I despise contracts, AT&T, Verizon's, etc. It recently came to my attention that sprint has 12GB 3G wireless Internet for 80 a month. I am planning to buy a wireless router and use iPod touch as a cell phone via Skype. I make frequent international cell phone calls so this would suit me the best. I'd like to know however if anybody in here tried such set up for iPod touch and has it done well replacing their phone.
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iPod touch iPod touch as a phone
- Thread starter matt90036
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When traveling abroad to avoid roaming charges I use my iPhone with Skype to do video calls, as well as audio and phone calls.
The Pod touch could do the same, so I don't see any issue. However for it to be your only way of communication there will be some risks as you will not have coverage all the times.
The Pod touch could do the same, so I don't see any issue. However for it to be your only way of communication there will be some risks as you will not have coverage all the times.
be careful
Ive been trying too with my ipod touch. None of the MiFis or small modems or anything sold by US companies work abroad if you plan to go abroad a lot. I finally resolved to get the iphone 4S with Verizon because they have a policy with their world phones that if you are in good standing fo 60+ days and ask their global center, they will unlock the SIM slot for you. Once per phone per line every 10 months and it is a permanent unlock. So you can pop in a foreign SIM with prepaid data and just use that. It gets rid of a lot of clutter to carry around with you either in the US or abroad. That was my big issue with the ipod touch + some data modem + foreign phone + all this other crap is too much weight. Sprint never came out with that ZTE peel thing that was a case with a data modem for ipod touch which would have solved the problem (though you are still screwed abroad)
Ive been trying too with my ipod touch. None of the MiFis or small modems or anything sold by US companies work abroad if you plan to go abroad a lot. I finally resolved to get the iphone 4S with Verizon because they have a policy with their world phones that if you are in good standing fo 60+ days and ask their global center, they will unlock the SIM slot for you. Once per phone per line every 10 months and it is a permanent unlock. So you can pop in a foreign SIM with prepaid data and just use that. It gets rid of a lot of clutter to carry around with you either in the US or abroad. That was my big issue with the ipod touch + some data modem + foreign phone + all this other crap is too much weight. Sprint never came out with that ZTE peel thing that was a case with a data modem for ipod touch which would have solved the problem (though you are still screwed abroad)
u don't like contracts but are willing to pay $80/month for sprint internet?
i never tried skype but i was going to do the same thing with my iphone as i just use it on prepaid. I used an app called Talkatone with Google voice...but it's not really reliable man...not like a cell phone is. If you don't need to be contacted all the time and just make very few calls then yeah it would probably work. but if i remember right, u need to get a microphone for the ipod touch to be able to talk on it.
we have a verizon 4g mifi that we use for iphone data and it works awesome, but we don't use it for skype or voice calls. We pay $25/month for unlimited text and 250 minutes
I don't see a problem with this. I often travel oversea on business trip. I use my Iphone 4 making call via skype to my family via wifi. Apple airport express is my friend and I will not leave home without it. It is compact and work great.
I've had success with Talkatone/Google Voice app. I also use MagicJack for iPod touch 4g. It works just as good. I use them both because I get two numbers that way.
Mic is built-in on the iPod touch. I use ear phones so I don't have to hold it to my ear while talking.
Mic is built-in on the iPod touch. I use ear phones so I don't have to hold it to my ear while talking.
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Talkatone/GV is awesome! Best solution I've ever seen. I was debating dropping my mobile phone and using that.
Same here. Everywhere I go there is a wifi connection. A few years ago it wasn't a big deal but now since smart phones have gotten smarter, so have the carriers. Sprint is the only one offering truly unlimited data usage.
I don't care about carrying a portable phone with me 24/7. I am not a slave to my phone. There is a time and a place for these things. For me, the iPod Touch is an excellent choice. I have the 8gb model and it serves me well.
And with the issue of Carrier IQ and other cloak ware on cell phones, it makes sense.
I don't care about carrying a portable phone with me 24/7. I am not a slave to my phone. There is a time and a place for these things. For me, the iPod Touch is an excellent choice. I have the 8gb model and it serves me well.
And with the issue of Carrier IQ and other cloak ware on cell phones, it makes sense.
I also use talkatone and love it. I use Clear's Apollo router which is 4g Internet in your hand. I have an iPod touch 4g and I never miss a call or am not able to make a call and everyone says it is like I am talking on a regular cell phone. I pay 53 dollars a month for the Clear and that is it. Unlimited talk text and true unlimited web on my iPod touch. 
I also use talkatone and love it. I use Clear's Apollo router which is 4g Internet in your hand. I have an iPod touch 4g and I never miss a call or am not able to make a call and everyone says it is like I am talking on a regular cell phone. I pay 53 dollars a month for the Clear and that is it. Unlimited talk text and true unlimited web on my iPod touch.
I know this is a semi old thread, but I was excited to read others are doing the same thing I am. About to ditch my Android $100/month plan with tmobile for GV + iPod Touch and Clear's Voyager, which is even smaller than Apollo. Main reason for going this route is I want an iPhone and can get full service for $50/month with exact same result. Plus no contract and I like the idea of porting my main number (which EVERYONE has) to GV and always having control of it that way. Only drawbacks are A) having to ALWAYS carry the hotspot, but it's very tiny, easily fits in pocket if you don't have a bag. And B) those VERY rare instances where you might not have hotspot coverage, or the battery dies...solution for me is a dirt cheap prepaid pay-as-you-go basic cell phone, for emergencies or when you're in a pinch. Like if I know I'm going camping or traveling or something...also pretty much always have to use headset, either wired or Bluetooth, for phone calls. Might take a little getting used to, but ultimately it works great, and when you're on a Bluetooth headset on a call, you have no idea if it's through a phone, a computer, a tablet or an iPod...really can't tell the difference. Anyway, I might hop on an iPhone 5 plan when it drops, but for now this is a great cheap and for all intents and purposes a practical way to have an iPhone until I decide to start something else. Beauty of this method is any wifi enabled data device effectively becomes a phone, so I can use my iMac, iPad, iPod, iPhone, android phone, etc. to make and receive calls and texts. Don't have all those devices, just saying, it's flexible. And if/when I move back to a traditional phone I can just have GV forward all calls to the phone.
For those who have gone this or a similar route, can you update me on your experience? Really curious to hear some thoughts...
I've just started to use talkatone combined with GV on my iPod and Verizon iPad. So far just a few days in the results are good. The voice quality for me and my callers seems to be perfect.
I'm paying $30 a month and get LTE speed on my iPad when I'm away from the house. I always have my iPad with me so the personal hotspot is an awesome free feature. I can see how this solution might not work for everyone but for me it works and I think it's better than a contract. Over the course of two years this route saves a few hundred bucks but most importantly for me I'm not tied to a contract. In another few weeks I'll know for sure if this is the way for me or not but right now the results are positive.
I'm paying $30 a month and get LTE speed on my iPad when I'm away from the house. I always have my iPad with me so the personal hotspot is an awesome free feature. I can see how this solution might not work for everyone but for me it works and I think it's better than a contract. Over the course of two years this route saves a few hundred bucks but most importantly for me I'm not tied to a contract. In another few weeks I'll know for sure if this is the way for me or not but right now the results are positive.
Thanks for sharing your experience B.A.T.! That is essentially what I'm doing, except getting my wifi from a dedicated mobile hotspot instead of an ipad...but I didn't know you could by default use the ipad's data as a hotspot, that's pretty cool...
I also had a brainstorm - I think I'm going to trade my ipod touch in for an iphone 4, but still use it the same way, as a GV data phone - I can get a used iphone 4 for the same price as a new ipod touch - and the iphone 4 has more RAM, better camera, and perhaps most significantly - I can use it as a normal phone with GV instead of HAVING to use a headset (i.e. I can hold it to my ear and use it in the traditional old fashioned phone way). Epic win. ALSO - by using an iphone instead of an ipod touch, I can get a prepaid pay-as-you-go ATT SIM card and put it right in the iphone instead of lugging around a separate 'emergency' phone...for those few rare instances where I don't have data, I can use the pay-as-you-go SIM for phone calls, so I won't be stranded.
Funny, this all started because I'm an "apple" guy, have been using macs as primary computer for many years. But never had an iphone/ipad, always been using Android since the smartphone craze warmed up. Probably because I've been with Tmobile for a long time. But I've felt the itch grow strong recently to go Apple in my mobile life as well as home. So I got a new iPad, liked it, but still didn't feel complete, with my dependance on the Android phone. the iPad just felt like a novelty, since I had the smartphone already. Anyway, started thinking and reading online, and I realized that this was the best option for me to actually save money, and fulfill my desire of having a mobile Apple computing platform. As far as I can see, the ipod touch/iphone can do everything the ipad can, just with a smaller screen. For me, it's perfect. All my major work will be done on my imac at home - the mobile solution is just for keeping connected and messing around/light work. By returning the iPad, and going the GV/no phone plan route with an ipod touch/iphone, I'm saving a buttload and will have a fully functioning iphone, which in the end, is what I really wanted. TBH, not much I can do with ipod touch/iphone that I couldn't do with my android - but I have been longing to have unity in my computing/digital life, what with the mac at home...plus I love apple apps, and the polish on the UI. Google/android works, but Apple works and makes it look good. Add to all these incentives the fact that I'll be paying HALF my former phone bill, and won't be locked in to a contract, and I'm sold.
Lol sorry for long winded post, just excited to be on this path!
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Oh and p.s. one last thing I forgot to say - it's more that a few hundred bucks over 2 years. For me, I'll be paying $50/month for unlimited 4g. In 2 years, that'll come to $1,200. The typical Android/iphone plan is in the $90-110 range, let's just say $100 even for argument's sake. So 2 years of that service comes to $2,400. In your case, at $30/month, it would come to only $720! That's a savings of $1,700 over 2 years for you...nothing to sneeze at.
I also had a brainstorm - I think I'm going to trade my ipod touch in for an iphone 4, but still use it the same way, as a GV data phone - I can get a used iphone 4 for the same price as a new ipod touch - and the iphone 4 has more RAM, better camera, and perhaps most significantly - I can use it as a normal phone with GV instead of HAVING to use a headset (i.e. I can hold it to my ear and use it in the traditional old fashioned phone way). Epic win. ALSO - by using an iphone instead of an ipod touch, I can get a prepaid pay-as-you-go ATT SIM card and put it right in the iphone instead of lugging around a separate 'emergency' phone...for those few rare instances where I don't have data, I can use the pay-as-you-go SIM for phone calls, so I won't be stranded.
Funny, this all started because I'm an "apple" guy, have been using macs as primary computer for many years. But never had an iphone/ipad, always been using Android since the smartphone craze warmed up. Probably because I've been with Tmobile for a long time. But I've felt the itch grow strong recently to go Apple in my mobile life as well as home. So I got a new iPad, liked it, but still didn't feel complete, with my dependance on the Android phone. the iPad just felt like a novelty, since I had the smartphone already. Anyway, started thinking and reading online, and I realized that this was the best option for me to actually save money, and fulfill my desire of having a mobile Apple computing platform. As far as I can see, the ipod touch/iphone can do everything the ipad can, just with a smaller screen. For me, it's perfect. All my major work will be done on my imac at home - the mobile solution is just for keeping connected and messing around/light work. By returning the iPad, and going the GV/no phone plan route with an ipod touch/iphone, I'm saving a buttload and will have a fully functioning iphone, which in the end, is what I really wanted. TBH, not much I can do with ipod touch/iphone that I couldn't do with my android - but I have been longing to have unity in my computing/digital life, what with the mac at home...plus I love apple apps, and the polish on the UI. Google/android works, but Apple works and makes it look good. Add to all these incentives the fact that I'll be paying HALF my former phone bill, and won't be locked in to a contract, and I'm sold.
Lol sorry for long winded post, just excited to be on this path!
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Oh and p.s. one last thing I forgot to say - it's more that a few hundred bucks over 2 years. For me, I'll be paying $50/month for unlimited 4g. In 2 years, that'll come to $1,200. The typical Android/iphone plan is in the $90-110 range, let's just say $100 even for argument's sake. So 2 years of that service comes to $2,400. In your case, at $30/month, it would come to only $720! That's a savings of $1,700 over 2 years for you...nothing to sneeze at.
I've never had a smartphone so I didn't realize it was possible to use an iPhone. A used iPhone seems like a better option than an iPod for the reasons you stated.
My only question is how do you get a used iPhone to work without a data plan from the phone carriers? If this is easy to do I might go that route. If you have any advice on this I'd love to hear it.
My only question is how do you get a used iPhone to work without a data plan from the phone carriers? If this is easy to do I might go that route. If you have any advice on this I'd love to hear it.
Well, I actually won't have a data plan with the phone carrier (ATT). I am going to be carrying around a compact little 4g mobile hotspot, smaller than the iphone, and keep the iphone connected to that via wifi whenever I am not at home. Effectively, I am not using the ATT data, but the data provided by my hotspot, which is Clear: http://www.clear.com/devices/details/id/devvoyager
It costs $130 for the hotspot, and then either $35 or $50 a month for unlimited 4g data. It only covers major cities for the most part though, so not ideal for everyone. But with the unlimited 4g from the hotspot, and google voice, I will effectively have a full time working iphone. In your case, if your ipad can act as a hotspot, then you could connect the iphone to the ipad.
Essentially, the iphone is just being used as an ipod touch. The only difference (besides the better camera and being able to use it as an actual phone with GV instead of headset) is that with the iphone you have the option of using a prepaid SIM card that can actually make phone calls. This card won't be giving you data or texts (though you can probably get certain prepaid plans to provide this) - the card, in my scenario at least, is only on a pay per use basis, for when you need to make a phone call and can't use google voice for whatever reason.
Sorry, just to clarify - the iphone is NOT on a contract, the SIM is a prepaid, non-commital, month-by-month thing, so the freedom is still there.
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