Many people don’t realize that you don’t actually need to have an iPhone to have essentially all of the same functionality of a mobile phone at your disposal. Apple’s iPad can actually be turned into a fully functional mobile phone at almost no additional cost to the user. The transformation comes in the form of getting the right applications configured to operate in very specific ways. You can send SMS text messages, make telephone calls and more all from your iPad with the right software and a little bit of time.
Step 1
Purchase an iPad with a data connection. All iPad models are available in two distinct versions. One version only allows connection to the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection. The other allows a constant Internet connection at all times through a dedicated cellular network. The second version, however, requires you to also purchase a data plan from a cellular data provider for a monthly fee. It will, however, allow you to maintain a constant Internet connection on your device, which will in turn allow you to transform your iPad into a basic mobile phone.
Step 2
Download and install the Skype application onto your iPad. The official Skype application has a “Universal” layout, which means that it can reformat its interface at any time to take advantage of the larger iPad screen. Skype can be used to make video calls and initiate in text chat sessions over the Internet. It can also be used to call regular land line phones from your iPad. If you ever want to mimic the telephone call functionality of a regular mobile phone, enter the phone number into the Skype application to make the call using your iPad. You can speak into your iPad’s microphone to communicate with the person on the other end of the line.
Step 3
Use the “Messages” application that is built into your iPad to send SMS text messages to anyone you’d like. If you want to send a text message to a person’s cell phone, you can enter their cell phone number into the “Messages” application and send the text using your Apple user ID. To the person receiving the message, they won’t even be able to tell that you’re not actually communicating with them from a mobile phone.
Step 4
Use the rest of the iPad’s native features to mimic the remaining functionality of a mobile phone. Most new smart phones have built in Web browsers, for example. The iPad does, too, in the form of the Safari browser or one of a number of other browsers that you can download from the iTunes App Store. The iPad can also store music and movies, the same way that most modern mobile phones can. Newer iPad models also have a built-in camera, allowing you to take pictures of anything you want from the official “Camera” application, the same way you could on a regular mobile phone.
