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Ipad as a VOIP device ?

A

aduteau

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 14, 2007
553
46
Anyone of you tried using your ipad as VOIP device to call people ?
I was thinking of using Google voice app that are coming in the app store ... But I think they need and actual phone .. And are not actual VOIP.
(all tho .. Google Voice is kind of VOIP when you log into gmail and place a call from the chat section)

Any one have any experience withnthis on the ipad .. Or know any way (without jailbreaking) of using a VOIP app on the ipad ?
 
maybe I'm missing something but I used my iPad with Skype several times and it works surprisingly well ( i think even without external microphone or headphones).

I haven't used it for several month so I don't know how good it would work via G3 but wifi was good.


edit: just tried it and you need an external mic or at least headphones. i used the iPhones headphone/mic and also ipod headphones without mic to call a cell phone. the ipad was on wifi.
 
I prefer using my iPad to our PC for Skype - sure it doesn't have video (a blessing for those on the receiving end of my calls, I'm sure), but the audio is friggin awesome - beats the pants off our craptop. The only thing that chokes my goat is that lack of multi-tasking means I can't mess around on the iPad during a call. But that will hopefully be fixed once 4.2 comes and Skype actually gets around to making an iPad app (lazy bunch of ****s).
 
Skype works even better on 4.2 as you can answer calls from lock screen but it does drain battery for now... hopefully it will be updated for that and the full screen.
 
andiwm2003 said:
maybe I'm missing something but I used my iPad with Skype several times and it works surprisingly well ( i think even without external microphone or headphones).

I haven't used it for several month so I don't know how good it would work via G3 but wifi was good.


edit: just tried it and you need an external mic or at least headphones. i used the iPhones headphone/mic and also ipod headphones without mic to call a cell phone. the ipad was on wifi.
Click to expand...

Just want to add/correct that I use Skype all the time on my iPad over 3G without any headphones. I use the built in mic and it works great! It will warn you that you need to add a mic or headphones but you can just dismiss this message and talk using the built in mic. Saves me a lot in long distance and was a nice surprise it works.
 
I installed the "whistle phone" app to make calls and it works reasonably well with a good ISP. The app is free but it's ad-supported (the first two or so calls each day are preceded by a 20-second commercial). Also, the telephone number you are given is unlikely to be local--I'm in Southern California and got a number in Vermont. If nothing else, it's a an easy way to try out VOIP on the iPad.

BTW, you can use the built-in microphone and speaker to make calls. It's not convenient but ok just to test.
 
i use every day "acrobits softphone" that works perfectly on 3G and WIFI. its an iphone app but it does well also on ipad.
hope that helps
 
aduteau said:
Anyone of you tried using your ipad as VOIP device to call people ?
I was thinking of using Google voice app that are coming in the app store ... But I think they need and actual phone .. And are not actual VOIP.
(all tho .. Google Voice is kind of VOIP when you log into gmail and place a call from the chat section)

Any one have any experience withnthis on the ipad .. Or know any way (without jailbreaking) of using a VOIP app on the ipad ?
Click to expand...

Skype works. Unfortunately, the new Google Voice Calling in Gmail does not because it requires Flash. Bummer.
 
Yes. I use the free Whistle app on my iPad (and iPhone, and the Whistle client on my Mac). All are free and, after a lot of investigation, I'd rank them the best of the free clients available. They work very, very well. I use them to connect to my voip.ms service, which itself is a wonder of functionality and value.
 
Sweet !!
Thx for all the reply guys :)
Keep posting all those VOIP apps (Im liking those free ones)
I am gona ktry a couple to see wich one can replace google voice (the VOIP from GMail) since there is no app for that for now
 
Personally I think VOIP will become the default interface for communications (preferably sooner rather than later), both in fixed locations and on the move. The ability to see availability of a contact and the ease of sending them a message or switching from a voice to a video call should become universal.

Unfortunately this means that either there's one software foir all, or all the software companies responsible for VOIP software need to get their act together.
 
Anyone knows how much data Skype uses for lets say ... A 5min conversation (voice only). Just to know .. So I dont bust my 3G plan on my Ipad.

I have a 256 mb data plan ... I wounder how much time this can give me.

Also ... Is skype ios 4 ready for the iphone .. And if so .. Did anyone try it for voice chat when multitasking ? I guess if its good for multitasking ... Then the iphone app will surely work the same way with the ipad when ios 4.2comes out.
 
Anyone knows how much time I can talk with Skype with my 256 mb per month 3G plan ?

I am just looking for an average time ... or how much data streaming per minute it takes
 
Some stuff I've read

I've read somewhere that there has been a new release of Skype for IPAD? Is this true? Somewhere i read that it also works on 3G...

One more question... I read that a 5 minute call is around 4 mb. How much data do you think i would total in a month of just leaving the skype app running in the background on a 3g after multitasking is released? I wont be using the 3g for anything else except the skype app. Or any of the others.

Would a 2GB plan work for this?
 
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