DataWind has upgraded its PocketSurfer web browsing palmtop with a new airtine package that offers unlimited internet access for life, for just £60. Well on top of the £199 you’ll pay for the PocketSurfer 2R itself…

The PocketSurfer 2R uses cheap GPRS cellular access and server-side caching and data compression to give you – what the manufacturers claim – is fast broadband-style access to the web.

DataWind bulk-buys airtime with the PocketSurfer’s embedded SIM connected to the network that DataWind currently has a deal with.

It’s data compression scheme not only speeds up web browsing but cuts down on its costs, allowing it to offer airtime which is, it claims, truly unlimited. It also carries a “no fair-use” policy with it too. Roaming is priced at a reasonable 5p a minute across Europe and America.

However, the device itself is pretty clunky. It features a 640 x 240, 65,000-colour screen, weighs 174g and measures 152 x 75 x 15mm in size. The gizmo has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts around 4 hours, but has a below par CPU that DataWind admit cannot handle “audio, video or fat moving gaming applications”.

The PocketSurfer is available to buy from today, and comes with 20 hours of free access a months, after which you pay £6 a month and a second year charge of £40, or you can just buy it outright for £60, or you can not waste your money and buy an iPhone, that can play games, can browse the web, and can play audio.