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iPod touch Does anyone use Skype + ipod touch as their main phone?

DoNoHarm

DoNoHarm

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 8, 2008
1,138
46
Maine
I'm thinking of getting rid of my cell phone (keeping it in my glove box and using it only for emergencies with a pay as you go plan) and using skype as my main phone. I will also have skype on my ipod touch and since i'm around hotspots at home/work/coffee, it can access the internet to make and accept calls using my skype number...

It's something like 6 bucks a month for a real number, unlimited calls to the USA and Canada, unlimited calls to Skype users, and voice mail (with a sexy British-accented secretary).

I know it's theoretically possible, but does anyone actually DO it? Also, if you have skype running at your home computer AND the ipod touch, does it ring at both places?

At $6 per month compared to $90 with AT&T, this should pay for itself (the 32GB ipod touch) within 3.2 months.
 
Ipod touch as phone

I use my Ipod Touch with skype as a phone, the price is right, only 0.065 per min. no monthly fee.
Got to love it !!
 
but you do need a wifi connection, this could get annoying if you are unable to connect
 
daniel000 said:
but you do need a wifi connection, this could get annoying if you are unable to connect
Click to expand...

Could be a problem but if you're only using it when you are at home or at work where you have a Wi-Fi connection I don't see anything wrong with it.
I've tried it out before on my iPhone and it worked really well, you just have to watch out using a public hotspot as the connection speeds aren't always that fast and can cause seriously annoying delays when talking.
 
Here's a thought

I don't think Skype and an iPod Touch will replace the functionality of that cell phone in your glove compartment. You said you only use it for emergencies. Well, I bet there would not be a WiFi signal anywhere near where an emergency occurs.
 
I couldn't.... i'm so NOT near wifi when i need a phone. I wouldn't have the MRI for my DD scheduled for tomorrow morning if i hadn't taken that call driving down the turnpike.

So for me, it wouldn't work.
 
Use mine all the time when travelling in Europe and Far East. Call quality is excellent with Skype and calls to UK landline are very cheap - much less than using my mobile phone.

Free Wifi is available all over the place - McDonalds have it Worldwide.

Still use a mobile phone at home though - but have free calls on it in UK
 
I use skype with my nokia phone and its really cheap...for 3$ a month(i don't have a number...people call on my prepaid number and i return their calls with skype...) its steal...specially for a student...Whenever I have emergencies and i am not near a hotspot i use my prepaid phone or my mother's phone(if she is with me)...its really really cheap
i love skype!
 
yeah i found it so strange how difficult it was to find a wifi hotspot in germany. when I asked a local cafe owner, he said that they had been waiting two months for the phone company to install wifi. And I thought Pacific Bell was bad....
 
No... here's why:

1. Need both WiFi and Skype credits to call from iPod to Cell.
2. Can't receive calls unless you are connected to WiFi.
3. You pay for both WiFi access and Skype credits in the worst case scenario.
 
I use it in addition to, not in replacement of, my primary phone.

One big downside; you can't turn off the screen while on a call. I usually turn down the brightness beforehand to save battery life. But battery life still takes a big hit because of this disadvantage.
 
The Mifi has made me consider using Skype and an iPod Touch to replace my cell. It creates a mobile wifi cloud like a portable wireless router. The Mifi would fill in the gaps when I'm not at home, work, or anywhere else where there's already a wifi connection. So for instance, when i leave home for work I turn on the Mifi while I'm in my car, then turn it off when I get to work where there's wifi. I wouldn't have to get a very expensive plan for the Mifi because most of the time I wouldn't have to use it because most places I'm at have wifi already. Like I said, I'd just use it to fill in the gaps. My iPT is jailbroken so I can always be running skype in the background using Backgrounder. I'm very tempted!
 
Jimmy James said:
I use it in addition to, not in replacement of, my primary phone.

One big downside; you can't turn off the screen while on a call. I usually turn down the brightness beforehand to save battery life. But battery life still takes a big hit because of this disadvantage.
Click to expand...

wow, that may really suck. I hope the battery lasts all day signed into skype.
 
That's what I did while traveling in Europe this summer. I bought some Skype credits and called back to the states for .03/min. We had free wi-fi and museums, libraries, and the B&B's where we stayed - and the quality was great. It seems like I used it a lot and never had an issue with the battery going dead.

IMHO, it's a great supplement to a cell or traditional phone, but I wouldn't use it as a substitute.

JB
 
If you want to go this route I would rather buy either a Belkin WiFi Phone or one of the Belkin desktop skype phones.
 
pilotrtc said:
What headphones/microphone do you use?
Click to expand...

I just use the set that came with my BlackBerry. They are nothing special but do the job nicely. My Blackberry doesn't work out of the US, so when I was traveling in Europe, having Skype on the Touch was a great alternative.

JB
 
trainguy77 said:
If you want to go this route I would rather buy either a Belkin WiFi Phone or one of the Belkin desktop skype phones.
Click to expand...

wow, that's really snazzy. I like the phone. If I do end up not being able to run skype for an entire day on the ipod touch, I'll definately go this route. If I can run the iphone all day long with skype on the ipod touch, however, it would seem that the added web browsing, application, and music functions of the ipod touch would be worth the extra hassle and money though... hmmm...

here's a link for the belkin wifi phone:

http://www.belkin.com/skype/howitworks/
 
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