iPod touch Using iPod Touch as Cell Phone in Another Country?

[HappyDude20]

In a few months i'll be moving to both Tokyo, Japan and Beijing in China for 6 months.

I'm highly considering purchasing the newest generation iPod Touch and giving my current 2nd gen away. I'm wondering if I can get by being another country, making phone calls on the iPod Touch, considering i'll be using Skype, or perhaps some other service i've yet to hear of.

My only concern is I would like to be connected to WiFi at all times, in case someone from the states decides to call me.

Aside, I've been impressed by the Sprint Peel iPod Touch case. lol...

 

[TheyCallMeSaint]

I've always been confused by the people who want to do this, considering the iPod Touch doesn't have a phone speaker (ie one located and designed to transmit sound into your ear). If you're going to use the built-in speaker, get ready for poor quality and everybody around you hearing your conversation.

 

[skypilot55]

I used my 2g iPod Touch throughout the Netherlands and Denmark last year and it worked great with Skype. There were free wi-fi hot spots all over the place and it only cost .03/min to call back to a landline in the US.

I used earbuds with an inline microphone and the conversations were clear to both parties.

I guess a downside is that no one could call me, but they could leave a message on my (US) cell voice mail that I checked on occasion. Given how much it would have cost to get a European cell for a couple weeks, the iPod was a great option.

Good luck!

 

[nastebu]

In a few months i'll be moving to both Tokyo, Japan and Beijing in China for 6 months.

[...]

My only concern is I would like to be connected to WiFi at all times, in case someone from the states decides to call me.

It's worth remembering that those spontaneous calls from the US will be coming in the middle of the night given the time difference.

Two things to think about:

1.) Japan at least is notoriously thin on wifi hotspots. There are very few.

2.) for in-country calls anyway, rental cell phones in Japan are reasonably priced.

 

[HappyDude20]

It's worth remembering that those spontaneous calls from the US will be coming in the middle of the night given the time difference.

Two things to think about:

1.) Japan at least is notoriously thin on wifi hotspots. There are very few.

2.) for in-country calls anyway, rental cell phones in Japan are reasonably priced.

I'll most likely be taking my AirPort Express w/ me so our hotel room will have WiFi @ all times...and may take the AE w/ me when i'm at work, assuming there's no wifi there...

There's only gonna be one person i'll need to communicate w/ in Japan and he'll be my roommate so it wont be that big of a deal...most likely i'll be needing to make calls to people back in Cali.

 

[nastebu]

I'll most likely be taking my AirPort Express w/ me so our hotel room will have WiFi @ all times...and may take the AE w/ me when i'm at work, assuming there's no wifi there...

There's only gonna be one person i'll need to communicate w/ in Japan and he'll be my roommate so it wont be that big of a deal...most likely i'll be needing to make calls to people back in Cali.

Then any ipod touch will work. Since you'll be calling California at odd hours, when you can ensure you have access to wifi, there's not need to worry about having a phone that works while you're walking around. Do you really need a new iPod touch for this?

You should still consider a rental phone, in both Beijing and Tokyo. Without one, you really will only be talking to your roommate. With one, you have a better chance at a social life.

 

[patp]

if it was me in a foreign country no way i would travel without a working cell phone.

the money you spend to make your touch into a semi working phone, you could use that to get a cheap reliable phone that will always work and help you when your in a jam.

you got stop being so un realistic about how this will work. get a phone, they are cheap. have that extra bit of security knowing you can call at anytime.

being stuck out in the middel of nowhere, your ipod touch with no wifi ain't gonna do any good.

 

[Mr Kram]

if it was me in a foreign country no way i would travel without a working cell phone.

the money you spend to make your touch into a semi working phone, you could use that to get a cheap reliable phone that will always work and help you when your in a jam.

you got stop being so un realistic about how this will work. get a phone, they are cheap. have that extra bit of security knowing you can call at anytime.

being stuck out in the middel of nowhere, your ipod touch with no wifi ain't gonna do any good.

QFT. using skype to call home is great, but not having a cell phone in this day and age seems like a major hassle.

 

[nastebu]

if it was me in a foreign country no way i would travel without a working cell phone.

the money you spend to make your touch into a semi working phone, you could use that to get a cheap reliable phone that will always work and help you when your in a jam.

you got stop being so un realistic about how this will work. get a phone, they are cheap. have that extra bit of security knowing you can call at anytime.

being stuck out in the middel of nowhere, your ipod touch with no wifi ain't gonna do any good.

That's a little dramatic, no? He's going to Tokyo and Beijing, not Afghanistan. Even in the "middle of nowhere" there are still plenty of people who will be happy to help you out. If "you're in a jam," smile, bow and apologize, and ask for the police.

That said, a rental cell phone is a good idea. In Japan you can get one at Narita or there are services that will send you a phone while you're still in the US. In some cases incoming calls are free, as long as they are not international. And if you want to actually meet people and make friends, a card with your email and that cell phone number is really really helpful.

But for calling the US, you need Skype. There's a plan that for $3 monthly lets you call any number in the US from Japan. Definitely do that.