Ditch the Cell

October 20, 2009 7:01 AM

Just finally got my Google Voice account! I have been using Skype for a long time, and now with google voice I am finally ready to get rid of the cell phone all together. BUT, can anyone recommend a good piece of hardware, (The iPod Touch comes to mind) that I can use "like" a cell phone, with minimal tweaking, where wifi is available. A netbook would work, but a little big, can you hook up a mic to any Palm or anything? Thanks everyone.
posted by Benzle to grab bag (15 comments total)

The Nokia N800 or N810 internet tablets run Skype over wifi with a built-in microphone and speaker. They are significantly bigger than cellphones (226g for the N810, versus 135g for the iPhone 3GS) but have a similar overall form.
posted by mbrubeck at 7:13 AM on October 20

Google Voice isn't a skype replacement. It does voicemail and forwarding, but you have to call a phone # to use it.
posted by GuyZero at 7:13 AM on October 20

Open Pandora is the smallest you'll get with a 'net-book' like device. It's a little bigger than a DS, and runs linux.
posted by Taft at 7:16 AM on October 20

GuyZero is wrong; I have been using Google Voice/GrandCentral with Gizmo (which is a similar voice over IP service to Skype and also runs on some smartphones) for almost two years. And apparently you can now forward your Gizmo calls to Skype so you can use it with Skype as well.
posted by grouse at 7:16 AM on October 20

GuyZero is wrong

No, he's spot on, as far as I know. Google Voice doesn't actually handle your voice traffic (yet), it just manages your calls and messages- you'd still need a separate VOIP provider.
posted by mkultra at 7:33 AM on October 20

He's wrong insofar he implies that the OP cannot do what he wants with Google Voice, since I use it without a Public Switched Telephone Network terminal on my end every day. If he didn't mean to do that, then it is a bit of a non sequitur.
posted by grouse at 7:36 AM on October 20

one more vote for, you can not use goolge voice as you have described. i have google voice installed on my g1 and am unable to make gv calls unless i have cell reception.
posted by phil at 7:48 AM on October 20

I assumed that the original poster meant they would use Google Voice + Skype to replace their regular phone service.
posted by mbrubeck at 8:01 AM on October 20

The iPod Touch (2G or newer) running Skype with any of a variety of headsets, Bluetooth headsets, or third party microphones is perfect for this, if you only care about using it around WiFi.

I did this for several months with my iPod Touch 2G.
posted by Rendus at 8:24 AM on October 20 [1 favorite]

"that I can use "like" a cell phone, with minimal tweaking, where wifi is available"

iPod Touch came to my mind first as well. I am not familiar with any other PDA type devices that have mikes and wifi, though I am certain there are some. I posted this to help clear up any confusion that some of the replies seem to indicate.
posted by Xoebe at 8:57 AM on October 20

Okay, Okay, I understand G. Voice is not like skype, but I would use them in concert, to achieve similar results of a cell phone.
posted by Benzle at 9:32 AM on October 20

I read the question as replacing Skype with Google Voice. Sorry about the misreading.
posted by GuyZero at 9:50 AM on October 20

I use Google Voice on my iPod Touch 2G, but not Skype, and I've found to be really good for sending and receiving texts. I've begun to use the dial out feature with my regular phone, and it's not too bad.
posted by reenum at 11:30 AM on October 20

I don't know where you live or where you'd like to do this, but I have an ipod touch and was thinking about doing something similar. What prevented me is that there is so little free flowing wifi these days that I figured I'd have to get mifi. When I added up the cost of the device itself and the monthly charges, it seemed to me that getting an iphone with a basic $70.00/month plan would work out to be about the same price and a lot less trouble.
posted by kaybdc at 2:10 PM on October 20

mbrubeck: The Nokia N800 or N810 internet tablets run Skype over wifi with a built-in microphone and speaker. They are significantly bigger than cellphones (226g for the N810, versus 135g for the iPhone 3GS) but have a similar overall form.

Ditto this. My N810 also comes with a headset. Follow these directions to get it working with Gizmo and (I think!) pay for no phone calls.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 5:57 PM on October 20