Cellular and Wireless VoIP Combo Phones

In the classic vein of being all things to all people, enter the cellular/VoWi-Fi phone. Some of these phones are being designed to use VoWi-Fi offerings from established VoIP providers; others will simply use Wi-Fi for Internet access to the Skype network.

Note

Although this device allows users to make calls over cellular and VoIP, those features have not been integrated for seamless handoffs. You cannot pass VoIP calls on to cellular when you leave the wireless coverage area, so you will need to redial those calls if you want to take them on the road.

i-mate PDA2/PDA2k

Called a smartphone, the i-mate PDA2 series of phones are GSM-band cellular phones that run the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system (Figure 10.9). They also include the ability to communicate over wireless networks, enabling applications like Skype to be used for VoIP calling over the wireless network.

Figure 10.9. The i-mate PDA2k smartphone

Motorola CN620

Enter Motorola! Being involved with VoWi-Fi and cellular phones from the beginning, Motorola, the world's No. 3 handset maker, has been working on phones that pass cellular calls to VoIP whenever they encounter Wi-Fi networks. The CN620 is the fruition of that effort (Figure 10.10). Able to initiate calls over cellular or Wi-Fi, the phone also includes corporate-style extension dialing and Push to Talk (PTT) features that offer person-to-person, radio-style communications. It can hand off from Wi-Fi to cellular and back seamlessly, allowing users to make and receive calls anywhere, maintaining contact by the most economical method currently available at their location.

Figure 10.10. Motorola's CN620 gives you best-rate calls anywhere you go.