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HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
Pair Google Voice with Talkatone (VOIP) and it is free calls without using minutes. I know this for certain as I don't have a plan and can use this setup to make and receive calls, send and receive texts too (both via free wifi).

Maybe on an iPhone things work a little different, but can't you use the wifi-only functionality with Talkatone + GV to avoid burning minutes?
 
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MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
Goggle voice does not give you free calls. It uses your plan's minutes.

I like GV and been using it for years but it is not a VoIP service

Try an app called "GV Phone" it reroutes your google voice account with Google talk and works just like a VOIP. "Talkatone" does the same thing.
 

doug in albq

Suspended
Oct 12, 2007
1,449
246
Pair Google Voice with Talkatone (VOIP) and it is free calls without using minutes. I know this for certain as I don't have a plan and can use this setup to make and receive calls, send and receive texts too (both via free wifi).

Maybe on an iPhone things work a little different, but can't you use the wifi-only functionality with Talkatone + GV to avoid burning minutes?

Yes you can. I have been using GV + Talkatone to make and receive free calls and texts via WiFi on my iPhone 4 for over 2 years...That is $2,000 savings that went into my pocket over that time.
 

BruiserB

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2008
1,729
702
Laughing at all of those who say it's impossible to do this, or that the iPad mini isn't a "real" phone. With a data package and various VOIP options, it certainly is possible. You can have a real phone number with your local area code (or even port your current number over in many cases).

It's not a phone you want to hold up to your head to speak into, but it certainly is a very portable speaker phone. Or can be used with earbuds which include a mic. Or even with a bluetooth headset.

For those who don't want to walk around with a headset on their head, you could use something like this in your shirt pocket:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HM5000-Type-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B007L429MK

And yes, you could do the same thing with an iPhone....ditch the voice and text plan and just use data for VOIP. Or get the $30 a month T-mobile plan with 100 minutes voice, and Unlimited Texts and 5GB high speed data. There are lots of ways to do this without spending a fortune.

Right now you need to be a bit creative and savvy to get the optimum setup. People can't believe I spend just $30 a month for phone and data which I can tether to my iPad, but as soon as I start explaining how I do it, their eyes just glaze over! But it really isn't that difficult to figure out. My guess is eventually this will be the way mobile phone service works....the service will be just a data plan and the handset will be configured to use data for voice, text, and web, indistinguishable from how current cell phones work....but instead of buying a package of minutes, texts, and GB, there will just be different sized data packages. Would love a carrier to just sell a pay for what you use plan.

I think T-mobile may have something along these lines in the works. They hinted that their upcoming offering will not be traditional service plans. Also they already have VOIP apps for other phones that route calls over wi-fi when available. Wouldn't be at all surprised to see these as features of their upcoming phone plans. Sort of what Republic Wireless ( http://www.republicwireless.com ) is doing with android handsets, but with iOS devices.
 
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thelookingglass

macrumors 68020
Apr 27, 2005
2,138
631
Laughing at all of those who say it's impossible to do this, or that the iPad mini isn't a "real" phone. With a data package and various VOIP options, it certainly is possible. You can have a real phone number with your local area code (or even port your current number over in many cases).

It's not a phone you want to hold up to your head to speak into, but it certainly is a very portable speaker phone. Or can be used with earbuds which include a mic. Or even with a bluetooth headset.

For those who don't want to walk around with a headset on their head, you could use something like this in your shirt pocket:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HM5000-Type-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B007L429MK

And yes, you could do the same thing with an iPhone....ditch the voice and text plan and just use data for VOIP. Or get the $30 a month T-mobile plan with 100 minutes voice, and Unlimited Texts and 5GB high speed data. There are lots of ways to do this without spending a fortune.

Right now you need to be a bit creative and savvy to get the optimum setup. People can't believe I spend just $30 a month for phone and data which I can tether to my iPad, but as soon as I start explaining how I do it, their eyes just glaze over! But it really isn't that difficult to figure out. My guess is eventually this will be the way mobile phone service works....the service will be just a data plan and the handset will be configured to use data for voice, text, and web, indistinguishable from how current cell phones work....but instead of buying a package of minutes, texts, and GB, there will just be different sized data packages. Would love a carrier to just sell a pay for what you use plan.

I think T-mobile may have something along these lines in the works. They hinted that their upcoming offering will not be traditional service plans. Also they already have VOIP apps for other phones that route calls over wi-fi when available. Wouldn't be at all surprised to see these as features of their upcoming phone plans. Sort of what Republic Wireless ( http://www.republicwireless.com ) is doing with android handsets, but with iOS devices.

But the problem is what happens when you run into places where the data connection isn't good, but you can still get some sort of cell reception for calls? If you relied solely on VOIP, you'd be pretty screwed wouldn't you? I suppose that's where the dumbphone or cheap T-Mobile plan comes in, but still...
 

Awakener

macrumors 6502
Mar 28, 2011
345
0
Maybe but why voluntarily upload your life to Google? As for Apple, just do a little research on privacy comparing Apple to Google/Android. In my opinion the difference is dramatic.

By the way, take a look at Instagram lately--we also have no idea what might happen with Google's data in the future.
 

Amplelink

macrumors 6502a
Oct 8, 2012
933
392
Maybe but why voluntarily upload your life to Google? As for Apple, just do a little research on privacy comparing Apple to Google/Android. In my opinion the difference is dramatic.

By the way, take a look at Instagram lately--we also have no idea what might happen with Google's data in the future.

I agree. The key difference in the motivations of the two companies. Google is essentially an advertising company. That's how it makes its money. All of those great services they provide are fine, but they're there to funnel information about you into their gigantic moneymaking ad machine.

Apple, on the other hand, makes the vast majority of its profits on hardware. Now they're also creeping into offering software-based services that will benefit from datamining. But a lot of their services are keyed towards getting you to continue to buy their hardware. Huge difference in motivations between the two companies. I know which one I'd trust (more).
 

Jxpara

macrumors newbie
Feb 25, 2013
1
0
Hey guys. I know a few people have been wondering about replacing their iPhone with a new iPad Mini which is exactly what I did. There aren't many people who've done this so far so I thought I'd give a small account.

I had an iPhone 4S with ATT with 450 min (39.99) grandfathered "unlimited" data (30.00) & grandfathered 200 txt (5.00) = $75+10 tax so about $85 a month. With my iPad Mini, I now pay for a no contract ATT 3GB data plan (30.00) & Line2 which includes unlimited minutes & txts through VOIP (9.99) = about $41 tax included. I'm very happy with the savings and have had no problems with the Line2 service. I wasn't using my phone much for calls anymore and the 200 txts was seriously limiting my txt usage even though I had WhatsApp installed. My data usage hovered around 3GB or less a month, depending on if I worked from home or not so all this made my decision a bit easier.

Now the user experience. It's definitely different carrying the iPad Mini around in my hand at all times like a book especially since I've had some sort of phone in my pocket since 1998. I bought a nice black leather Yoobao Executive case for it so it doesn't even look like I'm carrying a Mini around unless I have my Apple earbuds attached to it while I'm talking. I may purchase a bluetooth headset for it though so then it'll be even less noticeable. As far as carrying it with me everywhere, it does have it's limitations that I can easily work around. Really the only places I don't take my Mini is to a bar/club or Six Flags but I had stopped taking my iPhone to those places anyway for fear of losing the phone. And I'm not into using your phone when out on a date or at a bar/restaurant. I'd rather engage in conversation & making eye contact with a person rather than looking down at my device. So my iPad Mini stays in the car on those occasions. I know you can come up with all kinds of situations where I would need a phone/my iPad Mini in a hurry or to check up on something but really it's not that hard to make it work. I'm 31 so I do remember what life was like before cell phones. I can do without it for an hour when necessary. BUT if I REALLY needed a phone for those times when I couldn't have my Mini with me (like on a jog), I could easily purchase a cheap Tracfone and it would still be nothing compared to what I was paying with my monthly plan.

As far as the iPad Mini's operation goes, all I can say is it works flawlessly like every other Apple product I've bought within the past year. I hate to oversimplify but it really is my iPhone but bigger, making it more efficient for ME. YMMV.

I know there's more I could cover like how great navigation is with it, or the longer battery life, etc.. but I'd like to have other people experimenting with the iPad Mini as their phone to comment (you have to have it to know how nice it works as a main mobile device) or anyone with questions :)


Hey OP,

I know this thread has been inactive for a while but your setup is something I'm considering when I get out of college. I'm just wondering how it's been working for you so far. Are you still with line2? How was their/is their service? And are you able to receive calls while your iPad is in sleep/lock mode?

Thanks,
John
 

linds15

macrumors 6502a
Oct 16, 2012
535
1
Great White North
also wondering how people found prolonged use of line2 with an ipad. also, if using with an iphone is there a way, with or without a jailbreak to get native support of the iphone phone app with a voip client?
 

bursthead

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2010
282
3
also wondering how people found prolonged use of line2 with an ipad. also, if using with an iphone is there a way, with or without a jailbreak to get native support of the iphone phone app with a voip client?

Line 2 works if your in an area with great data coverage. I think it's alot more reliable than using talkatone+gv. You can have the app open on one device. So you won't be able to take a call on your phone and ipad.

Overall it's pretty expensive for what it is. Your pretty much paying for the reliability and customer service.
 
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