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Debating getting rid of iPhone 4S (or any mobile phone) since I got iPad 4G LTE

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So does mine... but what I'm saying is the iPad DOES make calls via an app and with no phone contract! And I've been bringing my iPad to work with me every day this week. It practically hasn't left my side..[/QUOTE]

Yeah, you can bring your iPad MOST places but being able to fit the iPhone in your pocket lets you take it MORE places :)
 
I'm not ready to get rid of my phone but I have considered just getting a dumb phone and dumping my smartphone and data plan. We're all on a family plan with AT&T and my line is only $10 bucks a month. My problem is I like having a smartphone. Not because I use the data but because I use Excel and an ewallet. Unfortunately even if I bring my own phone AT&T requies me to have a data plan. And the lowest plan is not enough of a savings to give up my unlimited data yet.

Guess I'll wait until I see if AT&T implements a shared data plan. Having the unlimited might help with that.
 
donnaw said:
I'm not ready to get rid of my phone but I have considered just getting a dumb phone and dumping my smartphone and data plan. We're all on a family plan with AT&T and my line is only $10 bucks a month. My problem is I like having a smartphone. Not because I use the data but because I use Excel and an ewallet. Unfortunately even if I bring my own phone AT&T requies me to have a data plan. And the lowest plan is not enough of a savings to give up my unlimited data yet.

Guess I'll wait until I see if AT&T implements a shared data plan. Having the unlimited might help with that.
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Shared data plans would be great! Hope it happens. But I wonder if they will charge more to have shared data. Like $40 a month for the "privilege" to share the same 3gb for 5 phones.
 
MrXiro said:
Shared data plans would be great! Hope it happens. But I wonder if they will charge more to have shared data. Like $40 a month for the "privilege" to share the same 3gb for 5 phones.
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I don't know. I'm hoping it would be shared between my phone and iPad. Being on the family plan might complicate things for me. Who knows, they may not even do it. I'm out of contract next week and they don't have a phone I want so I'm just going to keep my unlimited for now and play the waiting game. If they don't put in some sort of shared data plan by this fall I'll just cancel and get a dumb phone. Since I got my iPad last year I find that I never use data on my phone any more. But I'm retired so I can get away with it. If I were still working I don't think I could.
 
Maybe in theory this sounds good, but I don't want to carry an iPad at all times. I can't put it in my pocket!
 
I think for me, the big issue with having something like the iPad is your primary communication device is simply this: iPad is portable but it is not THAT portable.

If I am heading out somewhere, I carry a purse, but not one of those giant purses. I fit small things into it. This is where my phone goes and if I am late, I make a phone call via hands free.

If I am not carrying a purse, it is in my pocket. I can take it out and research something I may be considering buying in the store I am at.

If there is an emergency, my parents can call me.

If there is a good photo op, it is very easy to grab the phone and take the pic.

Carrying an iPad around with me all of the time would be like walking around with a giant tombstone in my hand. (by comparison).
 
MrXiro said:
Well I'm in a similar situation... I'm on my parent's At&t family plan and it's one of the reasons I'm sticking with it because my monthly is only 25 plus tax... I toss them $40 a month just to cover things.

But if I was on one of those single plans $100+ plans with data, etc this would almost be a done deal for me.

My wife has my old SERO Sprint plan 40 bucks a month unlimited everything minus landline calls which is limited to 500 min. If I could score another one of those I'd go back in a heart beat.

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So does mine... but what I'm saying is the iPad DOES make calls via an app and with no phone contract! And I've been bringing my iPad to work with me every day this week. It practically hasn't left my side..
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what will happen is you will be the cheap friend that refuses to pay for cell service, but will need to borrow a buddies phone at times bc you can't carry your iPad with you everywhere. For a $25/month savings it sounds like too much of a hassle. I know a few people like that in particular. It's not really saving cash when you have to bum off everyone else's cell phone. Your friends will find it annoying also lol.

I tried doing some testing with just going on wifi at work/home and it's more difficult than you think. Talkatone wouldn't push half the time so if someone called you....you would miss the call 50% of the time. It resulted in a lot of me calling people back which they thought was annoying. If your bill is ONLY $25 I would stick with what you got. It sounds like a cool idea in theory.....but it's not 100% reliable.

An app like Viber is more reliable than talkatone, but you can only call other users with viber so that doesn't work.

The only other option that you could do is go prepaid like AT&T GoPhone where it's 10 cents/minute. If you barely use the phone it won't cost you much at all.
 
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MrXiro said:
But if I was on one of those single plans $100+ plans with data, etc this would almost be a done deal for me.
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Ive been testing different alternative cause i fall in this category. The problem for me right now is that none of the free services work here in PR for local calls (they only call the 48 contiguous states). For this reason is that i had to settle for using a prepaid phone (go phone 10 cents/min) for the little calls i make and using my iPad for the texts and email, which is mostly how i communicate.

Once att offers personal hotspot on the iPad i will try to tether from the backpack to a iPod touch and see how well that works out, at which point i might be inclined to try a pay service like Skype. I got my dad into this as well, and so far when he is in the states (travels a lot) it has worked like a charm for him, with very little complications. If i was in your situation i would go for this without thinking it twice.
 
I lived like this using a 3G iPad tethered to an iPod Touch and using Pinger's 'TextFree with Voice' which I had my Google number forward to also, so I could have 2 incoming lines. You can set the google up to let you know if a call is coming from the google number, which helps if you use it for business, etc.

I spent most of my time at home, or at school, where there was always wifi and had ZERO issues working like this... voice quality was much better on wifi to boot.

Often, I'd run into people with iPhones and they'd ask how my iPhone was so thin... I told them it wasn't an iPhone, that i just used it as a phone on wifi for free. As you can imagine, most were upset!

It's not for everyone, but if you don't really need a phone, there is no reason to have one... I kept a prepaid (with no minutes) in my car in case of emergencies, as 911 ALWAYS works, $ or not.

EDIT: If you're doing this to justify the cost of a 4G iPad and data... don't. Its NOT worth it for the added inconvenience and you will grow tired of it pretty soon. Seriously. Stick with a wifi one, and a phone! You probably won't be glad in the long run, but you will have avoided an uncomfortable situation which would have made you appreciate your choice!
 
You can take the iPad, Kindle, Kindle Fire, don't take my iPhone away, god no. The iPad doesn't fit in my pocket. What about when you're hiking, or at the gym or on a train?

*grabs iPad* HALLLLLOOOOOO!!!!!
 
ano0oj said:
I'm sorry that you don't have friends that call you
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I live in LA... nobody calls anyone... they just text or email.

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BiggAW said:
You can take the iPad, Kindle, Kindle Fire, don't take my iPhone away, god no. The iPad doesn't fit in my pocket. What about when you're hiking, or at the gym or on a train?

*grabs iPad* HALLLLLOOOOOO!!!!!
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I take my iPad to the gym every day.

I use it on the elliptical, but for lifting it'd be a burden... unless I just use bluetooth headphones.

I don't hike... if I did I could also so my Sansa Clip and I have an iPod Classic as well. I could also just keep the iPhone and use it as (a much better quality) iPod Touch. Plenty of options there...

This is all food for thought though... like I said before... most likely will never do this. But it just seems like a fun idea and any chance I can get out of paying At&t anything I'm for it.
 
I've been thinking of doing this too...as soon as they make a tablet with internet access the size of a phone. Wait a minute......
 
MrXiro said:
I live in LA... nobody calls anyone... they just text or email.

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I take my iPad to the gym every day.

I use it on the elliptical, but for lifting it'd be a burden... unless I just use bluetooth headphones.

I don't hike... if I did I could also so my Sansa Clip and I have an iPod Classic as well. I could also just keep the iPhone and use it as (a much better quality) iPod Touch. Plenty of options there...

This is all food for thought though... like I said before... most likely will never do this. But it just seems like a fun idea and any chance I can get out of paying At&t anything I'm for it.
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just keep your phone and go prepaid 10cent/minute plan once your contract is up.
 
I trialed this option.

For about two months, I used my iPad 2 with Talkatone Premium and Google Voice because I was stuck on a Nextel i1 from work that was absolutely miserable in every way.

It's doable. With a proper bluetooth headset with good range you can get away with it. If I had to do it all over, I would pick up a SCOTTEVEST or some other such solution that can discretely sheath your iPad and keep your hands free to go about your business.

Reception is also an issue. You'll have to pick your network wisely. I first purchased a Verizon iPad 2 (why, I can't remember), and subsequently returned it after 20+ days to the Apple Store (they were kind enough to pardon my mistake regarding the return policy as I am a business customer). Point being, if you have an AT&T iPhone, test your 3G and Edge reception along your commute or wherever you'll do most of your calling, as your Talkatone / GV experience will depend on the availability of a good data connection. Without good reception, you'll drop calls.

For example, I had a severe dead zone along my last commute that would always get congested so I would try to plan my calls for before and after (usually after) that dead zone in order to prevent the frustration of voice echo and dropped calls. Note: upgrading to Talkatone Premium did make a difference in call quality.

Oh and one more thing: expect to get a lot of flak for leading the pack on this. I sure did, but my friends and family saw it coming as they're used to my antics already.
 
MrXiro said:
I don't hike... if I did I could also so my Sansa Clip and I have an iPod Classic as well. I could also just keep the iPhone and use it as (a much better quality) iPod Touch. Plenty of options there...
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Then you wouldn't have cellular access.

This is actually realistic for traveling internationally. I plan on doing that if I travel outside of the US, as the iPad data plans are cheaper and prepaid, and I can tether my iPhone and MBP off of it. But traveling internationally, I would always have a backpack on me, so it wouldn't be a burden like it would be at home.
 
MrXiro said:
Being the gadget geek that I am I know I probably would never part with my iPhone as I'm too addicted to using it... but I'm highly debating it.

I don't make many calls... and when I do it's to either At&t to bitch or one of my many other service companies (Dish Network, Electric, Apple) and nobody but work ever calls me. Most of my minutes are only used of me being put on hold by various companies.

Currently I have my Google Voice as the number I give out to everybody anyway (which I then have directed to my iPhone's number) and I also use Talkatone on Wifi if I don't feel like using my minutes at home.

Now since I have an iPad 4G LTE I'm data connected at all times for 20-30 bucks a month with no taxes. I could really save myself a bit of money by dropping the mobile phone bill and just using my iPad for the handful of calls I make... otherwise I can text/email/imessage/call straight from my iPad whenever needed anyway...

What do you think? I'm not ready to do this quite yet... maybe in a years time, really. I just signed a contract for my 4S in October so I've got a ways to go if I don't want to pay the fee.

But this is just food for thought. Anyone think about doing this?
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Can't really see this as very practical. You'd have to carry it everywhere you go. It won't fit in your pocket. For instance, You'd look pretty silly going out to a bar at night with your iPad.
 
I've done just this. I had the original iPhone since brand new. Paid like $600 plus a two year contract.

When the iPad 3G unlimited came out I barely touched the iPhone or apps. So I dropped down to a barebones dumb phone for dirt cheap. All I use the phone for is a few calls and a few text. A lot of people are using the phone less. Especially socially, with social media even replacing email.

So in all I end up paying $40 plus tax a month for all my data and phone needs. Thats unlimited texts, calls, unlimited 4G ipad... I dropped a land line too (more than half was just taxes and fees!). The phone is just phone and text as an additional phone on a family plan.

If you want portability but low costs, just get a dumb phone and an iPod touch (new are under $200). Then when you're near wifi you can get mail web, etc. plus you have a camera and such. Saves a lot of money!!!!!
 
I actually thought about doing this too; I thought that if I just got a dumb phone and continued to carry my iPad and mifi around with me that I wouldn't need a smartphone. So I tried to get by without my iPhone for a few days and damn, did I miss having it around. All those times when I'm in a meeting or standing in line somewhere when I might've busted out the old iPhone and taken a turn at WWF or caught up on some RSS feeds I just twiddled my thumbs. It's almost pathetic how used to being entertained I am at all times now, but that's just how it is today I guess.

It's a lot tougher than you might think.
 
Using the iPad as a phone is a hilarious thing to imagine haha. But other than using it for a phone I could see how you'd feel no need for your iPhone anymore. I have a 4s and am getting the new iPad, but I see them both having their places.
 
Funny this thread showed up because this is exactly what I did. As much as I enjoyed the iphone 4s, every time I used it, I wished the screen was bigger because most of the time I used it for entertainment and texting (not calling). Who calls these days? When I heard the new ipad was coming out, I decided to sell my iphone4s and grab the ipad instead.

Not to criticize people who use both, but I feel having iphone and ipad is not a smart move. It is just a waste of money. So I made the choice to switch down to a regular phone and an ipad. PS I used my money from iphone4s to buy the ipad.
 
Amazing nobody talks on the phone these days, they just want to text or email, as if calling and talking on the phone is a hassle.

If you're attached to an office phone, and then have a phone at home (sometimes having home phone service almost works out to be free, if you drop phone, they raise internet broadband), maybe you can do it. iOS phone apps aren't that reliable I've been told. Even if it's 90% reliable, I don't feel that's good enough to be your phone.

Also, it matters who you're communicating with, are they hip and always connected, or old-school?

If you're somebody who's always carrying a bag/purse then iPad with dumb phone is a good middle ground. A dumb phone doesn't need to be charged every day, and is small and cheap. No worries about dropping it. You would save on data. Texting would be a pain on a dumb phone though. That's the only dilemma.
 
Luba said:
Amazing nobody talks on the phone these days, they just want to text or email, as if calling and talking on the phone is a hassle.

If you're attached to an office phone, and then have a phone at home (sometimes having home phone service almost works out to be free, if you drop phone, they raise internet broadband), maybe you can do it. iOS phone apps aren't that reliable I've been told. Even if it's 90% reliable, I don't feel that's good enough to be your phone.

Also, it matters who you're communicating with, are they hip and always connected, or old-school?

If you're somebody who's always carrying a bag/purse then iPad with dumb phone is a good middle ground. A dumb phone doesn't need to be charged every day, and is small and cheap. No worries about dropping it. You would save on data. Texting would be a pain on a dumb phone though. That's the only dilemma.
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You could always go with one of those tmobile no contract Android phones as your phone. That way you still have apps but aren't paying $70+/month for it plus the iPad.
 
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