Pros and Cons of moving to soft phone using nexus 7 hspa and a bt headset?

[hli]

Hello all-

I am looking at the feasibility of using my nexus 7 hspa and a blue-tooth headpiece as my primary "phone" on the simple mobile carrier with a data only plan. Has anyone done this and if so, what things should I consider if I make this change? I'm nervous about the following areas: 1 privacy-should I consider enabling a vpn for all connections? 2.Is dependence on internet access any more limiting than simply being out of range from a phone network? 3 Is there a "fumble factor" that makes this process less smooth that I realize? 4. I plan to use Google talk, and to keep my primary email account separate. Should I consider another software/connection?

I'm not looking to play games or stream movies on the device. I want the ability to surf, search, speak, get directions and stay in contact either through voice, email or sms.

Thanks to all for any observations and/or comments

 

[rngwrldngnr]

I too am considering a tablet softphone solution. I can't speak to 1 and 2.

Regarding 3:
Google voice (and all voip services I'm familiar with) don't provide emergency dialing services, so no 911 calls from the softphone (though you could reach local police through standard telephone numbers).
Battery life on the Nexus 7 appears to be about ~10.5 hours, as opposed to the 16+ of almost all smartphones, so you would need to have a charger handy.
Google Voice numbers aren't provided by the carriers, so friends wouldn't get free mobile-to-mobile when they were talking with you, even if you were both using the same network.

Regarding 4:

Google Talk can only make outgoing voice calls if you're a full Google Voice member, but even then, you won't be able to use one of these from a tablet directly. This may be fixed in the future, but at the moment the app version of Google Talk/Voice tries to make outgoing calls using some part of the Android library that tablets, not being originally constructed as phones, don't posses. I don't know what actually happens if you try it, but my understanding is that it doesn't work.
However, GrooVe IP is an app that will allow you to do exactly what you're talking about using your Google Voice account. There is a free version (append "Lite") that you can use to make sure that it works, but the full version ($5) is required to make calls using your mobile data plan instead of just at wifi networks.

Hope this helps, please keep me posted.

 

[mathelm]

So long as the data plans cost nearly as much as the voice/data ones, there are not a lot of pro's....

Cons are that it's not a phone and will not be like having a phone. The reliability will never be there I don't think....

I have been using google voice for a while now forwarding to a straight talk flip phone. But because now I spend almost all my time here inside my own wifi area (it's big), I let the flip phone expire about 2 months ago. I do feel naked driving down the road now without any backup. I was using the desktop for phone and messaging, but now of course use the Nexus with Talk a tone. I haven't used the 3g yet, but that's my plan in the future. To me the perfect setup would be a small flip phone that I could tether the nexus to. I would like to have a Nexus 4 to do this with but it's forever sold out. It really depends on you and how you use your phone. I think in the future you'll see more larger Nexus 7 like phones, so maybe it will get you by till then.....

So long as it's a prepaid plan, it won't hurt to give it a try and see if it works for you......