fi hot spot seems like a good compromise for another couple of years. Cell phone service is more universal than data, so you'll always have voice as a fallback. You can ration the 2 gigabytes common to most data plans so that all your email and Zone chatting needs are covered, but it won't buy you a movie: A two-hour film would eat up your entire month's data allotment, and put you into platinum-plated overage charges.

Here's the wild card: Free wi-fi is getting so common you start to expect it in certain venues, like airports and other transit terminals, libraries, coffee shops--wherever you go, wi-fi is as close as your nearest Starbucks. In a two-block stretch near my home, I can get free wi-fi at a library, a BevMo liquor pallet store, three coffee shops, two restaurants, and even a medical marijuana dispensary.

So don't assume that the only way you'll be able to get on the Internet on the road is by paying for an expensive data plan. You should be able to forage and live off the digital land just about everywhere. You might want a cheap data plan for a backup, but I'd hold it in reserve for when there's no free service around.