Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: Frank Slootweg Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android Subject: Re: Free texting and calling via WiFi? Date: 1 Jan 2017 20:43:43 GMT Organization: NOYB Lines: 63 Message-ID: References: <311220161308242487%nospam@nospam.invalid> X-Trace: individual.net 7bwQ19ZxJZlW2sbuhTxWpg060jMU0nZr39Is11JAGa7B5UAYMd X-Orig-Path: not-for-mail Cancel-Lock: sha1:7viE0XLq8BNd0RefUUG+CCNWeMU= User-Agent: tin/1.6.2-20030910 ("Pabbay") (UNIX) (CYGWIN_NT-6.2-WOW64/1.5.22(0.156/4/2) (i686)) Hamster/2.0.2.2 X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 170101-0, 01/01/2017), Outbound message X-Antivirus-Status: Clean Xref: csiph.com comp.mobile.android:37138 Yanis Bernard wrote: > Frank Slootweg said: > > > Yes, Skype doesn't need a SIM either and it doesn't need a phone > > number for Skype-to-Skype calls. For example, I use Skype on my SIM-less > > (Android) tablet. > > Two questions which if yes, may help you a lot. Well, *I* don't have any kind of problem which needs solving, I just gave some answers/information. :-) Having said that ... > 1. Do you have a sim card slot on your Android tablet? No. That's what I meant with 'SIM-less', but indeed one can have a slot for a SIM card without having a SIM card in that slot, so my "SIM-less" was a little bit too terse! :-) > 2. Are you in the USA? No, The Netherlands. > If both are yes, then for $10 or $15 you can get a SIM card from T-Mobile > which gives you 200MB/month free for life cellular data on the tablet. > > I have used that plan with HO/GV successfully to use the tablet as a > speakerphone while traveling, so I know it works beautifully to bilaterally > connect with US "real" phone numbers for free. Yeah, we also used the tablet (with Skype) as a speaker-phone (during our travels in Australia), so the both of us could talk to our loved ones at home. We also found that our smart-phone (with Skype) works best as a normal (non-speaker) phone, i.e. with the phone held to one's head. I actually found both behaviours an advantage, because it's the most logical use-model. A data 'plan' is not a problem for us (for Skype voice use). In Europe we can use our Dutch provider without extra cost and outside Europe (i.e. also in Australia) we use a local SIM/provider. > PS: I see the term POTS which I know covers traditional land lines, but > what is the word for a real 10-digit phone number which can be: > a. POTS (aka land line) > b. VOIP (aka Oooma, Vonage, MagickJack, Sideline, etc.) > c. Mobile (aka cellular) > > Does the term POTS cover all three types of 10-digit phone numbers? The term POTS indeed covers a., but only a.. (see for example the Wikipedia page). I normally use 'telephone number', 'telephone call', etc. for a+b+c. For example my 'fixed' line (i.e. 'a.') is VOIP-based (i.e. 'b.'). But who gives is toss knowing it's VOIP, when I call or when they call me? It's just a telephone call/number. 'c.' is of course a different category, for many reasons.