Earlier this year I looked at the option of going “Cell-Phone-less” — of completely removing my dependence on the cell phone companies.
I’ve never been truly happy with the service AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc. have offered me. Spotty coverage. High prices. Slow data speeds. Lame features.
This, plus incredibly high prices on newer handsets (unless you lock yourself into a multi-year contract which, let’s be honest, just plain sucks) and it becomes clear that something must be done.
But how do you ditch cell phones entirely while still retaining your ability to interact with the world? It’s a daunting challenge. (Especially when you’ve already gotten rid of your standard “land line” phone.)
I’m finally making the plunge. And here’s how I’m doing it, step-by-step.
Step 1 – Google Voice
Google Voice provides a few key features that I need. Chief among them: a permanent (and free) telephone number that I can route to any other phone number I like.
Add to this some very cool features (such as automatic transcriptions of voice mails) and this is a great place to start. And getting your phone number via Google Voice ensures that you can change your VoIP (or cell phone) provider later without any issues.
Oh, and it even lets you send/receive TXT messages. Free.
Once you’ve got this set up you can now have people call you and leave you messages. A good first step.
Cost so far: Not a penny.
Step 2 – VoIP / Skype
Once you’ve got a dedicated Google Voice phone number, you’ll be wanting to actually be able to talk to someone. (Crazy, right?) Enter: VoIP (Voice over IP) to allow you to call standard phone lines over a data connection.
The most popular service along these lines is Skype. And, due to the support Skype has for a number of platforms (including Linux), this is the route I chose to go.
So I signed myself up for a plan via Skype that gave me unlimited calls to any phone number in USA and Canada… and also provided me with my own dedicated phone number with Skype.
Now that Skype phone number… this number almost doesn’t matter at all. Nobody will call that number. But you’ll need it so that you can tell Google Voice to call your fancy new Skype phone number whenever you get a call. (The great thing here… if you ever get tired of Skype and want to switch services… all you have to do is forward your Google Voice account to a new number. Complete freedom!)
At this point you’ll now be able to make and receive calls to any computer you have that runs Skype.
Cost so far: $7.99 per month
Step 3 – Mobility
Basically steps 1 and 2 provide you with the equivalent of a home phone (a land line) with a lot of very cool features at a much lower price.
But what about replacing the cell phone? How do we take this and go fully mobile?
Step 3.1 – The Mobile Hardware
Fist up, you need to choose the right mobile hardware for you.
There are three key things to consider when selecting a device to replace your cell phone:
- - The ability to run Skype 24/7 (a good battery).
- - The quality of the web browser (can it load and properly handle the Google Voice website).
- - The wireless/data options available (wifi, 3g, etc.) that you want to use.
I can’t make this decision for you (as it is a fairly personal one), but I can tell you what I selected.
I chose to go with the Nokia N810 WiMax edition based on a few key criteria:
- - Skype is fully supported for making and receiving calls.
- - The OS that powers the N810 is Linux and multitasks like a dream.
- - Great battery life.
- - Wifi and WiMax (aka “Clearwire”) are both available options.
- - I dig the N810′s style. (And the fact that Illumination Software Creator fully supports building N810 applications is gravy.)
This decision is made even easier by the fact that the N810 tablet can be picked up at a pretty good price currently. (I got mine for less than $150.) Yes, the N810 is 2 years old now. But, you know what? It still has more flexibility and features than an iPhone 4 (which -still- doesn’t have true multitasking).
Step 3.2 – The Wireless Data
But the hardware is only part of the solution. You also need a good way to reliably get solid internet access, at a reasonably good speed, on the go. Something fast enough to make a high quality Skype call.
WiFi is great. Plenty of speed for making voice calls to be sure. But you need to be in range of a WiFi hotspot. While this works much of the time, finding a hotspot can be tricky when you are out and about on the town.
3G is another solid option. If you can find hardware with the capability of both 3G and a Skype application (the Nokia N900 and many Android powered phones are great options for this), it is certainly doable! Though sound quality over 3G bandwidth can be a bit sketchy at times.
Both are totally viable (and can be utilized together with great results: 3G when not connected to a WiFi hotspot), but I chose to go with WiMax (from Clear).
The benefit of going with WiMax (at least within my area) is exceptional, broadband(ish) speeds and great coverage (not quite as widespread coverage as 3G data, but certainly covering all of the major cities nearby). Many people refer to this as “4G”.
This WiMax service, combined with the N810 WiMax edition (which, as the name implies, supports WiMax right out of the box), provide plenty of bandwidth for great quality voice (or even video) calls with bandwidth to spare.
Cost so far: $32.99 per month
The Result
So here I am.
- - An always connected N810 internet tablet with WiMax.
- - I can make and receive unlimited phone calls (no minute restrictions of any kind).
- - I can also use any home (or work… or internet cafe) computers to make/send calls using my same phone number.
- - I get automatic text transcriptions of my voice mails (which I can even download MP3 versions of).
- - I can send/receive Text messages from my tablet or any computer. (Not to mention 24/7 connected AIM, GoogleTalk, etc on the tablet.)
- - I have ultra fast portable internet access (including a portable browser with full Flash support) that makes the iPhone look like a children’s toy.
And all for just Thirty-two dolars and 99 cents per month.
To get something similar (but not quite as awesome), service wise, on AT&T with the iPhone, you’d be looking at over $115 per month (and that doesn’t include unlimited minutes).
In other words. A savings of, at least, $82 per month.
That works out to $984 each year that you could spend on… jeez. $984 of something awesome.
That’s roughly a thousand dollars less and I actually now have more features, better speed and… get this… better call quality than I did with any of my previous cell phones.
And the best part? I can switch hardware or VoIP service at the drop of a hat without inuring any fees… or needing to give out a new phone number.
That right there? Freedom. And it tastes sweet.
In that article I talked about using the Nokia N810 WiMax edition internet tablet as a viable, and inexpensive, portable device that, in effect, allows you to make skype/google voice calls while on the go.
