iPad Mini: My new phone is my new iPad Mini. Replaced my iPhone.

[DelMac]

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

[LWP777]

I'm confused. So now you have no way of making a phone call?

[Jnardis]

I was thinking of doing the same thing, but haven't had the best experience with Line 2 on my iphone 5 so I was nervous to switch. Plus I think it's too big for everyday use (my phone goes everywhere with me so I'm a different boat).

[DelMac]

Hey Kevroc. Yea I guess I could have done it with my iPhone but my father was wanting my iPhone so I gifted it to him. And I couldn't resist the iPad Mini with no contract

[DelMac]

Originally Posted by Jnardis

I was thinking of doing the same thing, but haven't had the best experience with Line 2 on my iphone 5 so I was nervous to switch. Plus I think it's too big for everyday use (my phone goes everywhere with me so I'm a different boat).

Oh no, don't tell me that. I'm a new customer to Line2, lol. What kind issues did you have with them? I'm hoping I don't have issues with them, otherwise I'll have to look for a new VOIP service.

[PracticalMac]

Originally Posted by LWP777

I'm confused. So now you have no way of making a phone call?

I guess he is using FaceTime, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, HeyTell, or other apps.

[DelMac]

Originally Posted by PracticalMac

I guess he is using FaceTime, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, HeyTell, or other apps.

I'm using Line2 VOIP for txts and calls although I do use FaceTime and Skype but for video only.

----------

Originally Posted by MrXiro

why pay for line2 over using GV Phone app for free Google Voice calls?

Hey MrXiro. I'm still new to not paying AT&T for voice calls so I'm still testing out any company that I can make good VOIP calls on. I had read good things about Line2 but if I can get the the exact same features from the GV phone app, then I'll jump on it. Thanks for the question/tip

[MrXiro]

Originally Posted by DelMac

Hey MrXiro. I'm still new to not paying AT&T for voice calls so I'm still testing out any company that I can make good VOIP calls on. I had read good things about Line2 but if I can get the the exact same features from the GV phone app, then I'll jump on it. Thanks for the question/tip

Ah yeah. It does text and calls via your Google Voice Account.

The only thing you can't get is Picture Messages... so no more sexting with the young hotties... unless they have imessage or facetime. :P

Go get a free Google Voice account and GV Phone app. All free.

-From your friendly neighborhood cheapskate.

[midwestfisherma]

Originally Posted by LWP777

I'm confused. So now you have no way of making a phone call?

So you're reading comprehension challenged?

[Chocolatemilty]

This is really interesting to note, OP. Thanks. I've been wanting to do this with my mini when my contract is up in March with AT&T. I was thinking the next iPad mini purchase would be LTE and I'll go google voice and talkatone while keeping my 4S too. Talkatone was a godsend in Europe last summer. Took out my AT&T sim, and it seriously was like I was still always connected with the free wifi in and around many European cities.

As far as emergencies, remember that all cell phones as long as they power on can make emergency calls in the US. Therefore, if you have any phone on you and are in dire straits or need help, you can always get it. Granted that doesn't help if you're trying to not carry a phone with you at all, but I figure one might as well carry a dumb phone in the bag or the car for that.

This is something I very well may try out in 2013, as there's a great chance I'm not going to re-up with AT&T and upgrade.

[SomeDudeAsking]

I can't tell if this thread is meant to be a joke or not. We typically have lots of Apple loyalists on this forum bashing anything bigger than 3.5 or 4 inches for a phone and here you are saying you use a 7.9 inch iPad Mini as a phone and carry it around with you everywhere. Do you remember all those pictures of people taking photos with their iPads? What if you are meeting with clients and need to make a call? It's going to be pretty awkward pulling out a huge tablet out of your pants everywhere. You would be committing social faux pas with everything you do.

[kevroc]

You could have done the same setup with the iPhone couldn't you? I mean doing it with the mini is pretty cool, but from a cost savings standpoint using your existing phone would work as well. And if you unlocked your iphone you could always pop in a cheap prepaid sim if you just had to have cell service.

I've been doing some experimenting with the Obi 110 / Obi app and it's pretty cool, need to look into line2 some more though, thanks for the post.

[Rhinoevans]

Originally Posted by kevroc

You could have done the same setup with the iPhone couldn't you? I mean doing it with the mini is pretty cool, but from a cost savings standpoint using your existing phone would work as well. And if you unlocked your iphone you could always pop in a cheap prepaid sim if you just had to have cell service.

I've been doing some experimenting with the Obi 110 / Obi app and it's pretty cool, need to look into line2 some more though, thanks for the post.

If you terminate yout service with ATT/Verizon, how do you use the iphone with Line 2 on a cellular network? I dont think you can avtivate an iphone with just data service, can you??

[bursthead]

Originally Posted by Rhinoevans

If you terminate yout service with ATT/Verizon, how do you use the iphone with Line 2 on a cellular network? I dont think you can avtivate an iphone with just data service, can you??

I think if you have a celluar ipad mini or 3/4. You can take the activated prepaid data sim and put it in your iphone.

[MrXiro]

Originally Posted by DelMac

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

why pay for line2 over using GV Phone app for free Google Voice calls?

[dukebound85]

Originally Posted by MrXiro

why pay for line2 over using GV Phone app for free Google Voice calls?

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

[HobeSoundDarryl]

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?

[doug in albq]

Originally Posted by HobeSoundDarryl

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]

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.../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.

[MrXiro]

Originally Posted by dukebound85

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.

[Jnardis]

You can use GV over 4g? I wasn't aware of that. That's why I use Line 2 for my work number so it's always connected even w/o wifi.

[MrXiro]

Originally Posted by Jnardis

You can use GV over 4g? I wasn't aware of that. That's why I use Line 2 for my work number so it's always connected even w/o wifi.

Yeah, There are two or 3 apps that do it. What it does is it goes through the Gtalk API and essentially it creates a Gtalk account on your phone within the app and lets you make and receive calls.

I think another app is called Talkatone

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talk...397648381?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phon...541829441?mt=8

I would stick to texting from the Google made Google Voice app though as GV Phone sends hidden links in it's text messages to your contacts.

[aleni]

there is now way i could live with the mini only. i might get a cheap android phone, and turn the cellular data, so it's being used only for making calls and sms only.

[Medic311]

Talkatone = FREE

[marcperrot]

I was considering doing something like this. I recently ported my personal number to Line2, but I still have an iPhone 5 with my work number. When I finish at the job, I think I'm going to do what you're doing and get a data plan and an LTE iPad mini, but I'm going to hold onto my iPhone 5 and pop the sim card from the iPad mini into it if I'm going places where I don't want to bring the iPad mini.