Q: Can I use the iPod touch as a Wifi phone?
Friday, October 26th, 2007There are so many articles out there that I’m having trouble finding a definitive answer to this. Does the hardware support it, ie does it have a built in mic and speaker? This page implies it’s possible to use Skype on the iTouch (via Safari), but maybe it requires headphones, external mic still…?
October 26th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
It’s not really skype, think of it as fake skype, with clever use of skype’s API.
The voice component requires a mobile phone connection to call or receive, as well as consumption of skypeout credit to make inbound/outbound calls, (even to “free” skype contacts).
iPod touch does not have a speaker (or microphone) so you’re limited to skype IM only.
I’ve tried it on my iphone but it didn’t work :( and voice doesn’t work over WiFi so bugger that!
PS: iPhone is totally integrated into my pocket
October 26th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Skype IM… bleh… easier to use gmail chat
are you worried about bricking your iPhone with firmware updates?
October 27th, 2007 at 12:25 am
my firmware is currently 1.0.2 and i’m not in a hurry to update the firmware to 1.1.1 for no real benefit (oooh, itunes wifi, sure pal!)
Apparently the unlocking software will unbrick a locked phone now, etc, but like your experience, there is so much conflicting information about iphones in general, i’m just going to sit back and wait for now, i mean, i never felt compelled to upgrade the firmware on my nokia in a hurry, so don’t see why the iphone should be treated any differently :)
i’m going to firmly take my own professional advice for once, which is, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”.
It’s a phone, and it works on telstra 3G and Next G and that’s fine by me..
October 29th, 2007 at 12:57 am
So… Even though it is missing lots of the functionality I want and costs a bunch I went and bought the iPod touch today anyway. Firmware 1.1.1. So standard apps installers don’t work yet I think and some pretty obvious features have been left out. The thing I miss most of all is the disk mode feature of other iPods which I have come to rely on for data backups.
That said I am having an excellent time playing with my new toy :) and am even using it right now in bed when I should be asleep. Now I am going to watch some TV on it at glorious 480 x 320, which is twice the resolution of standard ipods…
October 29th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
once the iPod touch has been jail breaked, any day now (using iJailBreak i think), you can install BSD and SSH and then access your Touch via SFTP/Cyberduck or as a finder mounted volume using MacFuse and MacFusion or SSHFS. Yay!
I do this quite succesfully with the iPhone. I did previously use iPhoneDrive but it wasn’t worth the money :)
October 30th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Holy crap, see jailbreakme for an impressive one-click browser hack! I’m now happily installing whatever the hell I like (and very pleased to have MobileFinder installed)