Aren't things like the iPod touch and many tablets basically "wifi only" phones?

What if we had a killer phone-over-wifi app, to allow this segment of the market to take off?

> What if we had a killer phone-over-wifi app, to allow this segment of the market to take off?

It's called VoIP. The carriers do everything they can to kill it (to keep you buying cellular service for voice), but it's not like the technology doesn't exist.

Yeah, the technology has been around for a while, but there were a lot of limiting factors (there may still be) for pulling somethings off that might be worth revisiting now.

Meta: My dad works on VoIP systems for BT and I was telling him he'll probably be on the front lines in a couple of years when mesh-networking (well he calls it a buzz word for peer-networking) takes off and efficient packet routing on decentralized nodes that could come on/go offline at anytime.

Facetime, as an example, is a voice-and/or-video protocol which works over wifi and is not trace-able/snoop-able by Apple (according to their recent document about their law enforcement compliance).

> OR: a normal phone with a GSM sim module that you could add/remove quickly, like a SD card - without opening the device.

I've got a Motorola Razr Mini and, if I didn't have a case, the SIM card is removed by stabbing a fingernail into the volume control and pulling.

First time I did it, I was so surprised at the ease that I dropped everything.

You should be able to get that once ARA phones arrive. Just get one without a baseband, or take it out and only use it when you need it.