Pandora As 3g Skype Phone

[nscreated]

aliking, yep. $40 for the individual "Talk" plan + $15 for unlimited data + $10 for unlimited navigation + $5 for 300 texts per month = $70 a month.

The above is *legit* phone tethering, and no data caps (according to the rep) and Sprint won't penalize me like they do some people who try to tether by hacking their phones.

It might sound like a lot, but I'm actually saving a lot of money relative to paying $45/mo for cable internet + $50/mo for phone service. Plus I can access in intarTubes anywhere.

 

[Mr devil45]

all i wanna know is can i get some form of voip that gives ma a callable number?

 

[Gilrad]

Skype does it at (iirc) $20/month. Depending on your setup, not bad for a home phone I would think (never tried it myself).

But to use that with 3g, I think, is taking it a bit far. Especially considering the most accessible way to get 3g (barring stone-age US airwaves) is to just get a phone anyway. Unless you don't mind paying a premium for the novelty (or you use the phone so much, unlimited data + $20/month is actually cost effective), I don't think there is any benefit to using the P as a skypephone.

 

[borgqueenx]

to bad it is not possible that quickly. i would love an all in one device. the pandora only misses a simcart tray for 3g internet surfing and a call/sms function. thats the only con of it

But they are making a gaming console, no phone...but still...a all-in-one device would be ultimate.

 

[WizardStan]

After they add a phone, I hope they add an IR/RF module. Then I can replace my remotes and it will be a TRUE all-in-one device.
After they add the IR/RF module, I hope they add a GPS. Then it will be a TRUE all-in-one device.
After they add the GPS, I hope they add a printer. Then it will be a TRUE all-in-one device!
Ad infinitum.
You will never have an all-in-one device because there's always something else that someone will wish was added. You need to draw the line somewhere. So stop talking about some ultimate all-in-one device and pretending like the Pandora would be that mythical thing with just the inclusion of 3G.

 

[borgqueenx]

After they add a phone, I hope they add an IR/RF module. Then I can replace my remotes and it will be a TRUE all-in-one device.
After they add the IR/RF module, I hope they add a GPS. Then it will be a TRUE all-in-one device.
After they add the GPS, I hope they add a printer. Then it will be a TRUE all-in-one device!
Ad infinitum.
You will never have an all-in-one device because there's always something else that someone will wish was added. You need to draw the line somewhere. So stop talking about some ultimate all-in-one device and pretending like the Pandora would be that mythical thing with just the inclusion of 3G.

printer no. IR module no. gps yes and 3g yes, and maby an accelerometer.(something that the pandora should have...for a gaming console) those are the 3 things im missing.

but i'd really would like a phone function the most.

the iPhone 3g is also a device that the most people bought becouse its capabilities, replacing other stuff.

 

[DigitalWings]

The pandora would make a terrible phone, I like my mobile to be a mobile not a brick. Pandora is just a little to chunky to be in my pocket ALL the time. Besides anyone what to hazard a guess as to the coast?
Not just the hardware, licensing and stuff too, i'm sure there a whole bunch of standards for mobile phones that have to be followed.

 

[borgqueenx]

The pandora would make a terrible phone, I like my mobile to be a mobile not a brick. Pandora is just a little to chunky to be in my pocket ALL the time. Besides anyone what to hazard a guess as to the coast?
Not just the hardware, licensing and stuff too, i'm sure there a whole bunch of standards for mobile phones that have to be followed.

i dont agree with that but thats juts a matter of opinion. I have a iPhone3g, but i would be gladly to replace it with pandora if it had phone capabilities.

 

[nscreated]

aliking, yep. $40 for the individual "Talk" plan + $15 for unlimited data + $10 for unlimited navigation + $5 for 300 texts per month = $70 a month.

The above is *legit* phone tethering, and no data caps (according to the rep) and Sprint won't penalize me like they do some people who try to tether by hacking their phones.

It might sound like a lot, but I'm actually saving a lot of money relative to paying $45/mo for cable internet + $50/mo for phone service. Plus I can access in intarTubes anywhere.



Please note that I discovered that this plan does NOT include phone tethering. Basically there's no way to get phone tethering with any major carrier for less than $90/mo. Only Sprint is terifically misleading and evasive about this issue.

So now I'm back to wanting to stick an EVDO modem in my Pandora.

 

[Chip]

Basically there's no way to get phone tethering with any major carrier for less than $90/mo.
Not true. I have the cheapest calling plan + unlimited (5GB/mo, but that's the most you'll get from anybody) data through T-mobile for $55/mo. I can't vouch for their other phones, but they do not (I think they cannot) prevent tethering with the G1. Official spokesmen have said on several occasions that they will not block people from tethering their G1 phones.

I've rooted mine and installed an app that lets the phone act as a 3G wifi hotspot. It works great.

Just be aware that T-mobile's 3G coverage in most areas is pretty terrible. I'm just lucky enough to live in one of the few regions with decent coverage.

 

[cbox]

Skype has been ported to WindowsCE and there's been some talk of porting WindowsCE to the Pandora, so there may be that outside possibility.

 

[borgqueenx]

Skype has been ported to WindowsCE and there's been some talk of porting WindowsCE to the Pandora, so there may be that outside possibility.

good news but still to bad that the pandora must be on in order to receive calls. if it could be a standby function, i would really buy skype and credits.

 

[Tor]

I can't for the life of me see what's good about running WindowsCE on the Pandora. Why not get a hammer and inflict pain that way instead? If you want a WindowsCE device then just go out and buy one of the numerous ones on the market already.

For Skype on Pandora it's much more important and relevant that there's a version available for the Nokia tablets.

And don't worry about the 'must be on' part. Obviously it must be on to be networked, but 'on' is the preferred state already. It's not a problem to be online all the time with a Nokia tablet, and even less of a problem with the Pandora due to its enormous battery (compared to the Nokia tablets).

Still, if you really need 24/7 telephone availability then the only real option is a cellphone or a landline.

 

[Chip]

I can't for the life of me see what's good about running WindowsCE on the Pandora. Why not get a hammer and inflict pain that way instead? If you want a WindowsCE device then just go out and buy one of the numerous ones on the market already.
Windows CE is just another OS choice. You might want it for the same reason you might want any other OS - software selection, familiarity, look and feel preferences, etc. Hate on Windows all you want, but the fact remains that CE gives you some options that no flavor of Linux does right now.

CE has been used as a portable / embedded OS for a long time, and consequently there is a lot of software out there for CE that you might want on a handheld. If you want GPS or PIM software, especially if you want your GPS software to give you turn-by-turn directions or your PIM to sync with popular desktop PIM software, there are dozens of (commercial) choices on CE, while on Linux you get to choose between slim and none.

The good news is that at some point you might not actually need to run CE to get the functionality of its software. Just as WINE allows you to run Windows software under Linux, one of the goals of the WINE on ARM project is to allow CE apps to run on devices like the Pandora. It's a long way out from being usable, but at least they're working on it.

 

[Tor]

I don't want to get into a long discussion about this, but for those examples you mentioned for CE applications I still can't see why you would want to run that on a Pandora. It would be a much better experience to run the PIM or navigation software on an actual CE device, of which there are many.

 

[Chip]

I don't want to get into a long discussion about this, but for those examples you mentioned for CE applications I still can't see why you would want to run that on a Pandora.
If you honestly don't see why you might want to run GPS or PIM software on the Pandora, then you are missing the point of the device entirely.

 

[fischju2000]

The platform also has a ton of good (and franchised) games, like Call of Duty, which I guess could eventually work?

 

[Tor]

If you honestly don't see why you might want to run GPS or PIM software on the Pandora, then you are missing the point of the device entirely.

That's not really what I meant. What I meant was, if you want to run Windows CE PIM and navigation software, why would you want a Pandora? Why not use a Windows CE device for Windows CE applications? Particularly if running that kind of software is your main use?

Now, for myself, I'm going to run Maemo Mapper on the Pandora. With my BT GPS. It only does turn-by-turn navigation if you download a route in advance, but that's usually not what I need. When I _do_ need that I'll fire up my TomTom setup. That's the kind of application that works best for the device it was made for, I'm not going to force-emulate it or try to shoe-horn its OS onto the Pandora, IMO those hacks never really work out well when all's said and done.

For PIM we're a bit short whatever we do, at the moment. There are tons of PIM sw around that would run on the Pandora more or less out of the box, but in my opinion none of the alternatives are any good. I'm also of the opinion that current PIM software for Windows CE is not much to write home about either.

As for the comment that first mentioned Windows CE, the argument was that it could give us Skype. My reply was, and still is, that a much more straight forward way to get Skype is to focus on the fact that Skype already made a Linux version for a very similar device, the Nokia tablet.

Edit: Some clarification and fixup of apostrophe hell.

 

[Pleng]

I don't want to get into a long discussion about this, but for those examples you mentioned for CE applications I still can't see why you would want to run that on a Pandora.
If you honestly don't see why you might want to run GPS or PIM software on the Pandora, then you are missing the point of the device entirely.

That's a bit unfait. He's not entirely missing the point of the device. He's only missing about half the points of the device

 

[valhalla]

I don't want to get into a long discussion about this, but for those examples you mentioned for CE applications I still can't see why you would want to run that on a Pandora.
If you honestly don't see why you might want to run GPS or PIM software on the Pandora, then you are missing the point of the device entirely.

I wouldn't see the point in running a CE PIM software, when there are alternatives that work on the standard Pandora system and don't require the hassle and costs of installing windows CE. The same will apply to GPS software as soon as navit + OSM works everywhere (I'm working on the OSM part )