Actually, the article touches on the truth a bit: Phone numbers in general aren't tied to a device and carrier. Only certain ones are. I have a Skype number

Actually, the article touches on the truth a bit: Phone numbers in general aren't tied to a device and carrier. Only certain ones are. I have a Skype number that I can log into from almost every computer-ish device I own. I could get a SIP number also. I have a Google Voice number that rings all my other numbers. The only number tied to a device is my cellphone number. As for being tied to a carrier, it's not. And certainly not more than an email address is. I can switch my phone number to another provider just as easily as moving my email server to a new host. Unless, of course, I use GMail or some third-party email... And then I'm even more locked in than phone numbers are. (Not that I'm complaining, actually... I like having Google handle it all for me.)