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It is not really a phone - it is more like a Wifi connected device which makes all calls over VOIP. There is no GSM connection and therefore no SIM etc. I like
by pkphilip 2y ago
It is not really a phone - it is more like a Wifi connected device which makes all calls over VOIP. There is no GSM connection and therefore no SIM etc. I like the project but calling this a phone is inaccurate.
If a GSM module is also included, this would be a lovely device to have. Also, would be nice to have a much larger screen.
- esperent 2y agoI don't think that's fair. Phones used to be connected by wires, then there where a few satellite connected phones, and nowadays most are connected by cellular. But they're all phones because that's what we call a device used to connect and talk to people at long distance using a registry of numbers or names. This one connects using WiFi, which is unusual. But it has the same basic functionality of being a phone.
- cultofmetatron 2y agoby your definition, my laptop is a phone too.
- guerrilla 2y agoNo, that's not the primary purpose of your laptop.
- cultofmetatron 2y agotell that to my mom! :P
- Topfi 2y agoBy that logic, neither are modern day smartphones.
- guerrilla 2y agoI agree. That's why I prefer the term mobile, since I can at least pretend it means mobile computer.
- itintheory 2y agoI'm partial to "com" - short for computer, or communicator. Hasn't caught on yet though.
- patapong 2y agoLet's go back to PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Although in this day and age I feel like I am the assistant to my phone, so maybe that is no longer accurate.
- andai 2y agoA videophone, no less!
- NBJack 2y agoCorrect, it can be a phone: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phone https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phone
- lolinder 2y agoFor the last 10 years the default definition of "phone" (unmodified) has been "cell phone". These days if you want to refer to a landline you call it that. If you want to refer to a WiFi phone you call it that. The primary function of a "phone" in the modern sense is to allow people to reach you (by means of SMS or voice) wherever you happen to be at the time. Something that doesn't meet that need isn't an unqualified "phone".
- rkagerer 2y agoI find it interesting you mentioned SMS first, before voice. When I say "phone" I primarily think of a tool for phone calls. I'm probably older than you.
- doubleg72 2y agoOr it's just alphabetical
- ratrocket 2y ago> If you want to refer to a WiFi phone you call it that. To its credit, the thing under discussion is literally called "WiPhone", which sounds to me like a direct play on "WiFi phone".
- TrapLord_Rhodo 2y ago>by means of SMS It's can't make calls but it does send SMS via a low-frequency radio, so you can send text messages in the middle of a jungle. Technically your cellular phone can't do that unless it's connected to starlink.
- sophacles 2y agoHow about we define "phone" as a voice capable device that is reachable by its assigned phone number. It's the unifying factor for dozens of different technologies that have been called "phone" for decades. Anything else seems absurd.
- lolinder 2y ago
- lelanthran 2y ago> But it has the same basic functionality of being a phone. Where I am, simply making calls over IP is not enough to qualify a device as a phone. If it cannot phone the local police station, the local pharmacy or the local clinic, it's not really a phone.
- prmoustache 2y ago>If it cannot phone the local police station, the local pharmacy or the local clinic, it's not really a phone. It can if you have a SIP provider. The only limitation depending on your provider might be emergency numbers. What it is not is a mobile phone. But it is totally a SIP phone.
- catherd 2y agoYes, most commercial SIP providers are required by law to support emergency services, at least in the US. If we're getting technical it is a mobile phone, just not a cellular phone. A cellular phone will work anywhere it can get a compatible cellular signal and this will work anywhere with decent WiFi.
- ranger_danger 2y agoWhy is it not fair to have a disagreement on terminology? There is not even a right or wrong answer here IMO, I think it's all subjective. If you want to get technical, the dictionary definition of a phone is "electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds"... which landlines, VoIP/WiFi and cellular all fit the bill.
- wkjagt 2y agoIt's a phone, just not a cell phone. But I must admit, that I also was a little disappointed to see that it wasn't a cell phone. I've been wanting a simple, open source phone (a cell phone that is) that allows me to easily hook into events with some code. Like for example, when a phone call comes in, I want to be able to run certain logic based on what number is calling etc.
- rkagerer 2y agoThat'd be great. I'm curious, what kind of logic? Is it things ordinary non-programmers might also find useful?
- wkjagt 2y agoWell, to write the code you'd need some knowledge of programming. But some top of my head random example would be, if I miss a call from the tax agency, add an item to my todo list to call the tax agency back. Or if a number that I don't have in my contacts, and it starts with my area code, ring with a specific ring tone, so I know I should probably answer. Or for example you could have logic when a text with certain content from a certain person is received.
- nativeit 2y agoLTE is already in the works.
- MaximilianEmel 2y agoAccording to their FAQ[1], they have already designed an LTE module, but it isn't ready for sale yet. [1] https://www.wiphone.io/FAQ.html https://www.wiphone.io/FAQ.html (under CAN YOU ADD A SIM CARD...)
- thomascountz 2y ago> DO I NEED A SIM CARD? > No. You might be able to get one into the microSD slot if you really push. This made me smile :D
- rijoja 2y agoThe name WiPhone sort of hints at that though, doesn't it? Obviously the title for the HN post doesn't include that.
- medo-bear 2y agoLooks more like a phone to me than the mini tablet with GSM Im using right now
- NBJack 2y agoIt's not a cell phone. It is definitely a phone.
- pkphilip 2y agoI guess it all depends on what you mean by a phone. For me a phone is something which allows me to make/receive a phone call (at the very least) - to any phone number without requiring some special software to be installed on either end of the phone call. For instance, even on a cellphone, I distinguish between calls made directly via the phone dialer vs Whatsapp video/audio calls or any VOIP call - because the other side has to have a compatible/supporting application/app to receive that call.
- prmoustache 2y agoA SIP phone is a phone. You don't need special software on either end. You just need a sip provider subscription.
- ktm5j 2y agoWe have VoIP phones on people's desks at work.. no one would think twice about calling them phones, because that's what they are.
- toastercat 2y agoAgreed, other nice things to have: * A multi-touch screen * Dedicated app store * AI voice controlled personal assistant * Face ID to unlock the phone * 48MP front facing and back facing cameras capable of 4K video * Maybe have a fruit as a logo on the back of the phone
- lapinot 2y agoYou forgot privacy invasive tracking.. I guess some people don't understand irony!
- insane_dreamer 2y agoApricot phone? ;)
- squarefoot 2y ago> It is not really a phone I see it more as a clever way to sell a Flipper Zero -ish device where the former has been or would be banned. Hardware is similar, it just need capable firmware to be written or ported over.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoIt is a phone. It’s not a cell phone.
- HumblyTossed 2y agoCan you really define a phone by the way it transmits data?
- 6510 2y agoa device by which sound (such as speech) is converted into electrical impulses and transmitted (as by wire or radio waves) to one or more specific receivers