Perfect Phone Redux - downsides and alternatives

There are a couple downsides to my "perfect phone".

• The first is battery life. Mobile phones are battery starved as it is, and the number of services I propose installing on your phone will take its toll on your battery life. You will certainly need a car charger, easily accessible wall chargers (one at home and one at work, for example) and some sort of portable charger that runs on batteries or solar power.
• The other thing is I am not sure what happens to the wi-fi connection when a call is received. That will require some testing.
• The third is that the cost will go up if you send many text messages or talk in areas without 3G quite a bit. You may need to add a text plan or add more pay-as-you-go minutes to your plan. I believe it will still be cheaper, but you may not hit the $20/month sweet spot.
  

A friend of mine responded via e-mail to my Perfect Phone posting and I paste it and my response in its entirety:

great article kevin. not sure if it will work for me though. 1) I have a contract with AT&T so would have to wait until that is up and 2) I just changed my phone number once already and I use it for client's and everything else so that would kinda be a pain too. I might try it out though once my contract is up. So I am assuming this would still work if I go the Iphone right, even though I know you don't like apple products.

And my response. Warning, the numbers are estimates, but I think they are pretty realistic:

I don't have a problem with Apple products, but the iPhone is definitely not a business-class phone. Replace N95 (in my article) wtih E66 or E71, which are superb business class handsets that can do everything I mentioned.

If your contract is up, I am not sure you can get the discounted pricing on the iPhone anyway, so the $200 phone may be $500. They probably have a plan for that, but still..

The real point is money. Let's assume an iPhone costs what? $200? Then the service for an additional 2years is what, $2160.00? ($90/month x 24months). That is a good bit more money than my $652 (20/month x 24mos (data and voice) + $3/mo x 24months (phone number redirection) + $100 incidentals)

If your contract isn't up, you would simply use that until it is and then switch to my plan. unlimited data on AT&T is only $15/month. That plus voice is not as cheap as my plan, but cheaper than the $90/month an iPhone would cost.

There is legislation that forces carriers to allow you to transfer your number. I learned this weekend that my cousin has had the same mobile number since the late 80s (yes, she had a briefcase phone, then a carphone) and that has been over multiple carriers.

This would not work on the iPhone because Apple sets the phone so that you cannot install other applications on it without "Jailbreaking" the phone. Apparently, that is a simple process but I know nothing about it. My plan would work on any phone that does 3G, has wi-fi and can install the applications I listed in my article. I know of nothing that turns the iPhone into a hotspot.

Also, you do not have to use one of the Nokia handsets I mention in my posts. I just happen to know more about them than others so they are the examples I use. Any handset that can handle the applications I mention (mobile hotspot supports Win Mobile) will work just fine. Use what is comfortable to you.

The Perfect Phone

This is a guide to get all your voice and data in one device at just over $20, saving you up to $180 each month.

Executive Summary

1. Cancel your phone, mobile (cellphone), and Internet services.
2. Buy a good phone, equipped with wi-fi.
3. Sign up for an AT&T GoPhone.
4. Add the unlimited data plan.
5. Add a small number of minutes.
6. Install Gizmo, Skype, or Truphone on your phone.
7. Install Joikuspot or Walking Hotspot on your phone.
8. Sign up with Grandcentral or Callwave.

How much do you pay for voice and data, inclusive? Seriously, I mean everything: mobile phone, home phone, mobile Internet on your phone, mobile Internet on your laptop, and Internet access at home. Most of you do not have all of this, but I suspect you wish you did. The reason you don't have access everywhere is because it costs so much. If you were to waltz into your local AT&T store or call them up on the phone, you would pay at least $200 per month for all of that. You might even pay more than that. With some smart usage, you can get all of the above for $20 per month. I know you don't believe me, and there may be a service or two above and beyond that might add a bit to the cost, but stay with me and get ready to cut your communication bills by up to 90%.

Basically, this plan revolves around AT&T's recently announced unlimited data plan for their pay-as-you-go plans and a good smart phone that can take advantage of AT&T's 3G high-speed network. "But wait!" you say, "the unlimited plan itself costs $20/mo, and that just lets me surf the Internet on my phone, it doesn't include any talk time or all those other things you said above!"

Oh, but it does. Start by going to one of the many VOIP services out there. Basically, VOIP is a phone running over that $20/mo data plan. There are a number of services out there, but right now, I would choose between Gizmo, Skype, and Truphone. I use Gizmo because I can run it on my phone, my Nokia tablet, and on my computer. Skype does the same thing, but because Gizmo is SIP-based you can use it in many more ways whereas Skype is closed and run by eBay. Either is a good choice. Truphone is the relative newcomer to this space but it looks to be pretty good. The downside is that right now is that you cannot use it from your computer, but if that does not matter to you, this is a good option. In fact, you do not have to choose just one. You can try more than one of these at your leisure. Whichever service you decide upon, add some call-out minutes to it.

The great part is that VOIP works over 3G, meaning you can use it just about anywhere you can use your current phone. Now for the other parts. Skype, Gizmo, and Truphone can be installed on many phones out there, but these next parts are going to require a good phone. If you don't have one, this is going to cost some money, however, you should make the money up within the first two to four months of this plan, and you will have a top-of-the-line phone to go with it. I know the most about s60-based phones such as the Nokia Nseries and Eseries. You want to make sure you get a 3G-enabled phone, so let's just assume an N95-3 or N95 8GB. (Note the 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. You can save even more money by replacing your camera with this phone.) The real key with a phone like this is that it supports 802.11 wi-fi (the same wireless you have on your laptop). By using either the included cable, or bluetooth, the phone will connect your laptop to the Internet anywhere, anytime.

Now for the fun stuff. On your phone, install either Joikuspot or Walking Hotspot. These programs turn your phone into a wireless hotspot, allowing you to connect any and all of your home computers to the Internet, just as you would with the wireless router connected to your DSL line (so don't forget to cancel that DSL or cable service).

Now, you can initiate all the calls you want, but how do people reach you? During this transition, your phone number may change some and there may be multiple ways to reach you. Sign up with Grandcentral (now owned by Google) or Callwave (integrates nicely with Gizmo), choose a number you like it, and then point that number to the services you have setup. Now, you can give one number to people and it will ring your phone.